Episode 356

[Cyrus Jong]

Spoiler

Hmmm, bit disappointed by the switch in perspectives. I really wanted to see what was in store for Guts and Casca, but it looks like we'll have to wait a while for that. And it's a short episode too at 15 pages, but then again, the last one ran a pretty lengthy 24 pages, so I guess it all balances out in the end.

That aside...even if it did disappoint me, I'm still interested in seeing where this is leading to, which seldom ever happens whenever a story disappoints me. We're seeing what's going on in the Griffith camp, getting a more hands-on look at the world outside Falconia, and getting some (more) firsthand evidence on how utterly unlivable it has become for humanity. I'm really digging the giants' designs, how they're all improvising various things for armor. One guy is using a door for a shield, another is using a rooftop as a helmet, and another is using a whole cuirass as a codpiece . And the king is fully decked out in what looks like dragon bones. I can't wait for the day when we see one of those beasties in action.

However, it's Sonia that's standing out to me. She's always had this look of bubbly, childlike excitement about her, but now she looks very serious for once. It can't just be because she suspects the giant king has something up his bony sleeve. Is something about the encounter with Rickert troubling her, as Squiddot said? Are her unrequited feelings for Griffith starting to seriously frustrate her? Or what? Guess we'll find out soon.

 

[DirtiestM]

Spoiler

It will be interesting to see where it goes from here on the Falconia side. Most likely Griffith will defeat the giant king, (giants on my mind from GOW4 lol) but it will be interesting to see a segue from this battle or the "so-what". I wonder if the human troops agree with going out of their way to fight these non-human beings because of classic Griffith Falcon of Light Brainwashing or if anyone questions the reasoning of the soon-to-be king. Besides this specific instance I wonder if any of the citizens of Falconia will question Griffith's decision making in the near future, it will be interesting to see if there are any consequences for not agreeing. We probably already saw a glimpse of this with Rickert and the anger from Locus and actual assassination attempt from Rakshas. Additionally, I wonder what would happen later on in the story if an important human character like Charlotte or Sonia find out Griffith's history and impact to the world. It would be interesting to see in the distant future a reunion of Charlotte and Casca or Sonia and Schierke to see if anyone currently under Griffith's brainwashing can change their mind about Griffith and see him in a new light, especially characters who think so highly of him. It kinda stunk not seeing Casca this month, but it was really nice to see the Apostles, Falconians and Astral beings drawn after such a long time. Per usual, super excited for the podcast and next episode.

 

[ApostleBob]

Well we have some returning apostles and a few new ones. I need to update my rogues gallery, but here's what I noticed right away. I apologize for the list of links.


There are quite a few returning apostles from the 'Unleash Evil' battle against the Ganishka spawn. -

https://imgur.com/R2tEvmw

The Horn-headed octopus-guy featured prominently in that fight:

https://imgur.com/taAG6b5

https://imgur.com/Ul7bOCq

https://imgur.com/NYgvapy

And the Skeletal Goat apostle is back:

https://imgur.com/zVhqvdZ

https://imgur.com/emKlBSw

The bug apostle was also there (This guy really needs a name):

https://imgur.com/sT7WigO

https://imgur.com/a6gGdtV

https://imgur.com/22YuaGR

There is also an apostle from the Eclipse that's shown up in the same Ganishka battle. He's the pincher phallus guy.

https://imgur.com/CWK7SAX

https://imgur.com/9DRk8kI

https://imgur.com/iXz4k17

We also get to see his full body now:

https://imgur.com/hp0Mlm8

There is also a praying mantis apostle we've seen once before with Ganishka, but never close up.

https://imgur.com/ZROCHmm

https://imgur.com/LdORcvp

https://imgur.com/hp0Mlm8

Beyond that, I'll need to do more comparisons on the quadruped ones. Some might be returning stars.

And so far no apostle deaths since Falconia!

 

[NCHaskew]

Miura noooo

Spoiler

Well, actually, I have been curious about giants ever since that gorgeous shot from the beginning of Fantasia--you all know the one. And I gotta say, despite its length, this episode delivers on that intrigue. I absolutely love the design of the giants. There's something that feels very classic fantasy about them, you know?

So after the initial shock, I think this should keep me from going crazy over wondering what will happen with Guts and Casca. Maybe. We'll see. I'm very interested to see where this bit of Griffith's storyline will go. Will it culminate with his coronation? With him subjugating/liberating the rest of the world? The real cruel move would be to build up to a big, sought-after event (such as the coronation/wedding) and then cut to Rickert's storyline. That's what I'd do if I was a mean author with a fanbase as hooked as Berserk's

Also, I'm very curious to see how the giant king will react to Griffith, assuming he isn't immediately murdered. Because there seems to be some rudimentary intelligence among these monsters--more so than trolls or ogres at least. But they aren't apostles, so they (presumably) aren't under the direct governance of the God Hand. At this point, it could go either way; giant annihilation or assimilation.

 

[TheStruggler]

Spoiler

I am sorry but this is not how you do a teases or "engage" your reader.
Why I am being taken to Femto's shenanigans? What purpose did it serve? What new or different it showed before the island? Oh, Femto conquering again? Good, same thing he did last time, so no new shit in Falconia same old kicking ass to expand his kingdom. I would never guessed.
It was a boring episode, felt like recycled and strong vibe of deja-vu. This was a cheap move...

These are my thoughts, feel free to disagree, but I stay strongly behind it. And if for some time we switch to Griffith's perspective, I take a nap.

 

[Aazealh]

Alright, third page of the thread guys, I think we can drop spoiler tags.

However, it's Sonia that's standing out to me. She's always had this look of bubbly, childlike excitement about her, but now she looks very serious for once. It can't just be because she suspects the giant king has something up his bony sleeve. Is something about the encounter with Rickert troubling her, as Squiddot said? Are her unrequited feelings for Griffith starting to seriously frustrate her? Or what? Guess we'll find out soon.

I don't know, I think it might just be because she's using telepathy.

Besides this specific instance I wonder if any of the citizens of Falconia will question Griffith's decision making in the near future, it will be interesting to see if there are any consequences for not agreeing. We probably already saw a glimpse of this with Rickert and the anger from Locus and actual assassination attempt from Rakshas. Additionally, I wonder what would happen later on in the story if an important human character like Charlotte or Sonia find out Griffith's history and impact to the world.

Rickert's case was very special for a variety of reasons, but I do think a kind of "dissident faction" will form in Falconia eventually. I would imagine that Luka and her girls would be part of, or maybe even at the center of it. I think it may be a while before that happens though. Also, the question of Charlotte and/or Sonia facing the true nature of Femto has been laid out a long time ago, and... yeah, still curious to see how that will work out.

I am sorry but this is not how you do a teases or "engage" your reader.
Why I am being taken to Femto's shenanigans? What purpose did it serve? What new or different it showed before the island? Oh, Femto conquering again? Good, same thing he did last time, so no new shit in Falconia same old kicking ass to expand his kingdom. I would never guessed.
It was a boring episode, felt like recycled and strong vibe of deja-vu. This was a cheap move...

Yeah, you should be sorry. Because this is actually exactly how you create an engaging narrative storyline. Having two sides you switch from is a very classic literary technique (used to great effect in sci-fi classics like Dune or Hyperion, for example), and switching as a new crisis occurs, but back to something else that's also very big, is how you end up with readers that spend their whole night reading because they were so hooked they couldn't put the book down. I mean, it's an established fact that Miura's a master storyteller, but even putting that aside, this is not some outrageous new thing no one's ever done before. In fact it's been done before in Berserk, too.

And really, I'm used to enduring impatient whiners with no ability to envision how the story might develop beyond the latest episode, but your post makes you seem really clueless here. As I've said yesterday, it's not like fighting these giants is the main point of this sequence of events. That's just the introduction as we return to Griffith's side of the story. It will then move on, in the next episodes, to what the real point might be. Lastly, you must realize that switching away from Guts & Casca was also likely because Miura has constructed the story in a way that calls for not seeing directly the aftermath of what occurred in episode 355. Given that he's been doing this for close to 30 years, I think you can assume that he knows what he's doing.

 

[TheStruggler]

Yes, I would be grateful if you don't patronize me with that passive aggressive tone. Thanks.

Anyway, what you say is not entirely wrong. However it could've been delivered better then a sudden perspective switch at a key moment for the sake of perspective switch.

While reading Hyperion it was the same fashion, the story was separated between 7 different characters. Each time the perspective switched to a different point of time and place enriching the story and helping for the "ow, that's why" moment.

Here was sudden switch for the sake of making the incentive in the reader for the "what next". I was not presented with something that would move my perspective or feel for the story, I have nothing against switching away from Guts and Co. but for what I saw it was not something that can compare to the long year wait and frankly it gave me strong Deja Vu.

It would've been super cool to see what Rickert was up to, I am quite interested to see what Miura has set for him, it would've felt more rewarding. To quote Guts "I am not interested in pissing contest between monsters." plus at that time we are clearly shown his motives and the fact that he is basically unstoppable.
It's not about the switching, it's about what would be the reward when we switch to a different perspective. Clearly we learned nothing new. Griffith is expanding his kingdom.
The chapter was boring.

 

[Aazealh]

Yes, I would be grateful if you don't patronize me with that passive aggressive tone. Thanks.

I'll patronize you if I see fit to do so. Which is the case here. You're not entitled to have your hot takes treated as well thought-out, reasoned essays.

Anyway, what you say is not entirely wrong. However it could've been delivered better then a sudden perspective switch at a key moment for the sake of perspective switch.

I think your opinion is entirely motivated by your anger at not getting what you wanted right away. The truth is that this perspective switch is fine (even if we all wanted to see what happened with Guts & Casca), and there's absolutely no chance it was just done "for the sake of it". Asserting otherwise makes you look immature. I guarantee you that this will be a non-issue once the episodes are collected in a volume.

I was not presented with something that would move my perspective or feel for the story, I have nothing against switching away from Guts and Co. but for what I saw it was not something that can compare to the long year wait and frankly it gave me strong Deja Vu.

*A few episodes later* "Whoa, what a huge development! Who could have expected that to happen! "

 

[Eluvei]

Thought the switch was perfect. Disturbing imagery right off the bat and a mostly silent war scene after we were left with Casca's scream is brilliant.

the trolls (who are tied like pets)

I hadn't noticed that. This episode rules.

 

[uroshi]

I still picture Casca's scream echoing trough the forest... Man, what a bummer. But we get to see an epic battle and a change in perspective will be good on us readers and will help further the story.

I love the attention Miura gives to all the antics a warrior society like this might have. I think it's safe to assume Griffith is more interested in what's lurking in the bushes. Also I couldn't help but notice the "change" in Sonia, showing her with this jaded look. I might also be misinterpreting it but it would be nice to see it as her character developement, in accepting her role first and foremost as one of Griffith's soldiers.

 

[Iluvatar]

Kinda saw this coming. Part of me thought that Miura would switch over to Griffith after the reunion. I just didn't expect it to be this early.

Seems like we won't be seeing Guts and crew for a while.

I agree with Aazealh. Switching the focus to Griffith creates suspense, and I'm interested to see what has happened after the blast of the astral world. I just hope that it doesn't take Miura too long.

 

[Sancho]

Uhm... i wonder if the trolls and those giants have the same instinct as the apostles to submit before the members of the God Hand, just like Ganishka trembled upon seeing Griffith. Are they evil creatures just like the apostles, that is do they have "evil power" within them? That would explain why the giant king seems afraid of facing Griffith.
I remember in the Qliphot while Slan was torturing Guts the trolls didn't dare to approach them but just stood there watching, and later they and the ogres obeyed her command to fight the Skull Knight, so this apply at least for the trolls.
I'm very curious about the giant king's reaction to Griffith, what will Griffith do if the former would bow and submit to him? Even with Griffith's influence it seems hardly possible that those creatures could be tamed to not hurt humans, unlike the apostles which still retain a bit of their old humanity.

 

[Aazealh]

I hadn't noticed that. This episode rules.

Haha, yeah and one of them's eating a big old chicken leg too. The episode is chock full of amazing visual details like that. Like the giants' armors and weapons, which many have already commented on. From the human skin banners to the falcon-emblem flail or the ship armor, down to the designs of the shields that they've collected. Another interesting detail I've noticed is we see two humans knights wearing Locus' cross on their helmets. Not sure if that's supposed to have a specific meaning or if it's just becoming a common design in Falconia's armies.

I agree with Aazealh. Switching the focus to Griffith creates suspense, and I'm interested to see what has happened after the blast of the astral world. I just hope that it doesn't take Miura too long.

I don't think it will take 10 episodes, like when we followed Rickert's arrival to and departure from Falconia. Although, that being said, it instantly became one of my all-time favorite parts of the series, so I'm up for more of the same.

Uhm... i wonder if the trolls and those giants have the same instinct as the apostles to submit before the members of the God Hand, just like Ganishka trembled upon seeing Griffith. Are they evil creatures just like the apostles, that is do they have "evil power" within them? That would explain why the giant king seems afraid of facing Griffith.
I remember in the Qliphot while Slan was torturing Guts the trolls didn't dare to approach them but just stood there watching, and later they and the ogres obeyed her command to fight the Skull Knight, so this apply at least for the trolls.
I'm very curious about the giant king's reaction to Griffith, what will Griffith do if the former would bow and submit to him? Even with Griffith's influence it seems hardly possible that those creatures could be tamed to not hurt humans, unlike the apostles which still retain a bit of their old humanity.

This is a more complicated question than it seems. The evil power that the God Hand and apostles use is entirely human in nature as far as we know. That means in theory random astral creatures, even if they're savage and barbaric, shouldn't be compelled to marvel at Griffith like apostles are. However there are a few elements that complicate the situation. The first one is that minor critters like trolls tend to follow a higher power, and members of the God Hand command truly formidable power. As a reminder, in the Qliphoth Slan didn't just order the ogres around, she literally created them at will to occupy the Skull Knight.

A second element is that "astral creatures" is a super vague term. There are tons of very different astral beings, with different alignments and from different levels of existence. And their nature and origins are likely to vary as well. We know that some undead human spirits wander the astral world, for example. They're the specters that harass Guts every night. There are also other malignant spirits, like Incubi, whose nature isn't completely clear.

However we know the concept of karma exists within Berserk. Among other things it is what decides whether souls go to hell (the Vortex) or not. So one of the possibilities I've considered is that maybe there exists a form of reincarnation in the Berserk universe. I mean that in the Buddhist sense, not to be confused with Femto's incarnation in volume 21. Maybe some of the bad souls wander for a while in the astral world and then take new forms, fitting of their past behavior. Like that of a troll. One of Slan's lines in volume 26 kind of hints at that possibility: "Here, near the realm of the dead, is the womb of darkness where loathed souls/spirits form their astral bodies."

 

[Sir Schraffl]

Its a little hard not to be upset about the switch but I guess it's not that bad and the current events are interesting as well. Im curious to find out what will come out of this skirmish and if its really just about griffith expanding his territory or there will be some deeper agenda.

 

[jackson_hurley]

Another interesting detail I've noticed is we see two humans knights wearing Locus' cross on their helmets. Not sure if that's supposed to have a specific meaning or if it's just becoming a common design in Falconia's armies.

I did not noticed that! Might be the generals now have a division of their own or something like that. Or some soldiers associates with some apostle, thus them making helmet or armour similar to their leader. Either way, very interesting.

However we know the concept of karma exists within Berserk. Among other things it is what decides whether souls go to hell (the Vortex) or not. So one of the possibilities I've considered is that maybe there exists a form of reincarnation in the Berserk universe. I mean that in the Buddhist sense, not to be confused with Femto's incarnation in volume 21. Maybe some of the bad souls wander for a while in the astral world and then take new forms, fitting of their past behavior. Like that of a troll. One of Slan's lines in volume 26 kind of hints at that possibility: "Here, near the realm of the dead, is the womb of darkness where loathed souls/spirits form their astral bodies."

Well that's another interesting thing to bring to the table. I've never really thought about that but you got me curious now. With time we might learn more if thats the case or not.

This is one of the many reasons I like to hang around here. So full of imput or nice ideas that are brought up. I'm not good in trying to speculate so I enjoy a lot what is said here instead. It helps me to better understand the story even though I've read it a lot of times. Again, thanx you for existing Skullknight and crew!

 

[Sareth]

The magazine is finally back in stock on CDJapan

 

[ApostleBob]

I've now made a few additions to my Recurring Apostle Rogues Gallery as of this recent episode. Miura has started reusing a few designs from the Ganishka battle and the Eclipse. I love how each apostle is individually unique and how each was once human and has a tragic backstory of their own. Amazing designs.

Apostle Rogues Gallery
https://imgur.com/a/ZAp8p

 

[Wenliinvictus]

What concerns me is the consequence of the transition, if Miura switched to Griffith's POV, then that may mean he's shown all he needs to show when it comes to Casca's healing, which means, at this time, what we've been presented with may be as far as their relationship goes.

 

[Aazealh]

What concerns me is the consequence of the transition, if Miura switched to Griffith's POV, then that may mean he's shown all he needs to show when it comes to Casca's healing, which means, at this time, what we've been presented with may be as far as their relationship goes.

I'm pretty sure Casca's healing will still be on the agenda when we switch back to their side...

 

[Truder]

I wonder if were going to see any "flow of time" shenanigans. Like is a year going to pass on the island when we switch back to Guts perspective? I feel like thats to be expected, but I hope we switch back at the exact same moment that we left off.

 

[NCHaskew]

I'm pretty sure Casca's healing will still be on the agenda when we switch back to their side...

Gotta agree there. While I don't think we'll see the moment immediately following her scream (except in a quick flashback), I think at most, when it cuts back to Guts' perspective, some time will have passed and he's nervous about approaching her again.

 

[TheWillOfT]

I wonder if were going to see any "flow of time" shenanigans. Like is a year going to pass on the island when we switch back to Guts perspective? I feel like thats to be expected, but I hope we switch back at the exact same moment that we left off.

I think thats exactly why the switch makes so much sense. You show what Griffith is up to now, go back on the island and once your back on the mainland Miura can display the consequences of everything that we will see in the upcoming episodes.

 

[Cyrus Jong]

I don't know, I think it might just be because she's using telepathy.

Maybe, but we've seen her communicate telepathically in the past, and she's always maintained that chipper demeanor of hers. The only time we've ever seen Sonia look serious was in episode 299, and that clearly due to her annoyance than anything.

What concerns me is the consequence of the transition, if Miura switched to Griffith's POV, then that may mean he's shown all he needs to show when it comes to Casca's healing, which means, at this time, what we've been presented with may be as far as their relationship goes.

Oh come on. You think this is going to be Casca for the rest of the manga? Those last pages in e355 made it abundantly clear her healing, and the mending of bridges between her and Guts, still have a long ways to go.

I wonder if were going to see any "flow of time" shenanigans. Like is a year going to pass on the island when we switch back to Guts perspective? I feel like thats to be expected, but I hope we switch back at the exact same moment that we left off.

Other way around. It would be closer to say as little as a few days will pass on Elfhelm, whereas years could potentially go by everywhere else. Regardless, it does give Miura the freedom to allow two plots to unfold concurrently but over different lengths of time. I personally expect a day or so at most to pass by when we return to the Guts camp.

 

[Aazealh]

I wonder if were going to see any "flow of time" shenanigans. Like is a year going to pass on the island when we switch back to Guts perspective? I feel like thats to be expected, but I hope we switch back at the exact same moment that we left off.

Cyrus already said so, but the "flow of time" thing works the other way around. Besides, from a narrative perspective it'd be pretty extreme to skip so far ahead.

Maybe, but we've seen her communicate telepathically in the past, and she's always maintained that chipper demeanor of hers. The only time we've ever seen Sonia look serious was in episode 299, and that clearly due to her annoyance than anything.

Yeah I'm aware, I just find it strange that Miura wouldn't elaborate if he meant to show her dissatisfaction with Griffith. That single panel isn't much to go on. We'll see how it goes in the next few episodes.

 

[Skeleton]

Man, welcome back to the mainland! I think I got too used to Elfhelm. I had forgotten how brutal it can get. Those skin banners bothered me. Getting turned into one of the Sea God’s tentacles doesn’t seem so bad now, eh?

Something I love about this episode (and the manga as a whole) is the juxtaposition between the more natural appearances/natures of the evil creatures of Fantasia and those of demonkind. They probably didn’t pay it any mind, but I wonder what those giants thought when these surreal/Lovecraftian apostles started coming at them. Dragons must seem painfully banal by comparison.

I like the heart (flower?) design on Sonia’s armor too. And Griffith’s looking like a total badass, as usual. A part of me wishes he’d change up his strategy though, but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, I guess.

I’m really excited to see what happens next. I can only imagine if Griffith and his army aren’t headed to the bakiraka then they’re going somewhere, or doing something, that’s equally awesome.