Episode 361 (July 22)

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
With the spoilers out, I guess it’s probably best to stay away from this thread for a few days... :schnoz:

We'll keep spoilers behind tags until the episode is released, which should be tomorrow at 8 AM PDT / 11 AM EDT / 17:00 CET assuming Hakusensha has moved the digital release to the same day as the physical one.
 
We'll keep spoilers behind tags until the episode is released, which should be tomorrow at 8 AM PDT / 11 AM EDT / 17:00 CET assuming Hakusensha has moved the digital release to the same day as the physical one.

Thank you! That’s really appreciated. Having said that, the biggest reason to stay away from the thread for me is resisting the temptation to look at the spoilers.:iva:
 
Alright, I said I wouldn't theorize before the episode came out, but a friend mentioned something to me and I had to see the thumbnails again.

Now, I might be jumping the gun on this one, but, could the person at the end of the episode that's hitting the Armor be a dwarf? Like the ones that made the armor? This is either a crackpot theory, or something extremely obvious for everyone else that I just noticed :ganishka:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Oh yeah I noticed that too, I'm just wondering why Morda brought Schierke to her. Maybe she can train there?

I imagine she has unorthodox insights and techniques, which the four Great Gurus maybe aren't very fond of. Or perhaps she's simply entrusted with watching over the taboo artefacts, and that's why Molda likes to hang out with her. Either way, she seems like a very interesting character.
 
Oh man this looks awesome! Without any context as to what is being discussed it's hard to theorize why the Berserker Armor/Beast of Darkness is activating, but the dwarf striking the armor seems to be a catalyst for it. Do you think this is some type of test? Like they just want to see what Guts is capable of when the armor is activated?
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Oh man this looks awesome! Without any context as to what is being discussed it's hard to theorize why the Berserker Armor/Beast of Darkness is activating, but the dwarf striking the armor seems to be a catalyst for it. Do you think this is some type of test? Like they just want to see what Guts is capable of when the armor is activated?

Allow me to reiterate that I don't think there's much value in guessing at what's happening based on thumbnails. That said, I don't think the blacksmith intends to evaluate Guts' fighting prowess, no. I think he's rather gauging how much/little control Guts has on the armor.
 
Allow me to reiterate that I don't think there's much value in guessing at what's happening based on thumbnails. That said, I don't think the blacksmith intends to evaluate Guts' fighting prowess, no. I think he's rather gauging how much/little control Guts has on the armor.

Ah, that seems to make more sense. Will be cool to see if Guts attacks anyone ie. Skull Knight and we get treated to a SK vs Berserker Armor Guts fight :serpico:
 
Looks like the episode title is referring to where this Witch (and Dwarf blacksmith?) reside (and there's even a stream running through it just like Aaz said :badbone:) Obviously waiting on an translation and bigger images before really getting into it, most intrigued by Skullknight and Gut's conversation. Looks as though it ends with Skully having Guts accompany him to blacksmith, I wonder for what reason...repairing the armour? Upgrades? Something related to the Beast of Darkness and it's effects on the armour? (given some of the imagery). Real excited to find out more! :chomp:
 
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Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
I wonder if the dwarf is related in anyway to Godot!

No, he's just a blacksmith, which is why Guts is reminded of Godot. Well, I say "just" a blacksmith... His name is Hanarr (from Scandinavian mythology) and he is the creator of the Berserk's armor. He also seems to have created the Skull Knight's current armor and calls him by his proper title ("king"). And SK calls him a friend, too.
 
No, he's just a blacksmith, which is why Guts is reminded of Godot. Well, I say "just" a blacksmith... His name is Hanarr (from Scandinavian mythology) and he is the creator of the Berserk's armor. He also seems to have created the Skull Knight's current armor and calls him by his proper title ("king"). And SK calls him a friend, too.

Oh my oh my! I can't wait for this episode to be translated! Thanks for the tidbit to tide over till then!
 
I don't know if anyone has translated the first few pages yet, but judging by the rest of the episode, I guess Skull Knight talked to Guts only about Hanarr and the armor.
If I remember correctly, most of us thought that this would be a perfect moment for SK to talk to Guts about his past, but because the armor is more of a concern right now, and since he's still with Guts at the end of the episode, he'll most likely talk to him again after they are done with it.
I just think that Elfhelm is the perfect place for us to learn more about SK and I can't see it happening on their way to or even in Falconia.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
I don't know if anyone has translated the first few pages yet, but judging by the rest of the episode, I guess Skull Knight talked to Guts only about Hanarr and the armor. If I remember correctly, most of us thought that this would be a perfect moment for SK to talk to Guts about his past, but because the armor is more of a concern right now, and since he's still with Guts at the end of the episode, he'll most likely talk to him again after they are done with it.
I just think that Elfhelm is the perfect place for us to learn more about SK and I can't see it happening on their way to or even in Falconia.

People have strange assumptions about the order and manner in which events should happen. Yes, Elfhelm is a good place for us to learn about the Skull Knight's past... And it's already happening here. He directly addresses his current condition and the fact he has Hanarr to thank for it. That's not nothing. Beyond that, the Skull Knight was the former wearer of the armor, so it is itself tied to his past, and learning more about it is therefore learning more about him. All these things are imbricated together. So I guess what I'm saying is let's not be hasty. Beware that by focusing on the horizon you don't end up missing what's right in front of you. Episodic releases tend to do that to a lot of readers. There's already a lot of enjoy and process in this episode, and more will follow.

I'll try to have a summary up later today, after the official release.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
The digital edition went up about 30 minutes ago, and I'm caught up!

 
Well this is an absolutely fantastic episode and one of my favorites of Elfhelm thus far.

I expected a lecture by Skull Knight going into this, but instead got something much more fluid and fitting in terms of storytelling.

We are basically addressing bunch of story elements with one scenario. Morda helping Schierke grow and us getting insight into the outcasts of Elfhelm (I love the shots of the goblins chilling when they enter the ravine).

Seeing the outcast witch with the Wicker Man makes me wonder about the ancient times and the use of such magic that involved human sacrifice.

Meanwhile we are also addressing the Berserker armor which not only will develop Guts further but adds insight on the lore regarding dwarfs and of course Skull Knights past.


I love how throughout the episode you see the 2 groups travel to the place only for Schierke to end up there right after Guts gets knocked into insanity :ganishka:

Since Guts was reminded of Godo, I can imagine Hanarr reacting to Guts' Dragonslayer in the next episode. Would be quite cool if he even worked on it.

Curious to see how things will go. I wonder if this could mean Guts fighting in the armor without being extremely dependent on Schierke :schnoz:
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
No, he's just a blacksmith, which is why Guts is reminded of Godot. Well, I say "just" a blacksmith... His name is Hanarr (from Scandinavian mythology) and he is the creator of the Berserk's armor. He also seems to have created the Skull Knight's current armor and calls him by his proper title ("king"). And SK calls him a friend, too.

Oh cool!

Wait what? The creator?!
 
Just bought the digital edition. Even without being able to read Japanese, the episode was lovely from a visual storytelling standpoint. Excited to learn more details about what is being discussed by the characters.
 
Procured myself the episode digitally as well. I really like the pacing with SK, Guts, and Gedfring discussing the armor while Schierke is learning how to fly with Morda. A great deal of characterization for these characters while adding to the lore.
Back when I commented in anticipation of this episode, I thought it would be neat to get some insight on the berserker armor, maybe from the creator himself. It's a nice feeling when the episode delivers.
Hopefully, the creator, Hanarr, knows what he is doing at the end by making Guts go berserk.
 
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