Walter said:Welcome to the forum! Not a bad way to start your membership here
Thanks! Sorry about my annoying message, I'm just so eager to discuss this series with other fans.
Walter said:Well, for some readers, it seems that any scene where Guts isn't splitting Griffith's head open is filler. For that kind of sentiment, they aren't actually invested in the series, or care about the characters. They're just looking for an ending.
Its just such a weird way to view the series, not helped by the fact that only the Golden Age arc has been adapted into anime (neither version I've seen yet). Its one of the best fantasy stories I've ever read, and while the Guts vs. Griffith stuff is clearly the overarching narrative thread, there's so much more to the series which makes it truly great.
Walter said:I'm not sure that's true. Maybe you mean Chapter? Because there are only three arcs after the Golden Age. Conviction starts with Rochine, so that's consistent with your notion; but trolls aren't introduced as enemies until Vol 24, 2 volumes into the Millennium Falcon Arc. Fantasia kicks off effectively where the sea god stuff begins, so that makes some sense, I suppose.
Sorry, I'm getting my Arc/Chapter/Episode terminology mixed up. If I recall correctly, while the trolls only start two volumes into the Millenium Falcon arc, that's because the preceding episodes were more focused on Griffith and introducing Schierke.
I think maybe a better way to phrase it is that the first supernatural entity/entities that Guts battles in any given arc, while isolated from the main plot, sets up a lot of the character development and concepts of the overall arc, so I don't see these parts of the story as filler. I can't even think of a segment of the story that I could describe as 100% filler, every part contributes to either the plot, the world-building, the character development, the philosophical/ethical themes, etc.
Walter said:I think the Boss overstayed his welcome a bit, but all that waiting paid off for me with the sea god.
The Boss whizzed by for me because I read all of Berserk at once, but I can see how he would've been annoying on a release-to-release pace, I found him a little tiresome too.
Walter said:Indeed, and that's been a consistent problem among casual readers ever since there's been an online Berserk community. The slower pace of releases merely exacerbates that problem. But brighter days are ahead!
I'm really excited! A lot of my Berserk-reading friends were cautioning me to read slowly (in-between all the terrible ID@LMASTER jokes), because of the hiatus, but then this was announced just as I was around vol. 32-33. Such fortuitous timing!
I really hope it isn't like last time, where he only releases a few and then goes on another long hiatus. I don't think Miura would do that three times in a row though, and given he's such a workaholic (spending his first hiatus on that sci-fi manga), I think he's been spending his second hiatus plotting out the rest of the story and building up a substantial episode backlog.
Also its great to talk about Berserk with fans who aren't making really unfair complaints about the release schedule all the time. I haven't directly experienced the long wait, and I'm sure it has been excruciating, but it seems really unfair given how Miura has spent 20+ years of his life sinking all of his energies into Berserk, and its paid off so far. Like I just spent the last two years of my life putting together a Masters thesis, about a single topic, and it was extremely exhausting, so I can only imagine what 20+ years on a single manga must be like!
jackson_hurley said:Yes Indeed! One more week. I've never understood why some people are nagging about the releases. I mean with every new episode I want to know more. They should be excited about the wait. It makes the new episodes even better. Like (for smokers) waiting to get off a plane to smoke a cigarette. The wait is long but the smoke is good once out.
Anyways, I'm glad that I never considered the series to go downhill after the golden age.
As a smoker I know what you mean.