Episode 376

[ApostleBob]

So I just read it.

First the good. The art is for the most part pretty great. They are using a new 'depth of field' technique that is interesting but being used a bit randomly. But overall things look great, and similar to Miura's style. I do think the interiors of the Kushan temple could have had more character to them though.

But as to what happens in this episode, it really just seems like a fast-forward of the plot, with a few random tangents thrown into the mix.

Silat is sick of Rickert's whining and goes to visit Schierke and the ship's crew. She's unconscious, though the reason for it seems different. She's now guiding Guts spirit (!?) for some reason. We never understand why Guts spirit is in the astral whirlwind, but okay. Daiba basically asks Silat to incorporate Guts and his crew into his section of the Kushan army because they are familiar with magic. Silat agrees and the whole crew is uncomfortable losing their agency. Roderic raises this with Silat, but Silat tells him that part of their culture means that refugees serve in battle. He then goes on to tell them that they are about to go to war with Falconia, which has arrived on their Western borders.

And then we have a random and unnecessary scene of Puck forgetting Rickert, which is not done for laughs. I'm wondering if this is setup for a future development, or just a poor retcon of the previous episode where Puck didn't react to him.

Overall this episode quickly moved us towards a confrontation between the Kushan and Falconia, and put our characters in a position where they must fight. It's not great, but better than some of the recent time-wasting episodes.

 

[jackson_hurley]

I wonder how many characters they're going to get killed in the final fight just so they dont have to deal with them in the epilogue?

 

[Vitris]

the final fight

I don't think this will be the final fight. Miura did say that Guts and Griffith were going to clash multiple times, so I guess this will be the penultimate fight. Of course, Studio Gaga might as well surprise me and end Berserk on volume 44, which would actually be much appretiated.

 

[Keratos]

I don't think this will be the final fight. Miura did say that Guts and Griffith were going to clash multiple times, so I guess this will be the penultimate fight

I feel this might go against what Mori said though, about the Continuation not taking 10 years to end. Especially if they continue the pace of 1 barely moving episode every 5-6 months.
And for them to adapt every following Guts vs Griffith fight, Mori would need to have heard about each of them from Miura... Or just make them up as he goes, as he has probably done in the last few episodes
I do wish they pick up the pace though, the sooner this ends, the better for everyone.

 

[Vitris]

I feel this might go against what Mori said though, about the Continuation not taking 10 years to end. Especially if they continue the pace of 1 barely moving episode every 5-6 months.
And for them to adapt every following Guts vs Griffith fight, Mori would need to have heard about each of them from Miura... Or just make them up as he goes, as he has probably done in the last few episodes
I do wish they pick up the pace though, the sooner this ends, the better for everyone.

Yes, they take their sweet with all these breaks, but with the amount of shortcuts of all kind, the amount of things that happen in a single volume, and the (possibly) yearly schedule for volumes, I think it would still take them less than 10 years.
But if this really is the end, then maybe people will finally see this project for what it is.

 

[jackson_hurley]

I was not saying this thinking its the final fight but as a legit question about the end.

 

[Vitris]

I was not saying this thinking its the final fight but as a legit question about the end.

Sorry if I misunderstood.

 

[Walter]

I can identify with how the magic users feel in being halfheartedly given over to Daiba.

 

[Vitris]

It's the first time that I feel completely detatched with what happens in a Berserk episode. But I really can't call this Berserk, because if I think about Miura's work, I get the urge to read some scenes again and admire his work. But this... I have to find an alternative name for this thing.

That being said, I think that this episode solidifies what I thought: they got completely rid of of the Bakiraka's village. So, any development associated with it is completely lost. Silat has all this informations about Griffith, yet there's no way they could've gained all of them, let alone the reason as to why he destroyed the island, which has happened just a few days ago.
The Gurus are treated in the most pathetic way possible.
Some characters have Alzheimer's now.
Silat somehow behaves like a piece of shit.
Daiba still laughs randomly like an idiot.

I don't even feel like going too much into detail.
Man, we really live in the worst timeline.

 

[magic man]

I understand the lack of fondness for what is essentially fanfiction but I do find it really frustrating to see everyone here just insisting on trying to deconstruct every single panel, piece of dialogue, anything, just to say "wow, Miura wouldn't do it this way!". Yeah no shit the writing won't be the same. What is equally frustrating is that the things which have improved like the overall character style are completely overlooked, as if everything the original author did was perfect but now it's all bad.

At this point one does beg the question as to what exactly is the point of discussing or even reading new Berserk if it ends with such lukewarm reaction at best, and completely useless discussion at worst. It just makes me think about the Joker scene where the protagonist says "All I have are negative thoughts". As of now this forum feels like a very unpleasant place, even for someone who doesn't necessarily care about the post-Miura Berserk.

 

[Griffith]

I can identify with how the magic users feel in being halfheartedly given over to Daiba.

Daiba is Mori's window character at this point, "If I only I had control over these people..."

Yeah, forget the devil in the details, folks, because this is wild, and makes it pretty clear that Mori not only doesn't really have any specific or useful knowledge about where Berserk was headed, but didn't even understand where it was coming from, because this makes no sense on its face (not that it's the first sign). It's such an obvious and clumsy extrapolation/rehash of recent events that the Tudor Empire might as well be Griffith's opposition again, and would be if this monstrosity had been Frankenstein'd together just after the events of the Golden Age instead of now. At least they're seemingly bringing this travesty to a mercifully quick conclusion, and I pray it doesn't linger any longer than absolutely necessary. The faster we can collectively disavow, move on from and ignore this the better.

 

[Todd Liu]

That's not necessary. Why don't you post your own opinion instead?

Thanks Aaz,But forget it, I'm a rough guy and don't have many opinions. Even if I have my own ideas, regardless of whether you will like them, my ideas will be the same as those of conservative fans. In addition, my memory is too poor and I forget,I forgot when I had those ideas.

 

[Aazealh]

I understand the lack of fondness for what is essentially fanfiction but I do find it really frustrating to see everyone here just insisting on trying to deconstruct every single panel, piece of dialogue, anything, just to say "wow, Miura wouldn't do it this way!". Yeah no shit the writing won't be the same.

That's not what people are doing. They're commenting on the stuff that jumps out to them because of how egregious it is, like Puck's behavior or the neutered Great Gurus. No one's pointed out that Schierke's lying in a bed that's clearly a 3D asset and is very much not to scale, and that's because no one cares. It's not important.

What's important is that this continuation project is completely unfaithful to what Miura had laid out for the story, which goes directly against its stated goals when it started. You're misrepresenting the situation as if people are trying hard to find fault with this episode, when in fact the faults are just impossible to ignore if you actually care about the story and characters.

What is equally frustrating is that the things which have improved like the overall character style are completely overlooked, as if everything the original author did was perfect but now it's all bad.

There are actually five or six posts in this thread saying "the art's improved", same as there's been in every thread since the continuation began. Is that what you would consider a useful comment? I mean, this continuation's sole reason for existing is to faithfully portray the rest of the story Miura (that's the original author's name) wanted to tell, right? And it's not doing that. The path it's on right now is very different from what Miura intended. That's what I care about, personally.

The only reason people even care about this project at all is because "the original author" did a great fucking job with his series, so yes, I tend to think what he did was pretty much perfect, and his work is the gold standard to which I compare this continuation that purports to bring his story to a close. I feel like that's rather natural. I guess if what you care about is only for there to be more "content" for the "Berserk brand", your perspective is different... But then you don't sound like a fan of the work, more like a marketer for a toy line.

At this point one does beg the question as to what exactly is the point of discussing or even reading new Berserk if it ends with such lukewarm reaction at best, and completely useless discussion at worst.

Not every post is constructive or useful, that's how it goes with discussion forums. But people pointing out how the continuation deviates from Miura's established worldbuilding and character development is actually very important, since it was launched with the stated goal of telling the rest of his story. Faithfulness to Miura's ideas is really the only thing worth discussing about it, as far as I'm concerned.

Also, I'm sorry to say but your own post here brings nothing to the table, and it's at least the third of its kind in this thread. What's your contribution? Telling people that critical thinking is bad? "Eat up your slop and be content, consumer-pigs"? Is that the extent of what you have to say about the continuation? Why do you read it yourself? Just so you can mark it "done" on your reading list?

 

[Proj2501]

I had hoped my own passion for the series and this continuation would eventually have been reignited, but, man, it sure is hard to get into whatever the hell Berserk has become. An obvious example, Puck's lack of reaction to Rickert...what was that and what is even going on anymore? It's just emblematic of this whole endeavor being misguided. We're speed running a story we've crawled with for decades. It's pretty depressing. Seen this said before, but I have to agree in earnest, I would have honestly preferred an outline of what had been planned at this point. Our imaginations would have sufficed. This hurts more than it helps...at least to me. To longtime, diehard fans, Berserk was more than a product, however I can't shake the feeling someone, somewhere wants to bleed every last cent out of the series.

Time to let go...

 

[Todd Liu]

I had hoped my own passion for the series and this continuation would eventually have been reignited, but, man, it sure is hard to get into whatever the hell Berserk has become. An obvious example, Puck's lack of reaction to Rickert...what was that and what is even going on anymore? It's just emblematic of this whole endeavor being misguided. We're speed running a story we've crawled with for decades. It's pretty depressing. Seen this said before, but I have to agree in earnest, I would have honestly preferred an outline of what had been planned at this point. Our imaginations would have sufficed. This hurts more than it helps...at least to me. To longtime, diehard fans, Berserk was more than a product, however I can't shake the feeling someone, somewhere wants to bleed every last cent out of the series.

Time to let go...

fucking hakusensha、studio gaga、mori

 

[magic man]

@Aazealh

You mistake me for an optimistic kind of guy that is happy to see Berserk being continued, but it's not really like that. For me Berserk ended with Miura's death. My only point really is that it's confusing (to me) as to why someone would have no respect for a piece of art and yet they chose to come back over and over again to dissect it and essentially keep getting frustrated about it.

I went through my own grievances where something I was a big fan of got claimed by another entity, and for the lack of a better word, got tainted in the process. From my point of view, based on my experiences, I think new Berserk is actually okay in comparison to my previous disappointments. But again I know that the "it could have been so much worse" argument won't appeal to anyone, especially seasoned veterans of the series, so to speak. And just to be clear here: I don't deny that it has problems, I don't necessarily disagree with the overall premise that writing is not as good and things make less sense. It's just, there's too much negative energy which makes these threads just not enjoyable to read.

Ask yourself this question: how many times do you have to point out inconsistencies until it starts getting repetitive? How many times do you have to make a post stating the fact that Mori is not Miura?

On a side note, one sentiment that seems to echo through many users here is that this continuation is a cash grab, which couldn't be further from the truth. It's evident that the team takes time to polish art and think things through, you have to be completely delusional to consider it a cash grab. It only shows that you either don't consume other media and have no actual concept of making shit for quick buck, or you just add things to fuel your frustration with this project.

 

[Aazealh]

You mistake me for an optimistic kind of guy that is happy to see Berserk being continued, but it's not really like that.

I make no assumption, I just replied to what you said. I did ask you what your point was and why you are reading the continuation, but you didn't answer.

For me Berserk ended with Miura's death. My only point really is that it's confusing (to me) as to why someone would have no respect for a piece of art and yet they chose to come back over and over again to dissect it and essentially keep getting frustrated about it.

Forgive me but isn't it obvious? As big fans of Berserk, we care a lot about what is done with the series, whether it's good or bad. And dissecting Berserk is what we've been doing for over 20 years, so there's no departure from the norm here. That's literally why this forum exists. For us to not talk about the Continuation would be abnormal.

I went through my own grievances where something I was a big fan of got claimed by another entity, and for the lack of a better word, got tainted in the process. From my point of view, based on my experiences, I think new Berserk is actually okay in comparison to my previous disappointments. But again I know that the "it could have been so much worse" argument won't appeal to anyone, especially seasoned veterans of the series, so to speak.

It's true that having low standards is not a compelling argument.

And just to be clear here: I don't deny that it has problems, I don't necessarily disagree with the overall premise that writing is not as good and things make less sense. It's just, there's too much negative energy which makes these threads just not enjoyable to read.

Feel free to not read these threads if they make you feel bad. No one's forcing you. And I have to say, you're bringing in a lot of unnecessary "negative energy" yourself with these complaints.

Ask yourself this question: how many times do you have to point out inconsistencies until it starts getting repetitive?

If you're asking this question of me personally: I will point out every inconsistency in the continuation until it ends, if only because someone has to do it. Whether it seems repetitive to disinterested onlookers like yourself is not a concern to me at all.

How many times do you have to make a post stating the fact that Mori is not Miura?

No one's made such a post as far as I can remember. Caricaturing the discourse doesn't make you more convincing.

On a side note, one sentiment that seems to echo through many users here is that this continuation is a cash grab, which couldn't be further from the truth. It's evident that the team takes time to polish art and think things through, you have to be completely delusional to consider it a cash grab. It only shows that you either don't consume other media and have no actual concept of making shit for quick buck, or you just add things to fuel your frustration with this project.

No, that's not a recurring criticism here at all, actually. I can think of maybe just one such comment recently? That said, you would have to be very naive to believe there are strictly no financial considerations at play.

 

[magic man]

Well, we won't achieve any sort of mutual understanding here it seems. I'll say this though, if you really had put your money where your mouth is, you would have made a public statement that this community does not support nor acknowledge any episodes released after Miura's death, thus keeping this place "pure" and dedicated to, what you consider, is the only kind of Berserk that matters. Instead you feel some sort of obligation to shit on work of people who are (for all their faults) very talented, and much more accomplished than any one of us here. To wrap it up, the saddest thing in all this is that you'll dismiss my post because in your mind I'm some pleb whose standards are so low, I can't see this continuation as a pile of shit, if I can't agree on that and I don't spend my time writing posts about how character #28 didn't react in a certain way for the 20th time, I'm not a true Berserk fan, I'm just a "disinterested onlooker".

This forum used to be genuinely enjoyable to follow, but with Miura's death, it too has died. That is all from me, continue your crusade if you must.

 

[Aazealh]

Well, we won't achieve any sort of mutual understanding here it seems.

You did not seek one to begin with. You just came to complain that we are too critical of the Continuation.

I'll say this though, if you really had put your money where your mouth is, you would have made a public statement that this community does not support nor acknowledge any episodes released after Miura's death, thus keeping this place "pure" and dedicated to, what you consider, is the only kind of Berserk that matters.

I'm under no obligation to abide by imaginary rules some random guy has cooked up, especially since it's just his way to avoid admitting he doesn't have a point. That being said, I've made it clear from the very beginning that I consider the Continuation to be a different entity from Berserk proper, and the way the forum is organized reflects that distinction. I'm completely at ease with what my stance is, has been, and will be in that regard. It's been very consistent.

Instead you feel some sort of obligation to shit on work of people who are (for all their faults) very talented, and much more accomplished than any one of us here.

Pointing out ways in which the Continuation deviates from Miura's Berserk is not "shitting on it", and you acting like it's personally hurting Mori or the assistants is laughable. Like I just told you, misrepresenting what people are saying doesn't make you more convincing, it only shows you have no valid argument.

To wrap it up, the saddest thing in all this is that you'll dismiss my post because in your mind I'm some pleb whose standards are so low, I can't see this continuation as a pile of shit, if I can't agree on that and I don't spend my time writing posts about how character #28 didn't react in a certain way for the 20th time, I'm not a true Berserk fan, I'm just a "disinterested onlooker".

Sorry but you can't have it both ways, say you think "Berserk died with Miura", the Continution is "fanfiction" and "the writing is not as good and things make less sense" (a gross understatement), yet chastise anyone who dares point out its flaws. At the end of the day, you came to this thread complaining that people were "too negative", but all you've done yourself is be negative and criticize. You haven't talked about episode 376 or said anything constructive, your only contribution being that you think people shouldn't complain. Well you can start by stopping your whining.

This forum used to be genuinely enjoyable to follow, but with Miura's death, it too has died. That is all from me, continue your crusade if you must.

You registered an account over a year after Miura passed away, so you'll forgive me if I don't take this comment seriously.

 

[guuuuuuuuts]

understand the lack of fondness for what is essentially fanfiction but I do find it really frustrating to see everyone here just insisting on trying to deconstruct every single panel, piece of dialogue, anything,

This is exactly what the SK forum is for, plus they have a podcast, mini podcasts, and a professional translator to delve even further.

 

[Lithrael]

This is exactly what the SK forum is for, plus they have a podcast, mini podcasts, and a professional translator to delve even further.

Yeah, I mean, I sympathize that the guy is frustrated with what he's seeing here but this is the soup store. Soup is what we've got.

Personally what threw me most this episode was a) Schierke doing that friendly shy little smile at Guts in the astral realm instead of something more.. concentratey and b) Isidro doing his 'I just saw something insane!' face at Schierke's bedside where he was already standing and where nothing new has been happening.

The paneling HAS gotten a lot more lively and I like that BUT it hasn't yet been using the paneling and composition to help create mood very consistently.

 

[Kompozinaut]

Every episode is another dagger in my heart, man. Seeing the Gurus literally speechless was gut-wrenching, and Daiba taking them under his wing??

Like, I just don’t understand what we’re doing here anymore. Everything just feels so sloppy from people, who I would think, should have a better grasp on the intricacies of the series.

And now we’re getting stuck with quasi Miura-length hiatus for this?

Please, for the love of all things bright and beautiful, just release the bullet points and let us bury this rotting corpse.

 

[Cyrus Jong]

I've been reading a ton of people's thoughts about this chapter online and the normies are eating it up. They're even calling it a peak chapter and the best one to come out from the new team. smh.

Well, I wouldn't say they're wrong. This is one of the best episodes the team has produced thus far. Though that says more about the other episodes than it does about this one.

Haven't read the episode (Nor do I tend do) but this is just how causal audiences are with any franchise.

Take the Star Wars sequel trilogy that was made. Even if I see people online hating on it, I think general audiences like those films. I think that's what happening with Berserk here.

Public opinion didn't turn against the sequel trilogy until Episode 9 was out. It's a story I've seen play out many times before. Hell, it was playing out while the freaking 2016 Berserk anime was still airing! It's hard to believe people ever seriously defended that tripe, but they did! It wasn't until the the release of the first cour's finale that the copium ran out and everyone realized that no, it wasn't going to get better. The crap produced beforehand was as good as it was going to get, and it was never good in the first place.

I predict the same thing will happen with Morizerk here. Or should I call it Gagazerk? Bah, it doesn't matter. People will believe it's all leading to something brilliant...until it ultimately doesn't. Then they'll turn against it. What I'm afraid of is the effect this continuation will have on Miura's work. Will people still regard it with fondess, as a masterwork that's worth reading? Or as something not worth bothering with because of the piss-poor way it ended (or that it has no ending if they choose to disregard the continuation).

 

[Walter]

This is exactly what the SK forum is for, plus they have a podcast, mini podcasts, and a professional translator to delve even further.

To be fair, we stopped doing continuation episode reviews on the podcast 6 months or so ago, because they were such a huge bummer to discuss in depth.

Trying to carry a conversation on them for a full podcast was like being stuck on a bad date, having exhausted the interesting topics in the first 3 minutes—and with horror you realize the appetizers haven’t even arrived yet.

So for now, making forum posts is a way of documenting our takes and notable discrepancies. And maybe someday the continuation will grow into something really worth talking about positively. We can hope!

 

[Dark Emperor]

Well, we won't achieve any sort of mutual understanding here it seems. I'll say this though, if you really had put your money where your mouth is, you would have made a public statement that this community does not support nor acknowledge any episodes released after Miura's death, thus keeping this place "pure" and dedicated to, what you consider, is the only kind of Berserk that matters. Instead you feel some sort of obligation to shit on work of people who are (for all their faults) very talented, and much more accomplished than any one of us here. To wrap it up, the saddest thing in all this is that you'll dismiss my post because in your mind I'm some pleb whose standards are so low, I can't see this continuation as a pile of shit, if I can't agree on that and I don't spend my time writing posts about how character #28 didn't react in a certain way for the 20th time, I'm not a true Berserk fan, I'm just a "disinterested onlooker".

This forum used to be genuinely enjoyable to follow, but with Miura's death, it too has died. That is all from me, continue your crusade if you must.

Come on now. It’s not that complicated. A new episode was released and people are gonna talk about it. If it gives them a negative impression, then they will have negative things to say about it. Even if someone supposedly called you a “pleb” for liking these new episodes, why should it matter so much to you? It’s the internet, best to not let these kinds of things go to your head.
Anyways, if the forum isn’t to your liking anymore, maybe you can try the subreddit. That may be more to your liking.