SkullKast: Episode 92 - Final Fragment [353 Review]

[Walter]

Episode 92: Final Fragment (Ep. 353) (1h)

As the corridor of dreams nears its conclusion, Miura shows us he's still full of surprises. The last page of the latest episode, and what the next memory will end up revealing, takes us most of the episode to process.  But Walter still gets a chance to revisit his weird crush on

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[Walter]

Thanks man, whew, speedy listener!

But at the same time I feel that those post-Eclipse memories that the rest of Guts' Band haven't seen (particularly those to do with Casca's child and Guts' sexual assault) are things that the rest of the party needs  to become aware of at some point, and this would be a really good time for that.

I don't think it's necessary for the group to see Guts in that moment of weakness, for which he's already paid community service for (Enoch troll cleanup duty counts, right?). In all seriousness, I don’t think Miura wrote that scene to color Guts as a sexual abuser, but to demonstrate how desperate the situation was when it was just him and Casca on the journey, and how close Guts came to losing everything. It was a terrible moment on his otherwise stoic journey. Guts knows that, and it's why he agreed to have companions.

[Walter]

But I don't think the entire purpose of that scene was for Guts to realize that he couldn't travel alone and protect Casca from himself. I think the point of that scene was to Guts have the closest brush with his dark side that he's ever had and to realize just how dangerous he could be to the people close to him if he loses control.

I don't think what we're saying is in disagreement. The above is what I meant by the "desperate situation" when it was just he and Casca, and as for the danger he presents, that's how he could "lose everything."

My idea was that the party becoming aware of Casca's assault would serve as a segue into them learning about Guts' struggle with the Beast of Darkness.

Segue has to be the key phrasing because I don't think Casca's dream world is the time to be broaching the Beast conflict within Guts.

I also highly doubt his struggle with the Beast of Darkness is over just yet (in fact, his last internal "dialogue" with it suggests he knows those dark feelings will rear their head again in the future).

Yes, but it also gave a pretty specific framing for when it would come back. The Beast hinted that it will resurge after his friends are killed, not that it will kill his friends.

The Beast of Darkness: But since they are with you, the more they are related to me, the more these idiots get to expose themselves to the jaws of death.
The Beast of Darkness: And they will be crushed, torn and ripped apart soon
The Beast of Darkness: ...Just like that time (the Occultation)
The Beast of Darkness: Cherish them
The Beast of Darkness: Only to lose more
The Beast of Darkness: At that time, nobody will be able to stop me/you
The Beast of Darkness: I will swallow you entirely

The foreshadowing surrounding the Beast is very ominous, and I am almost certain it will be something Guts and the party have to deal with in the future. Which is why I thought them learning about the assault and confronting Guts about it would be a good way to advance that subplot

Again, I'm not sure I follow you here. What do you mean by confronting Guts about it? Is this going to be like an Intervention episode?

Going back to the scene itself, I think it is also significant that not even Puck--who has seen Guts do terrible things before--was present for Casca's assault. He was even conveniently given a different reason for Casca's distrust of Guts when he was possessed by spirits and strangled her so he wouldn't suspect any other reason (not to imply that was the only purpose of that scene).

That's a good point. Miura manufactured a reason for Puck not to grapple with that scene, which could be a clue that it will be dealt with eventually. Or — it's just a scene meant to be between Guts and Casca.

[Gobolatula]

A pod very well casted, gentlepeople. You've given me a lot to think about between now and the next episode.

[buttonmasher]

Thanks again for the podcast.

I wonder if the rape scene is more shocking for the reader and Guts than for Casca when it occurs.  The act cements Griffith's betrayal and is the final nail in the coffin but the damage was already inflicted. I think it possible it was the cold certainty of betrayal rather than the sexual act that broke her mind.  I don't think the violation had any connection to the child at the time but only in hindsight does Casca recognize what Griffith has stolen from her.  Combining these ideas allows Miura to get at the root of what broke her mind while alluding to the rape without having to replay those events.  Casca's mind is broken but there's enough evidence to suggest that she incorporates new information where her child is concerned.  She’s fixated on her child.  This can explain why the child is a core part of her restoration while the representations of more current events can also be present in the periphery of her mind.

[Walter]

Thanks again for the podcast.

Thanks for listening. They're fun to produce.

The act cements Griffith's betrayal and is the final nail in the coffin but the damage was already inflicted. I think it possible it was the cold certainty of betrayal rather than the sexual act that broke her mind.

I don't think there's any need to disconnect the two. The act was a brutal betrayal.

I don't think the violation had any connection to the child at the time but only in hindsight does Casca recognize what Griffith has stolen from her.  Combining these ideas allows Miura to get at the root of what broke her mind while alluding to the rape without having to replay those events.

I get what you're saying, and the child's appearance seems like a curveball at first, but I just can't rationalize how Miura would pivot away from the rape at this point. The event would be painfully informative to Schierke and Farnese about the terror and trauma it inflicted on Guts and Casca. Do you remember when Schierke was in Guts' mind (vol 27)? She got glimpses of those events, but no context. I feel like if Miura were ever to address that section, it's now or never.

Casca's mind is broken but there's enough evidence to suggest that she incorporates new information where her child is concerned.  She’s fixated on her child.  This can explain why the child is a core part of her restoration while the representations of more current events can also be present in the periphery of her mind.

I don't necessarily think everything hinges on the child. If the next memory is all about her child, I feel like that would be a weak solution. But in terms of Casca's ability to incorporate new information, no argument with me. This image we're seeing of the child now never even existed. She's formulated that memory from external experiences. Like we said on the podcast, it's a matter of how Miura portrays that huge span of time that seems like a challenge to me.