Walter said:
LONG AGO, IN A NORTHERN COUNTRY... THERE WAS A BOY WITH BRIGHT RED HAIR.
Well they wanted to make an intimidating Grunbeld. They did, he's ugly af.
But definitively not as good as a decent animation, non-pastel textures and proper illumination would do.
Ps. Now I noticed that instead of making a more consistent overall look, they use these ugly pastel textures for skin and also attempt to give a realistic look to metal. Look how completely different his neck armour is from his face. At least it seems consistent with the background.
Griffith said:Well, the fact that it is a relatively minor character like Grunbeld, more famous for his position and outsized appearance than anything intrinsically interesting about him (I mean, his fight with Guts confirmed he's kind of a bore), rather than like fucking Zodd, who Miura clearly has a lot invested in, or even someone like Rakshas who has personality galore, gives me relief that this is just some side crap Miura didn't care much about anyway. Otherwise I don't think Miura would have ceded the real estate if he intended to use it. I don't think all Apostles, especially now, need to get an arc. There isn't going to be a Grunbeld chapter focusing on an extended confrontation between him and Guts and their personalities (he had his moment). I think he's closer to cannon fodder than main attraction in the battles to come.
I think that's an unfair statement. Zodd appears much earlier in the story, basically all of Griffith's relevant apostles are new, except the obvious Zodd. That fight shows clearly Grunbeld's attitude as a honourful and loyal warrior towards his master. I had a lot of fun with that fight, it was very good to introduce the Berserk Armour and show how Guts could tear apart a top apostle if in control of the armour.