I was stunned when I saw the panels on the first page. Great detail.
Walter said:There's something very cool that happens on Page 17.
On the previous page, a mysterious voice from the sea was calling to Isma, reminding her that she was bestowed a "true name." Isma then responds, saying "My true name..." then opens her mouth, as if to say it, and is suddenly transformed. It's as if the intonation of her true name, which doesn't appear in the text, was recognized by the ocean and helped reveal her true form. Maybe her merrow name is something only communicable to other merrows.
Awesome stuff, Miura.
Walter said:Oh yeah, one other thing about the episode: no super-deformed Puck or Ivalera at all. In each panel, they're drawn fully formed. Miura is putting on a serious tone for the coming episodes.
Señor Caudillo said:This is indeed a something of a milestone for Berserk. I don't believe there has been an episode that hasn't had at least a single shot of Puck and/or Ivalera in their distorted cartoonish forms, in like 7 or 8 years. I am very happy that we have been treated by Miura to something quite rare like this
I imagine her plopping back on the boat with Isidro in her hands and then blowing a merrow horn she pulls out from behind her back. Then suddenly, a bazillion merrows all pile together to make a big giant merrow ball two times the size of the Sea God. They're so coordinated that they form working arms made entirely of merrows and pry open the Sea God's mouth so Guts can escape.Th3Branded0ne said:What is the reaction of the others after Isma reveals herself in her new form? Stay tuned!
That last panel looks like what you described ... if you notice, the water is beneath them and you can see the sides of the ship, plus no bubbles like the smaller panel above!Gobolatula said:Or, odds are, she's gonna dart out of the ocean at such a speed (like dolphins do when they jump out of the ocean) and everyone will be amazed as she soars through the air for that brief moment when she drops Isidro back off.
Gobolatula said:Am I asking for too much when I want Isma to let the tentacles chase her so she can misdirect them and make them tie themselves into pretzels?
IncantatioN said:That last panel looks like what you described ... if you notice, the water is beneath them and you can see the sides of the ship, plus no bubbles like the smaller panel above!
IncantatioN said:The last panel we see for Guts is haunting, looks like he's in deep shit but he always has a knack of coming out of it.
IncantatioN said:With the Sea God moving so much, I don't recall seeing Guts a little shaken up inside from all the movement, or is it something I missed?
puella said:Schierke: Guts.....!
Guts: This doesn't even compare to the Sea Horse' cannon fire!
Guts: My lower belly...
Guts: No, my whole body is near damn paralyzed.
Page 12
Guts: If we stay here too long, we'll definitely go mad and die because of the heartbeat!!
Page 13
Schierke: Then we should hurry (to get it over with) before that happens...!
Guts: I know.
Schierke: ...Guts?
Guts: The air is thick and heavy.
Guts: I can't breathe...
Guts: My body feels heavy
Guts: I feel like I'm underwater.
Guts: ...That's why the sound is propagated more clearly...
Schierke: The heartbeat is getting faster...!?
Guts: What!?
Irvine said:What happened to the pirates? What did the sea god to them?
Their appearance hasn't degraded over time. They sustained some injuries in the battle with the Sea Horse, but that's it. A simple check before you posted would have made that clear for you.Señor Caudillo said:In fact, if you're to take a closer look at the pirate ship Captain Sharkrider's crew for the past 15 episodes, you can observe how for during that period the physical appearance of pirates' bodies metamorphosing after they have fallen prey to Sea God, i.e; gradually but progressively turning more misshapen, their skin growing more and more scaly, and their eyes becoming fish-like, all bulgy and large.
Well, I feel like a horse's patoot.Griffith said:Yep, she's already breached.
Walter said:Oh yeah, one other thing about the episode: no super-deformed Puck or Ivalera at all. In each panel, they're drawn fully formed. Miura is putting on a serious tone for the coming episodes.
IncantatioN said:With the Sea God moving so much, I don't recall seeing Guts a little shaken up inside from all the movement, or is it something I missed?
Walter said:On the previous page, a mysterious voice from the sea was calling to Isma, reminding her that she was bestowed a "true name." Isma then responds, saying "My true name..." then opens her mouth, as if to say it, and is suddenly transformed. It's as if the intonation of her true name, which doesn't appear in the text, was recognized by the ocean and helped reveal her true form.
Walter said:Oh yeah, one other thing about the episode: no super-deformed Puck or Ivalera at all. In each panel, they're drawn fully formed. Miura is putting on a serious tone for the coming episodes.
Señor Caudillo said:Good eye, Walter
Señor Caudillo said:This is indeed a something of a milestone for Berserk. I don't believe there has been an episode that hasn't had at least a single shot of Puck and/or Ivalera in their distorted cartoonish forms, in like 7 or 8 years.
Gobolatula said:Roderick and his crew really are on the journey of their lifetimes, to be able to witness and be apart of all these things.
IncantatioN said:With the Sea God moving so much, I don't recall seeing Guts a little shaken up inside from all the movement, or is it something I missed?
Griffith said:I'd love to see the Beast come out to play.
Irvine said:What happened to the pirates? What did the sea god to them?
Señor Caudillo said:it is all an indication that their integration into Sea God's body is complete.
Señor Caudillo said:In fact, if you're to take a closer look at the pirate ship Captain Sharkrider's crew for the past 15 episodes, you can observe how for during that period the physical appearance of pirates' bodies metamorphosing after they have fallen prey to Sea God, i.e; gradually but progressively turning more misshapen, their skin growing more and more scaly, and their eyes becoming fish-like, all bulgy and large.
Ahh, nice call. I didn't even recognize that as Puck when I saw it. Just thought it was some object in Isma's possession.Aazealh said:Not good enough.(damn you jaken!)
jaken said:Before turning into a merrow, Isma says ma-na in katakana before repeating in kanji. Is this because she does not understand at first the meaning of what is conveyed by the voice from the deep or could Mana be her true name?
Señor Caudillo said:In fact, if you're to take a closer look at the pirate ship Captain Sharkrider's crew for the past 15 episodes, you can observe how for during that period the physical appearance of pirates' bodies metamorphosing after they have fallen prey to Sea God, i.e; gradually but progressively turning more misshapen, their skin growing more and more scaly, and their eyes becoming fish-like, all bulgy and large.
Aazealh said:I don't think that's desirable in this case. Schierke's preventing the armor from clouding Guts' mind right now, but he's still getting all of its benefits... Fighting mindlessly would not make the situation any better.
But, if Guts is alone, odds are his mind would slip back into full-on berserker mode. If we think back to his fight against Daiba, we realize he definitely needs to think straight in these tough situations. I wonder if Guts was berserk, violently hacking and biting at everything around him, would his instincts tell him to go for the heart?Walter said:I actually think that next episode, Schierke will have to make a choice: stay with Guts, or return to the Sea Horse and begin preparing for impact with the Sea God.
Walter said:I actually think that next episode, Schierke will have to make a choice: stay with Guts, or return to the Sea Horse and begin preparing for impact with the Sea God.
Gobolatula said:But, if Guts is alone, odds are his mind would slip back into full-on berserker mode. If we think back to his fight against Daiba, we realize he definitely needs to think straight in these tough situations.
Believe it or not guys, I am fully aware of the implications of Schierke leaving Guts during this critical moment. But what if she was forced back into her body? The force of the wave impact aboard the Sea Horse could jolt her back, or any number of things. Even though this situation already seems desperate, the stakes would be raised even more if Schierke had to leave Guts. That's all I was trying to poke at with my thought.Señor Caudillo said:I don't think Schierke will leave Guts, as he will going to be needing her assistance in this fight from the start to finish. Especially since he couldn't even locate the Sea God's heart without her guidance, there's no indication that she's not going to continue to be of valuable help to him for the whole duration of the battle. And also, in a fight like this, it's important for Guts to think clearly and not lose his composure. And furthermore, stabbing the Sea God's heart and killing him, that alone is still only half of the business. Even after being somehow able to do that, Guts would still remain trapped deep inside Sea God's body and would have to make his escape from out of there, all the while fighting off any possible parasite menace inside Sea God's organs. Again, all of which things that require Guts to not succumb to the Armor.
Walter said:I actually think that next episode, Schierke will have to make a choice: stay with Guts, or return to the Sea Horse and begin preparing for impact with the Sea God.