I've seen a lot of different takes on Lost Children, everywhere from "Garbage" to "Peak Berserk". So, what's your opinion?
Thoughts on Lost Children?
- Thread starter vuana_variety
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It's incredibly solid as a mostly self-contained part of the series. I do remember thinking at one point that it was somewhat divorced from the overall world-moving parts of the story, and I imagine that's what detractors are responding to (c'mon, what are the God Hand doing?!). There's a really early episode of the podcast where we talk about different opinions about it, if you're interested. And we also have the 4-part re-read podcasts of Lost Children if you want to hear further thoughts (eps 59-62).
Dark Emperor
Dweller of the Lotus Moon
Lost Children is my favorite part of the story. The Conviction arc all-around is my favorite Berserk arc, but the Lost Children portion is Berserk at its peak.
Grail
Feel the funk blast
I personally haven't heard anyone talk about Lost Children negatively. In fact, I've seen more folks call it their favorite part of the whole story. While it isn't the one section that I call my favorite (Black Swordsman arc, baybeeee! 
), there is so much to love that I don't think I'll have time to list everything here! The distinct art style, Puck's larger part in the story, and the dynamic between Jill and Guts, and Jill and Rochine, were huge stand-out elements to me!
), there is so much to love that I don't think I'll have time to list everything here! The distinct art style, Puck's larger part in the story, and the dynamic between Jill and Guts, and Jill and Rochine, were huge stand-out elements to me!
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I noticed a lot of the "negative takes" seemed to sprout up the second it was all but confirmed that Lost Children wouldn't be adapted in the most recent Berserk anime. Almost as if people were trying to justify its absence...
Anyway, it's my favorite section of Berserk, encompassing everything that I love about it in one tight, almost self-contained package. It's dark, it's horrifying, it touches on disturbing elements in brutally honest ways few works have the guts to do. The fights are amazing and Guts is arguably at his most monstrous here, to the point where he at times looks more terrible than the literal monsters he's at war with, and we also see the tragedy in these very monsters, Rosine in this case, that makes us weep for them. And yet at the end, despite how depressing and hopeless it all seems, we see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Through her trials, Jill is able to find the courage to start improving her situation, and Guts shows there's still enough humanity in him that he just might be able to be pulled from the darkness he's sinking in. It was nothing short of poetic.
Anyway, it's my favorite section of Berserk, encompassing everything that I love about it in one tight, almost self-contained package. It's dark, it's horrifying, it touches on disturbing elements in brutally honest ways few works have the guts to do. The fights are amazing and Guts is arguably at his most monstrous here, to the point where he at times looks more terrible than the literal monsters he's at war with, and we also see the tragedy in these very monsters, Rosine in this case, that makes us weep for them. And yet at the end, despite how depressing and hopeless it all seems, we see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Through her trials, Jill is able to find the courage to start improving her situation, and Guts shows there's still enough humanity in him that he just might be able to be pulled from the darkness he's sinking in. It was nothing short of poetic.
BiQ_
" ... "
Well, I love it but I don't put it over the rest of Conviction arc or the rest of Berserk. Not sure if it's because I first experienced Berserk as the 1997 series but the only part I could place as the dearest part of Berserk for me is Golden age, with no particular order for the rest.
I kind of love all parts of Berserk equally even if Golden age is more equal than the rest.
I kind of love all parts of Berserk equally even if Golden age is more equal than the rest.
Hah, somehow that sort of deranged thinking doesn't surprise me. I remember back in the old days (early 2000s) there was a guy who was adamant the two half-episodes of filler with Adon from the 97 series were better than all the stuff from the manga that they had not adapted. Real bad faith stuff, was embarrassing.
You know I remember hearing some bullshit like: "Berserk is genius, I recommend it at least until volume 13.... after that the volumes are not as good."
Basically saying: "Read Berserk until volume 13, it's the perfect ending. The rest is filler."
Basically saying: "Read Berserk until volume 13, it's the perfect ending. The rest is filler."
The Lost Children chapter is peak Berserk in my opinion.
While it's seen as the "darkest" by many, I also think is beautiful, even if by a short span of time ; that final page Jill and Rosine at the final page is one my favorites and it is wonderful.
I really don't know what the hell is wrong with those people.
While it's seen as the "darkest" by many, I also think is beautiful, even if by a short span of time ; that final page Jill and Rosine at the final page is one my favorites and it is wonderful.
Dude, I've seen people saying that both the Black Swordsman Arc and the Lost Children Chapter are filler.
I really don't know what the hell is wrong with those people.
Dark Emperor
Dweller of the Lotus Moon
Where are y’all finding these posers lol? I believe y’all, but I haven’t seen such brain dead takes even on the Berserk Reddit.
It was exactly at that subreddit
At the time they said that the BS Arc is bad because it spoiled the Eclipse, while the LC chapter was bad because it felt like "Monster of the Week" or "filler".
Like, sure it reveals what may have happened at the Eclipse, but there's a lot of details it didn't reveal and didn't tell you HOW it happened.
It's similar to how Star Wars was released, with the first 3 movies depicting the story of Luke Skywalker and then the prequels or the "flashback" coming after that.
And about the "Monster of the Week" and "filler" comment, I simply don't understand.
I've seen people claim black swordsman is straight-up non-canon before because Guts acts different in it or something. Hell, I remember one comment chain specifically saying the flashback scene of human Griffith in guardians of desire was noncanon for reasons I can't recall (guess they forgot that Guts recollects that scene during the eclipse as it dawns on him that Griffith really would sacrifice everyone). The lesson is that the berserk subreddit sucks.
Anyway, Lost Children. I think it's probably the quintessential Berserk story. Probably not the best the series has to offer, but its self-contained nature makes it easy to revisit. It's got an interesting story that explores some disturbing themes in a nuanced way, features a perhaps more fully-formed version of Black Swordsman Guts, and really highlights his struggle with becoming more monster than man, heightened by Rosine being a much more human apostle than previous ones. I also appreciate Jill as a character, and seeing Puck again in his prime before slowly being shuffled off to comedic relief with Isidro later in the arc. I just think it does a very good job reintroducing the darker world of Berserk after the Golden Age arc, and paving the way for Guts' future development. It's not a story that progresses the overall narrative much, but it's essential for Guts' character development.
Anyway, Lost Children. I think it's probably the quintessential Berserk story. Probably not the best the series has to offer, but its self-contained nature makes it easy to revisit. It's got an interesting story that explores some disturbing themes in a nuanced way, features a perhaps more fully-formed version of Black Swordsman Guts, and really highlights his struggle with becoming more monster than man, heightened by Rosine being a much more human apostle than previous ones. I also appreciate Jill as a character, and seeing Puck again in his prime before slowly being shuffled off to comedic relief with Isidro later in the arc. I just think it does a very good job reintroducing the darker world of Berserk after the Golden Age arc, and paving the way for Guts' future development. It's not a story that progresses the overall narrative much, but it's essential for Guts' character development.
Wow, that's ridiculous. I enjoy the filler bits for what they are, and I get why Wyald, SK, etc. were left out, but no way were the Adon episodes better than that stuff lol. I just enjoyed more Mike Pollock.
Yeah I don't mean to stifle the discussion but I don't think there's much value in recounting all the idiotic takes out there. Speaking in general, it's a waste of one's time to ponder the thought process of people who half-read scanlations on their phones as part of their weekly binging of dozens of comics. Of course this thread itself isn't very 'useful' to begin with, but for those who want to comment I suggest instead to say what you personally think about that chapter of the story!
I like it, especially because puck has a big role in it. tho i can't say it's my favorite arc, it is really good
It's peak Berserk to me. Though I haven't reread it as a whole arc that much, I at least reread volumes 20 and 21 like twice a year so far in the past decade, because these two volumes are my favourite part of Berserk and they meant so much to me given these were the first volumes I bought in my native language years ago when I was in HS. Even though I don't have these two physical copies on my hand right now, these were the first ones I found available in recent years (incredibly so given they are quite rare! but my local comic kiosco had'em!) to rebuy the manga with panini mx this time (it's a horrible version, and so was the mangaline one, but what can you do! I love them anyways).
Personally I don't know if I would call it "Peak Berserk" (I would need to finish my first re-read of the series) but it's certainly one of the best parts, complimented by its self-contained nature.
I love the artstyle, and that we see how far Guts is willing to go, the monstruous look he has multiple times and in general it's a great return to Black Swordsman Arc "territory", after writing the Golden Age with all it encompasses (I think that back when Miura wrote BS he hadn't fully figured out Guts and Griffith's backstory... for some reason I have the notion that back in the day he hadn't even planned to have Casca at all but I don't know if it's true or not, could anyone confirm that?) and before the milestone / watershed episodes that are the "Cracks in the Blade" and "Fragile Flame".
The action is great, but most especially Guts' interaction with Jill and how they parallel each other. The ending with Jill is a really touching one for me but I honestly wish that Miura planned to have her show up sometime in the future just to make sure she's fine and she managed to survive and have a decent life
I guess it's not my favourite part of Berserk simply because I don't particularly enjoy to see Guts in that mental / physical / psychological state, I prefer him during Golden Age and after the "Cracks in the Blade" / "Fragile Flame" episodes, but I get the appeal that it has.
I love the artstyle, and that we see how far Guts is willing to go, the monstruous look he has multiple times and in general it's a great return to Black Swordsman Arc "territory", after writing the Golden Age with all it encompasses (I think that back when Miura wrote BS he hadn't fully figured out Guts and Griffith's backstory... for some reason I have the notion that back in the day he hadn't even planned to have Casca at all but I don't know if it's true or not, could anyone confirm that?) and before the milestone / watershed episodes that are the "Cracks in the Blade" and "Fragile Flame".
The action is great, but most especially Guts' interaction with Jill and how they parallel each other. The ending with Jill is a really touching one for me but I honestly wish that Miura planned to have her show up sometime in the future just to make sure she's fine and she managed to survive and have a decent life
I guess it's not my favourite part of Berserk simply because I don't particularly enjoy to see Guts in that mental / physical / psychological state, I prefer him during Golden Age and after the "Cracks in the Blade" / "Fragile Flame" episodes, but I get the appeal that it has.
reading this sentence reminded me of a conversation that my boyfriend and i had recently- he told me there's a scene/panel with a bunch of dead bodies and one of them looks like jill. i guess it's theorized she died because of this? i don't know much about itThe ending with Jill is a really touching one for me but I honestly wish that Miura planned to have her show up sometime in the future just to make sure she's fine and she managed to survive and have a decent life
This is all well-documented from the many interviews Miura has given over the years. He had indeed not conceived of Casca when he started writing the story, her and the other key members of the Band of the Falcon came to be when he decided to do the lengthy flashback that would explain Guts' current state and what set him on his quest for revenge.
That's an understandable sentiment, although seeing Guts like that is also inevitable, since you couldn't enjoy his return to sanity without having first witnessed his descent into darkness. The entirety of Berserk (from its very title) revolves around the axle that is the character of the Black Swordsman. But the takeaway should be that even in those bleakest moments, he stayed human.
As for what's "peak" Berserk, I personally find it a meaningless question. The greatest strength of this story is that Miura continuously made it evolve. It was never static and didn't repeat itself. So each part of the story is different, but they also naturally complement each other and build on top of what was previously established.
No, that's an unrelated boy (rather young) with short hair. The last time we see Jill is when Guts leaves her.
Thanks for confirming that! Could you share where or in which interview did Miura address that? I'd like to read it on my own so that I can remember that information the way he phrased it and maybe learn something new. I did remember clearly that he shaped many members of the Band of the Falcon on his friends, I think from his university.
Yes, in fact, for these reasons it's essential to the story and to his development and I really appreciate it as such. My lesser enjoyment of BS Guts doesn't mean I don't understand its necessity
Maybe one other reason why I don't enjoy it that much is that a lot of people (especially on places like Reddit or larger communities) call Lost Children "peak" because of Guts' brutality, dishumanization and his edge are at a max here... as if that was the best he ever has been or Berserk has to offer. A lot of words are thrown around, "peak", "chad", "based" but that's just really superficial and I think that a lot of people (probably not everyone though, besides everyone has different tastes) that think Guts' and Berserk's "peak" are in Lost Children tend to do so because of this.
I'm not saying that there's not a certain "coolness" factor in it, besides, Miura always outdoes himself in drawing these magnificent fights and drew inspiration from works like Hokuto no Ken and Western action icons for the fights and action, but what we are supposed to experience is not solely that, considering the narrative and what Guts is doing we are supposed to be horrified by his actions just like Jill and Puck are and I fear that many people in larger communities don't care and only want to witness gore and edgy material to consume.
Like maybe, similar to Luca, show her and her mom in Falconia? I don't care what happened to her dad, but maybe those two make it to the "perfect" city of Falconia, given their village was ravaged by Rosine's carnivorous wasp elves for how long? I think it could have acted like a good epilogue to the story we got from her in Lost Children.The ending with Jill is a really touching one for me but I honestly wish that Miura planned to have her show up sometime in the future just to make sure she's fine and she managed to survive and have a decent life
Berserk always had this quality too it where it somehow felt like it was just getting started no matter how far you get. I loathe the alternate timeline where Miura stuck to the formula BS set up where Guts just went from town to town fighting apostle-of-the-week villains on loop forever like it easily could have been. I think what makes lost children memorable in people's minds is because it's the last time that sort of story is told (discounting the DC game).
There's a subset of fans who would have liked nothing more than for all of Guts' new companions to die horribly and for him to go back to being a self-destructive rage machine haunting the night. Between parts of Berserk's fanbase and SNK's fans, it seems like a lot of manga readers want their protags to just be emotionless killing machines without feelings.
That would be good enough to keep me at peace
Even though having an open ending has its own poetic beauty.
Actually, I have a pretty crazy theory on how Theresia might have come back in Berserk's story and it would have involved Jill as well, having both come back in a lot more crucial role towards the end. I was actually writing it down here but it ended up being too long so maybe I will make a post about it in Speculation Nation / Character Cove section of the forum since I'd like to discuss it extensively but not by derailing your post!
The one he gave to Yukari Fujimoto in 2000 is where he specifically mentions Casca, but he's talked more broadly about the formation of the Band of the Falcon many times. Here is a thread that lists a bunch of interviews.
Like I said above, I don't think there is value in dwelling on the imbecilic thoughts of unobservant, uncomprehending and ultimately unappreciative readers. Especially if it lessens your own enjoyment of the story.
That was never a "formula", though. It establishes Guts' life as the Black Swordsman, who ceaselessly hunts apostles even as he is hunted and hounded every night, but narratively it has a clear beginning and an end (the confrontation with the God Hand). You can't really top that showdown, nor does the reader come out of it thinking Guts just needs to kill 10 more apostles before he can beat Femto.
In fact, this is one of Miura's great achievements with the Lost Children chapter: returning to that world in a seamless manner but with a different, fresh context, a unique apostle, and showing Guts straining under the weight of that life. And of course ending with him faced with its futility, as Femto remains hopelessly out of reach (episode 118). A perfect point from which to take the story towards bold new developments.
I would challenge the idea that someone is a fan of Berserk if their sole interest in it basically lies in daydreaming that it would be something it's not (and never was).
Yes, the Berserk that exists doesn't actually follow a formula, even early on, you're right. There are really only three "black swordsman" stories that follow the set up I laid out, and lost children itself serves as a transition out of that period of Guts' life, as he refocuses his priorities shortly after. I just think it would have been an easy thing for a manga of that era to do. A large part of FOTNS was Kenshiro traveling from place to place and fighting local gangs, or fighting the henchmen of the current antagonist, who are harassing the locals. Jojo, also from that era, even in its later iterations still does a "Stand battle of the week" formula until it is time to face off with the main antagonist. Heck, there is a popular series right now called "Demon Slayer" where the main character just fights X number of evil demon henchman until it becomes time to fight the big bad. Berserk easily could've gone the same way if Miura wasn't so creative. I don't mean to make too fine a point about this, I just think it speaks to how good of a writer Miura was.
Berserk had the misfortune of getting popular with a certain subset of people, probably through a million YouTube analysis videos and reddit posts. It became the go-to "mature" manga for people to feel smug about reading, without actually absorbing the material (hence a lot of the bizarre misconceptions people have about things). You've repeatedly indicated you don't want us dwelling on dumb fans though, so I'll leave it there.
I also had some ideas of hoe Theresia could've been used later, though they weren't things I would've expected to actually happen. I wouldn't mind if you made that thread.That would be good enough to keep me at peace
Even though having an open ending has its own poetic beauty.
Actually, I have a pretty crazy theory on how Theresia might have come back in Berserk's story and it would have involved Jill as well, having both come back in a lot more crucial role towards the end. I was actually writing it down here but it ended up being too long so maybe I will make a post about it in Speculation Nation / Character Cove section of the forum since I'd like to discuss it extensively but not by derailing your post!