Episode 369

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Episode 369 will be published in Young Animal #18, slated to be released on September 9.

RELEASES: September 9, 2022
DIGITAL STORE: Hakusensha-E (Price: 450円 / $3)
PHYSICAL COPY: Amazon Japan | CDJapan (Price: around $20 shipping included)

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This episode is part of the new serialization of Berserk that is being done without Kentarou Miura. It's based on some of the material he left behind as well as what he had told his close ones of the story over the years. Kouji Mori, his best friend and a fellow mangaka, writes and supervises the series while his former assistants draw it under the banner of Studio Gaga.

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The epic journey the went on off screen could fill volumes untold, I assure you.

Man, it's hard to even think of what to say about this one. Feels like we just skipped to the end. The ooze is dealt with off screen, Isidro and co. rescue the villagers off screen, and now it's just over. Then everyone vanishes, just like that. Nice knowing you Danan! Bye all you old people, nice you got a panel to acknowledge you existed! By Isma! They probably didn't know what to do with you!

Like... Ugh. This is so frustrating. This could've been something if they were only willing to develop it more, but as is it all feels so half-hearted. I'm sure there's more detailed criticisms to make, but I don't even have it in me to put it together.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Well, it sucked. I've never seen this place so quiet after the leak of a new episode, so that says something about its overall reception, I think.

Nice to see the Kyaa Krew made it. They just sort of stumbled near the stairs and have been sitting there in a daze for the past two episodes.

Initially, I thought Danan was the one who began the process of the elves' vanishing. But after discussing it with Aazealh, I agree that it seems the cherry tree may have been the anchor for elves in this world. And without it, elves can no longer manifest in the corporeal world. Would have been great to have some exposition along those lines before this card was played but... it is what it is. So they disappeared, emerging somewhere deeper in the astral world.

But how does that exactly work, given that Fantasia is already a state of existence where the astral and corporeal worlds have merged together? Are all elves globally gone, without the tree? Or just those in close proximity? No clue. Lots of questions, only one more episode before the chapter ends, and I don't expect many answers.

But the implication is that Puck and Ivalera, along with all their kin, are now beyond reach. We saw Puck's brothers glow, so they're gone. Why would Puck or Ivalera be spared? No reason at all. But we didn't see them go, which sticks out to me as unceremonious, to say the least. So it makes me wonder... They wouldn't skip such an obvious way to capitalize on an emotional moment like that, right? We got Isidro and Isma, sure. And that was well done. But there are many other opportunities. Like the main elves in the series, ya know?

The ooze dudes were dealt with in a very perfunctory way that did not feel in keeping with the dramatic tension that was established in the previous episode. I can't imagine that is going to flow well once it's bound in a volume format.

Given the brevity of their appearance, and how targeted their purpose ended up being, it makes me wonder if they were a specific part of what Miura conveyed about the island's destruction, or merely a vehicle Mori conjured to make it happen. You could say that line from SK in 368 about them being the original inhabitants of the island is a tip of the hand that Miura had something else planned for them. Add that to "sacrifice san" from last episode, and yeah it sure seemed that way until this episode landed and—boom, they're done. So a ton of teasing, and no delivery. Maybe more will come of them in 370, but it feels like their minute is over.

 
Guts is in a really low place right now, arguably the lowest he has ever been. Casca is gone. Puck is potentially gone. The safe haven, the idea of which has kept him going for so long, has disappeared like a mirage. And it appears it has truly set in that killing Griffith is currently impossible.

I feel like there’s no way this won’t fundamentally change how Guts thinks when it comes to how to handle Griffith, but I don’t know how. Does he start thinking in a more large-scale way, large group/military strategies and the like, which will come to fruition when he reunites with Rickert and Silat? His growing reliance on his friends could naturally evolve towards that. But more urgently, I wonder how Guts will get back on his feet. A “we’ll get them next time” speech doesn’t seem like it’ll cut it this time.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Well guys, I think we may need to adjust our expectations again! :ganishka:

Or perspective, because this just isn't Berserk and we already knew that (thus why it's in this new section, but we knew before then too =). What we're actually getting is unfortunately two contradictory, almost separate, and maybe mutually exclusive things at once. It's a story summary, like Mori originally wanted to do, but in the form of a panel by panel, blow by blow, narrative manga, which was obviously Hakusensha's preference if possible, and therein lies the dissonance and inherent contradiction of proceeding in this format as Aaz and others have been saying, in the guise of Berserk as it was rather than what this actually is.

We'd all be better off if it was just presented that way. Instead, we're inherently being implored to read this like it's a true, full continuation of Berserk, and therefore scrutinize and digest it that way, when it's actually a Cliff's Notes summary based on what Mori remembers Miura telling him about Berserk (does that sound like a strong foundation for a narrative with as much depth and detail as Berserk?).

Yet we're still being sold a filet mignon dinner while ultimately only getting a to read the menu description of what a filet mignon dinner looks and tastes like, which obviously isn't very fulfilling. I say all this not to defend this project, because I don't think what I described above is a good premise for a project, however well intentioned or even executed on some levels (I didn't hear as many complaints about the art =), but for what it is and could be I don't think it's worthless or should be dismissed either (maybe I'm scared they might make it worse if someone tries to "fix" it too). It's just not what it's being sold as, and we should keep pointing that out, breaking it down, and mining it for what useful information it does have in what otherwise clearly leaves a lot to be desired.
 
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Goat

Foolish king
At the very least, the art (excluding the faces) is mostly consistent and I find this episode to have reached a solid level in the artistic department. But yeah, the narrative hic-hups are all there, this basically looked like a handful of episodes mashed into one.

What sucks more is living such pivotal moments of the story without Miura. The despair of Guts is real and it is executed decently (the panels where he's pictured are striking), but I keep asking myself how good it would have been. It is what it is, I guess.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Well, it sucked. I've never seen this place so quiet after the leak of a new episode, so that says something about its overall reception, I think.

Indeed. I guess I'll post a review once Young Animal comes out and I take the time to check it carefully, but I'm feeling rather unconcerned. It's pretty shocking to me, given what a feverish compulsion it used to be. Hopefully it doesn't just become a chore we do out of habit. Anyway, good post!

Guts is in a really low place right now, arguably the lowest he has ever been. Casca is gone. Puck is potentially gone. The safe haven, the idea of which has kept him going for so long, has disappeared like a mirage. And it appears it has truly set in that killing Griffith is currently impossible.

I feel like there’s no way this won’t fundamentally change how Guts thinks when it comes to how to handle Griffith, but I don’t know how. Does he start thinking in a more large-scale way, large group/military strategies and the like, which will come to fruition when he reunites with Rickert and Silat? His growing reliance on his friends could naturally evolve towards that. But more urgently, I wonder how Guts will get back on his feet. A “we’ll get them next time” speech doesn’t seem like it’ll cut it this time.

I don't see how having an army would change anything to what happened with Griffith. The Bakiraka definitely aren't going to be doing anything to him. We got a taste of that in Shet. The one weakness he has, the boy, which only works for Guts and Casca, ended up not troubling him very much. And really, the big deal for Guts right now shouldn't be the island or the elves and certainly not the fact he couldn't land a clean hit. It's that Casca was taken.

After all this time and all this effort, she was taken just like that, and getting her back sounds like a tall-order. I'd say the ball is in her camp now, actually, because I don't really see what more there is for Guts to do. I guess the Skull Knight or the Great Gurus could give him a critical piece of advice/information that will set things in motion? But to be completely honest, it's hard to find any sense in speculating given how the story is being handled.
:shrug:

What we're actually getting is unfortunately two contradictory, almost separate, and maybe mutually exclusive things at once. It's a story summary, like Mori originally wanted to do, but in the form of a panel by panel, blow by blow, narrative manga, which was obviously Hakusensha's preference if possible, and therein lies the dissonance and inherent contradiction of proceeding in this format as Aaz and others have been saying, in the guise of Berserk as it was rather than what this actually is.

That's a good way to put it. They're trying to create something in a way that can't possibly work. Ironically, depicting less stuff and making it clearer there are lapses in the story would make for a more comprehensible and more palatable experience.
 
Wait, why did the astral creatures disappear? I thought the spirit trees served the opposite purpose, leeching power from the world tree, thereby keeping the planes separated. Uprooting Danan's tree should have made astral creatures even more "real", if anything?
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Wait, why did the astral creatures disappear? I thought the spirit trees served the opposite purpose, leeching power from the world tree, thereby keeping the planes separated. Uprooting Danan's tree should have made astral creatures even more "real", if anything?

Your reasoning is correct, but Danan's tree was never indicated to be a "forest of spirit trees" (yes that's the term) akin to the ones that were keeping the World Tree from penetrating through the corporeal realm. It's possible that it may have served that role (and Schierke uses a similar word for it: "spirit tree"), but it wasn't specifically described as such. Regardless, the way it's been handled is confusing in several respects.

First off, since Fantasia occurred, there's technically no reason the elves should disappear from the island. The entire corporeal realm has been fused with the upper layers of the ethereal realm. It's unclear where they would even go. Second, Danan herself seemed inherently tied to the tree, but ended up not being overly affected by its destruction... And yet all elves vanished because of it, since apparently Skellig itself had no special properties. Even in that case, it feels off that it wouldn't have any residual effects from being under its strong influence for so long, but whatever.

Third, Puck left the island a long time ago. He went out into the corporeal realm, far from the island and stayed in there even though most ethereal beings were long gone. How could he do that if the tree was all that was anchoring the elves on the island? What this seems to mean on its face, given that the merrows also disappear, is that Danan's tree was allowing all elves in the entire world to manifest in the corporeal realm, even though until Fantasia most of them were nowhere to be seen. Is that what happened though? Hard to say. For all we know maybe Puck and Ivalera weren't affected. I guess we'll see in the next episode. :shrug:

Long story short, it's inconsistent with previously established facts.
 

Scorpio

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.
And really, the big deal for Guts right now shouldn't be the island or the elves and certainly not the fact he couldn't land a clean hit. It's that Casca was taken.
I was hoping this was just a lazy translation from the leak I saw because when it comes to not landing a blow on Griffith... who gives a shit? Surely there are more pressing concerns..? It completely ruins any potential impact of Guts' despair shot on the next page.

What I find most galling about all this is that the promise of Berserk Continuation was to learn of Miura's intentions for the story going forward, but the other creative and editorial voices form a weird emulsion that makes it near impossible to separate. Even the aspects that are 'true' feel fake under the simulacrum of the conjured context. I only want the loose change, but it's buried deep in the couch cushions.
 
Mediocre art, massively rushed, several episodes worth of no dialogue for Guts for what should be a pivotal moment, only to have his first comment be a Shonen-level throwaway line about not being able to deal damage to a boss. We will never know if Miura had any of these plot beats in mind when he passed, but I am certain that he would not have gotten rid of the cast he spent 30 odd episodes setting up effectively off-screen.
 
Well...
I didn't expect, what essentially was, a Thanos snap. That happened. :shrug: Insert the whole "Was this really what Miura planned?" denial statement here.
All very hard to digest and accept. Sure, the art was actually feeling much better. The pacing and omittance of certain things though are still hyper abrasive and tough to ignore.
Now for the one thing that got me upset/concerned as far as being invested in the characters of Berserk. PUCK. Is he ok?! Trying to rationalize and deduce his fate and came away with total uncertainty. Just stumbled across something on Reddit of all places that I totally forgot about and don't believe I've seen mentioned here: "remember the chapter with Chitch? when the flower died, Chitch faded. When the great cherry tree died, the Elfhelm astral based folks faded. I think Ivalera might still be around, think she was from elsewhere." Could this user have touched upon why Puck and Ivarella may have survived being Thanos'd?
I honestly would prefer notes on how Mori was told the story would have ended and be done with all of this. This really isn't Berserk anymore. :judo:
 
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And really, the big deal for Guts right now shouldn't be the island or the elves and certainly not the fact he couldn't land a clean hit. It's that Casca was taken.
I was so caught up to the asrtal creatures disappearing that I just noticed he never mentions Casca during his breakdown...
Like, what? In the previous episode, when he was reaching his hand out to Griffith, was he not thinking "Don't take Casca!" and he was instead thinking "I want a rematch!"? :rickert:
This episode was all in all a mess. And I have no doubt things will get even more nonsensical going forth.
 
Question, did they or Miura ever establish the Cherry Tree was some sort of anchor to the real world, and without it they can’t remain present in the real world? Because I must had missed that. That said, would that logic apply to the greater world tree, in that it’s the tie, or the anchor point that keeps all the astral layers merged? Otherwise I’m confused why they disappeared without the Cherry Tree. Wouldn’t the merged layers, or presumably the greater world tree keep them in the real world?

Edit: Sorry Aaz, I see you kinda already hit on this now.
 
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Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Just stumbled across something on Reddit of all places that I totally forgot about and don't believe I've seen mentioned here: "remember the chapter with Chitch? when the flower died, Chitch faded. When the great cherry tree died, the Elfhelm astral based folks faded. I think Ivalera might still be around, think she was from elsewhere." Could this user have touched upon why Puck and Ivarella may have survived being Thanos'd?

No, it's different. I had theorized years ago that Danan's relation to her tree might have been like Chich's was to her flower. However, for that to be the case, Danan should have died when her tree was destroyed (if we assume it was). But she didn't, so that comparison is moot. Instead the elves weren't able to remain in the corporeal realm. It's a pretty different scenario all in all. And it wasn't just the denizens of Elfhelm either, since the merrows, including Isma, were also affected.

Of course this is all basically apocryphal as far as I'm concerned, given the state of the continuation. There's no telling what Miura actually planned to do in detail.
 

Goat

Foolish king
I know it's hard to pose and discuss speculative questions on the story right now and with this low level of reception, but will try to do it anyway.

There are three inhuman characters of which we don't know the destiny after the Thanos snap: Puck, Ivalera, and... Skull Knight. I fell like the first two have "survived" the snap in some way (retcon risk over there), but the third one is intriguing me the most. So close to Danan... is the SK immune to this link-breaking mess?
 
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