At this point id prefer just the continuation focus on Azan barhopping. Make him go berserk during a barfight and end it there
Episode 381
- Thread starter Aazealh
- Start date
What struck me the most in this episode is that there is simply no continuity with the previous one. Episode 380’s main event was that Rakshas got to Guts and was instantly killed, after which Silat flew off the handle and even had to be restrained. Then it ended with Schierke getting to Falconia. None of these things are addressed at all here, to the point where they might as well not have happened.
Silat’s back to being cool and collected, almost demure given how quiet he stays during the whole scene between Daiba and the “emperor”. And he’s completely dismissive of Guts. As expected, Rakshas is already forgotten too, as disposable as the pseudo-trolls he’d summoned out of nowhere. He was only there to provide artificial tension and a modicum of limp “action”. And I guess so he could be crossed off the list. Next.
It’s become a habit for scenes to be seemingly shown at random and never built upon, and clearly it’s not getting better (nor is the art, yikes). No matter how you look at it, even if this were another series unrelated to Berserk, it would still be a gross display of incompetence.
There is no plan
It’s so bad it’s baffling to me. Makes me wonder what their creative process is and if they even have a real plan. Of course it’s long since become clear the Continuation has nothing to do with what Miura would have done. It often directly contradicts things he has established, whether it’s the state of the world, the way things work, or the characters’ personalities and behavior.
But even if you put that aside, it’s got terrible pacing, it’s inconsistent from one issue to the next, and it generally feels like they don’t know where they’re going with it. Like they have no plan and no editor. I don’t know what Mori’s involvement still is at this point, but given his last comments it seems to me that it all hinges on Kurosaki. And while I have no insider knowledge, I won’t be surprised if we eventually learn that he’s just been winging it and they’ve had no choice but to take it as it is.
This is supported by another thing that’s especially apparent in this episode, which is just how much the side characters are running the show. It’s all Daiba and new throwaway characters like the nameless emperor, while Roderick and Silat provide the commentary. Characters that the team presumably feels more at ease with. The main ones? Token appearances at best.
I imagine they’ll work up the courage to handle the major characters in the future, even Guts himself, if only because they eventually won’t have a choice. But it really feels like they’re dragging their feet, and it manifests itself directly into what they produce. It’s basically just a sideshow… only it keeps getting prolonged. Very little of note has actually taken place in the last seven episodes, other than crossing Rakshas off the list of characters to kill. It’s gotten to the point where I genuinely wonder if they’re not just trying to milk it.
Bizarro Daiba's making his move
Anyway, the only thing happening this time is Guts being taken into custody by Daiba and marched out of the city. Everything else is just window dressing for it, and none of it makes much sense. In fact there’s so much nonsense it’s hard to know where to begin.
Let’s start with the fact Daiba has been turned into a completely different character. The direction Miura had set for him was pretty clear. As Ganishka’s former confidant, he was humbled but still resourceful. Freed from his master, he showed a more human side. He tagged along with the Bakiraka only because Rickert allowed it, as Silat had left the decision up to him. He would have no doubt worked with them in the future, but under Silat’s command.
In the Continuation’s alternate universe where the Kushan empire still exists, Daiba is somehow back to being a top-ranking official for a new emperor, and not just that but he’s working on a strange power play using Guts. His relationship with Silat, which still seemed somewhat similar when they were introduced in the Continuation, is now reversed where Daiba is the one with authority. So weird.
Retconning Kushan magic…
To justify it, the Continuation team introduces the concept of castes, which is something Miura would have absolutely never done. He was always very deliberate with the words and concepts he borrowed to add flavor to the story, whereas this is rather touchy and feels like a faux pas. So Daiba and the monks working under him are now “Brahmin” (furigana on the kanji "高僧", meaning "high priest") and that’s why they can do whatever they want, because they’re higher-ranking than even royalty.
This directly contradicts what had been established by Miura in Berserk: we saw Daiba as a mendicant by the side of the road (specifically a sādhu, a holy man who has renounced status and material goods) when he gave Ganishka his beherit, the implication being that Ganishka brought him to his side after his sacrifice. There, Daiba worked secretly with the emperor to create the Pishacha and Daka, which were used as shock troops and were kept secret for obvious reasons.
As for the men Daiba commanded, they were called Harashada, with the corresponding kanji ”術者” literally meaning “practitioner”. It’s a fitting title, because they weren’t magic users but rather proxies for Ganishka. Their abilities came from him (by inhaling his fog), they controlled familiars and Daka that were created using his power, and this all took place within his fog. They were intrinsically linked to him, and so their depiction here makes absolutely no sense.
…Just to humiliate Guts some more
In this episode, as “Brahmin”, they are shown chanting scriptures and somehow that allows them to compel Guts to sleepwalk like a Haitian zombie. What’s ridiculous is it takes thirty of them to do it, and they’re straining under the effort. Even if these men actually had that ability (which they shouldn’t), it’s completely impractical. Why not just drag him on a stretcher or something? Or throw him on a donkey? Hell, a single Tapasa could carry him over his shoulder.
It's such a weird, stupid choice. Somehow as inefficient as when they forced him upright and made him walk using chains. And they’re walking dozens of miles like that in a file! Did the team not realize how stupid this would look? Oh and why is he wearing a manacle with a dangling chain? Did they break it off the wall instead of unlocking it at his wrist? Whoever came up with this did not think it through.
Anyway, Daiba brings Guts in front of the emperor to explain why he’s taking him away. I guess to prevent Silat and Guts’ friends from objecting? But it doesn’t look like they would have had much choice even if he’d done it on the down-low anyway. In truth, this is performative and done purely for the reader, to humiliate Guts for the umpteenth time.
Why even talk about the Brand?
Daiba’s explanation about the Brand is also weird because it feels like the Continuation team is trying to justify something to the reader, instead of the characters discussing things between themselves.
I get that those chieftains are meant to be clueless morons (even though they somehow call Rakshas and the “Gaki” critters by name), but given that they were gearing up to strike against Griffith, why are they surprised that one of Griffith’s apostles attacked them? I mean Silat at the very least should understand that… And maybe also question how Rakshas erupted out of some dude while the last time he saw him, he got shot down over Falconia.
In any case, they’re the ones who were targeted, and while Rakshas’ presence actually made no sense, from their perspective there should be a clear reason for it: their war against the Falcon. Not only do they not need a scapegoat but it’s even counterintuitive! And since no one witnessed Guts’ involvement, it really all comes down to Daiba’s word. Which means he didn’t need to mention the Brand since no one was going to check whether what he said is true.
Of course it’s extra ironic that Daiba was the one who had Guts captured and brought to the palace in the first place. He’s lucky the “emperor” didn’t ask how that dangerous man came to be within his palace right as their big council was taking place. ”Oh right, I had him brought here.” This lack of thinking things through has become a defining trait of the Continuation. They cobble things together without considering whether the result is consistent with what they’ve previously done.
Duplicating scenes can only go so far
Another trait of this misbegotten endeavor is repetition. Episode 380 started with Roderick telling Farnese she’d done a good job, and we get basically the exact same scene here, only longer and spread over four pages. They have a tendency to repeat scenes like this and it’s egregious.
Now I’m not naive, it’s clear what it’s actually about: filling pages. Just like those two pages with Molda that serve no purpose. Yes, Schierke is still asleep. Thanks for showing us. We thought she might finally be getting somewhere, but guess not! *yawn* Like I said at the beginning, it’s like what we saw last time simply didn’t happen. It’s just bad storytelling.
They also try and inject some misplaced humor in the scene by clumsily repeating one of Miura’s jokes (as per their usual modus operandi). The problems are multiple. First, the situation is meant to be serious here and doesn’t lend itself to it. Second, episode 345 was introducing these characters and the point was to juxtapose their benign looks and behavior (Isidro comparing it to a retirement home) with the fact these are the most powerful magic users in the world.
Third, the impetus for the joke was that Danan’s food was exceptionally good, explaining why Slyne coyly requested more. It doesn’t work when you swap it with another character at random, and Molda is especially ill-suited for that role as a rebellious teenager. She too has been turned into a different character. This is minor compared to other issues of course, but I find it telling that even supposedly innocuous scenes like this (that act purely as filler, unlike the original scene from episode 345) can be so far off the mark.
Miscellaneous observations
I guess that's it from me on this episode, and I'd say that's pretty good considering how little happens in it. I do have a few additional comments though, presented here in no particular order.
So now Guts is being marched to who knows where, far outside the city. Obviously Daiba's theatrics only served to provide a pretext so he could do whatever he wants with him, but one has to wonder what he hopes to achieve exactly. A Guts zombie wouldn’t make much of a difference in a pitched battle against Falconia. At this point, I think whatever morbid curiosity I have left about where the story is going is related to the Continuation team’s stupid decisions rather than to what will happen to the characters.
That’s partly because there’s no progress whatsoever for the few things that matter: Guts’ state and Schierke’s search for Casca. Speaking of Casca, I expect her to mostly stay out of the picture until basically the end of the story. It’s definitely not what Miura had in store for her – I mean she had finally been restored and was now facing her own challenges – but it’s the easy way out for this team and so I’m pretty sure it’s what they’ll go for. From their perspective, it’s one less character to worry about.
As for the others, right now I don't think anyone can tell. Things could keep going at a snail's pace for years or could rush forward suddenly and it's entirely unpredictable. Given how unreliable the people involved are, I'd say it might be down to the public reception (i.e. the volumes' sales) whether things speed up or not.
Silat’s back to being cool and collected, almost demure given how quiet he stays during the whole scene between Daiba and the “emperor”. And he’s completely dismissive of Guts. As expected, Rakshas is already forgotten too, as disposable as the pseudo-trolls he’d summoned out of nowhere. He was only there to provide artificial tension and a modicum of limp “action”. And I guess so he could be crossed off the list. Next.
It’s become a habit for scenes to be seemingly shown at random and never built upon, and clearly it’s not getting better (nor is the art, yikes). No matter how you look at it, even if this were another series unrelated to Berserk, it would still be a gross display of incompetence.
There is no plan
It’s so bad it’s baffling to me. Makes me wonder what their creative process is and if they even have a real plan. Of course it’s long since become clear the Continuation has nothing to do with what Miura would have done. It often directly contradicts things he has established, whether it’s the state of the world, the way things work, or the characters’ personalities and behavior.
But even if you put that aside, it’s got terrible pacing, it’s inconsistent from one issue to the next, and it generally feels like they don’t know where they’re going with it. Like they have no plan and no editor. I don’t know what Mori’s involvement still is at this point, but given his last comments it seems to me that it all hinges on Kurosaki. And while I have no insider knowledge, I won’t be surprised if we eventually learn that he’s just been winging it and they’ve had no choice but to take it as it is.
This is supported by another thing that’s especially apparent in this episode, which is just how much the side characters are running the show. It’s all Daiba and new throwaway characters like the nameless emperor, while Roderick and Silat provide the commentary. Characters that the team presumably feels more at ease with. The main ones? Token appearances at best.
I imagine they’ll work up the courage to handle the major characters in the future, even Guts himself, if only because they eventually won’t have a choice. But it really feels like they’re dragging their feet, and it manifests itself directly into what they produce. It’s basically just a sideshow… only it keeps getting prolonged. Very little of note has actually taken place in the last seven episodes, other than crossing Rakshas off the list of characters to kill. It’s gotten to the point where I genuinely wonder if they’re not just trying to milk it.
Bizarro Daiba's making his move
Anyway, the only thing happening this time is Guts being taken into custody by Daiba and marched out of the city. Everything else is just window dressing for it, and none of it makes much sense. In fact there’s so much nonsense it’s hard to know where to begin.
Let’s start with the fact Daiba has been turned into a completely different character. The direction Miura had set for him was pretty clear. As Ganishka’s former confidant, he was humbled but still resourceful. Freed from his master, he showed a more human side. He tagged along with the Bakiraka only because Rickert allowed it, as Silat had left the decision up to him. He would have no doubt worked with them in the future, but under Silat’s command.
In the Continuation’s alternate universe where the Kushan empire still exists, Daiba is somehow back to being a top-ranking official for a new emperor, and not just that but he’s working on a strange power play using Guts. His relationship with Silat, which still seemed somewhat similar when they were introduced in the Continuation, is now reversed where Daiba is the one with authority. So weird.
Retconning Kushan magic…
To justify it, the Continuation team introduces the concept of castes, which is something Miura would have absolutely never done. He was always very deliberate with the words and concepts he borrowed to add flavor to the story, whereas this is rather touchy and feels like a faux pas. So Daiba and the monks working under him are now “Brahmin” (furigana on the kanji "高僧", meaning "high priest") and that’s why they can do whatever they want, because they’re higher-ranking than even royalty.
This directly contradicts what had been established by Miura in Berserk: we saw Daiba as a mendicant by the side of the road (specifically a sādhu, a holy man who has renounced status and material goods) when he gave Ganishka his beherit, the implication being that Ganishka brought him to his side after his sacrifice. There, Daiba worked secretly with the emperor to create the Pishacha and Daka, which were used as shock troops and were kept secret for obvious reasons.
As for the men Daiba commanded, they were called Harashada, with the corresponding kanji ”術者” literally meaning “practitioner”. It’s a fitting title, because they weren’t magic users but rather proxies for Ganishka. Their abilities came from him (by inhaling his fog), they controlled familiars and Daka that were created using his power, and this all took place within his fog. They were intrinsically linked to him, and so their depiction here makes absolutely no sense.
…Just to humiliate Guts some more
In this episode, as “Brahmin”, they are shown chanting scriptures and somehow that allows them to compel Guts to sleepwalk like a Haitian zombie. What’s ridiculous is it takes thirty of them to do it, and they’re straining under the effort. Even if these men actually had that ability (which they shouldn’t), it’s completely impractical. Why not just drag him on a stretcher or something? Or throw him on a donkey? Hell, a single Tapasa could carry him over his shoulder.
It's such a weird, stupid choice. Somehow as inefficient as when they forced him upright and made him walk using chains. And they’re walking dozens of miles like that in a file! Did the team not realize how stupid this would look? Oh and why is he wearing a manacle with a dangling chain? Did they break it off the wall instead of unlocking it at his wrist? Whoever came up with this did not think it through.
Anyway, Daiba brings Guts in front of the emperor to explain why he’s taking him away. I guess to prevent Silat and Guts’ friends from objecting? But it doesn’t look like they would have had much choice even if he’d done it on the down-low anyway. In truth, this is performative and done purely for the reader, to humiliate Guts for the umpteenth time.
Why even talk about the Brand?
Daiba’s explanation about the Brand is also weird because it feels like the Continuation team is trying to justify something to the reader, instead of the characters discussing things between themselves.
I get that those chieftains are meant to be clueless morons (even though they somehow call Rakshas and the “Gaki” critters by name), but given that they were gearing up to strike against Griffith, why are they surprised that one of Griffith’s apostles attacked them? I mean Silat at the very least should understand that… And maybe also question how Rakshas erupted out of some dude while the last time he saw him, he got shot down over Falconia.
In any case, they’re the ones who were targeted, and while Rakshas’ presence actually made no sense, from their perspective there should be a clear reason for it: their war against the Falcon. Not only do they not need a scapegoat but it’s even counterintuitive! And since no one witnessed Guts’ involvement, it really all comes down to Daiba’s word. Which means he didn’t need to mention the Brand since no one was going to check whether what he said is true.
Of course it’s extra ironic that Daiba was the one who had Guts captured and brought to the palace in the first place. He’s lucky the “emperor” didn’t ask how that dangerous man came to be within his palace right as their big council was taking place. ”Oh right, I had him brought here.” This lack of thinking things through has become a defining trait of the Continuation. They cobble things together without considering whether the result is consistent with what they’ve previously done.
Duplicating scenes can only go so far
Another trait of this misbegotten endeavor is repetition. Episode 380 started with Roderick telling Farnese she’d done a good job, and we get basically the exact same scene here, only longer and spread over four pages. They have a tendency to repeat scenes like this and it’s egregious.
Now I’m not naive, it’s clear what it’s actually about: filling pages. Just like those two pages with Molda that serve no purpose. Yes, Schierke is still asleep. Thanks for showing us. We thought she might finally be getting somewhere, but guess not! *yawn* Like I said at the beginning, it’s like what we saw last time simply didn’t happen. It’s just bad storytelling.
They also try and inject some misplaced humor in the scene by clumsily repeating one of Miura’s jokes (as per their usual modus operandi). The problems are multiple. First, the situation is meant to be serious here and doesn’t lend itself to it. Second, episode 345 was introducing these characters and the point was to juxtapose their benign looks and behavior (Isidro comparing it to a retirement home) with the fact these are the most powerful magic users in the world.
Third, the impetus for the joke was that Danan’s food was exceptionally good, explaining why Slyne coyly requested more. It doesn’t work when you swap it with another character at random, and Molda is especially ill-suited for that role as a rebellious teenager. She too has been turned into a different character. This is minor compared to other issues of course, but I find it telling that even supposedly innocuous scenes like this (that act purely as filler, unlike the original scene from episode 345) can be so far off the mark.
Miscellaneous observations
I guess that's it from me on this episode, and I'd say that's pretty good considering how little happens in it. I do have a few additional comments though, presented here in no particular order.
- As usual the title is stupid ("the half-moon shines on the convict’s back"), randomly mentioning the half-moon even though it plays no role. It’s a textbook example of missing the point. I know I keep harping on this but Miura mostly kept his titles short and factual, with the occasional poetic one. Here it feels like they’re trying real hard to be poetic, but it’s a total failure and yet they keep doing it. The results are systematically awkward and, frankly, a little pathetic.
- Rakshas’ shrapnel from when he inexplicably burst out of a random guy is actually… Guts’ throwing knives. I’m not kidding, it looks exactly like them. Why? How? Beats me. It’s just a random, nonsensical detail among a sea of others, and it will never get explained. But it’s so out of place I can’t help but mention it.
- Given Farnese’s display of power during the battle – something concrete that actually saved people’s asses – you’d think the Kushans would not just thank her but seek her help and advice. Instead she’s completely ignored, even though just last episode Daiba was lamenting that if only he had “that light”, he could challenge the Falcon of Light with it.
- There were about 20 chieftains in the “Kurultai”, now there are just six remaining. If this were an actual tribal alliance, these tribes’ resources wouldn’t be available and new leaders would have to be elected before any decision was reached. The remaining chieftains would also not necessarily stick together or be of the same mind, as they would be rivals as much as allies in this circumstance. But they’re just being used as a single group of hostile and hysterical idiots making grotesque faces every few pages. So simplistic. Makes it clear they don't matter at all.
So now Guts is being marched to who knows where, far outside the city. Obviously Daiba's theatrics only served to provide a pretext so he could do whatever he wants with him, but one has to wonder what he hopes to achieve exactly. A Guts zombie wouldn’t make much of a difference in a pitched battle against Falconia. At this point, I think whatever morbid curiosity I have left about where the story is going is related to the Continuation team’s stupid decisions rather than to what will happen to the characters.
That’s partly because there’s no progress whatsoever for the few things that matter: Guts’ state and Schierke’s search for Casca. Speaking of Casca, I expect her to mostly stay out of the picture until basically the end of the story. It’s definitely not what Miura had in store for her – I mean she had finally been restored and was now facing her own challenges – but it’s the easy way out for this team and so I’m pretty sure it’s what they’ll go for. From their perspective, it’s one less character to worry about.
As for the others, right now I don't think anyone can tell. Things could keep going at a snail's pace for years or could rush forward suddenly and it's entirely unpredictable. Given how unreliable the people involved are, I'd say it might be down to the public reception (i.e. the volumes' sales) whether things speed up or not.
Thanks for the grand review, Aaz. I look forward to these posts as a form of catharsis. They also allow my brain to officially move on from the psychic damage of the latest episodes.
What are you saying? Tsug is looking better than ever!
And who can forget the Yorkshire Terrier-Daiba fusion?
But my chief complaint with the art in this episode was a little panel from Farnese trying to reach out to Guts' mind. It resembles the technique Miura would use when he would show what a character is thinking, exploding out of the panel, overlaying the art in a stylish way. But this is the cable TV version of that technique, I guess. No style, just a layer of Guts.png and a layer of Farnese-eyes.png slapped on top of each other and flattened to export.
This had escaped my attention, likely because the signal:noise ratio is so off-kilter in the continuation that I had scrubbed this needless repetition from my memory. But wow, yeah! Ep 380 indeed begins nearly exactly like 381. It's getting hard to argue against the notion that most of these pages are merely filler around the tiny morsel of meat they feed us every few months.
I'd like to expound on this a bit, because it's insane. We see Schierke leave the Kushan Capital AND arrive in Falconia in Episode 380 (in 2 pages, even). This's a bit mind-boggling, since she first set out in her body of light way back in Ep 374, before the Kushans even took them as prisoners. If that's the case, then what's the excuse for her being out of commission for so long?
What are you saying? Tsug is looking better than ever!
And who can forget the Yorkshire Terrier-Daiba fusion?
But my chief complaint with the art in this episode was a little panel from Farnese trying to reach out to Guts' mind. It resembles the technique Miura would use when he would show what a character is thinking, exploding out of the panel, overlaying the art in a stylish way. But this is the cable TV version of that technique, I guess. No style, just a layer of Guts.png and a layer of Farnese-eyes.png slapped on top of each other and flattened to export.
This didn't bother me too much, personally. Or at least it's in keeping with how none of the characters are acting consistently anymore. From his introduction in the Kurultai scene, he had established himself as Chief Expert on Weird Shit. So for him to parley a meeting about corpse disposal into a false pretext to bring Guts under his control seemed passable to me, even if the development certainly wasn't so dramatic that it needed a full episode devoted to it. This would have been a 2-page exchange under Miura's hand (not that it would have ever happened anyway...).
Glad I can be of help!
I'd even say it's undeniable at this point.
Yeah it's just a weird decision on their part to have shown her leaving her body again, especially since she turns back to look at the city, which goes against the idea that it might just be a visual representation of her journey. By the way, Molda's comment in this episode about how she's got nerves of steel to be staying still through all that stuff is equally puzzling given that Schierke is having an out of body experience and therefore can't be aware at all of what's going on around her. As a witch Molda would know this very basic fact, but I guess the Continuation team does not.
And who can forget the Yorkshire Terrier-Daiba fusion?
What's grating to me is how much effort is expanded for something that doesn't seem to require it. Daiba revealed his desire to turn Guts into a pawn as early as episode 376, and since he's a "Brahmin" and all that, he could have done it right away. Would anyone have stopped him? Hell, if he'd said he was going to try to help with his condition it would have gone over more smoothly than just locking him up in a tiny jail cell. Just like how he took charge of the magic users.
And even here, he's bringing him out super dramatically and making up all that bullshit to justify taking him away, but the emperor didn't even know he existed, so what's the point? Just to bypass Silat's authority? Same thing as above: was it even necessary? It feels like just saying "leave him to me" would have achieved the same result, especially since he had the Tapasa neutralize Silat last episode. Instead he even has to make up a reason why he should be expelled but not executed, talk about overcomplicating things. What if the emperor had said "no let's just kill him to be safe, I'll take that risk"?
Well this ain't really Berserk anyway, no matter what the publisher calls it. Don't let your feelings for the real Berserk become tainted by this travesty.
Very true, Berserk ended with Miura's passing. But of course to me it's still up there, the Golden Age arc is an untouchable masterpiece on every level, drawing, pacing, characters, world building, absolute perfection. There's no magic in this continuation not even a tiny fraction of it...
On a different note entirely, I'm surprised that no-one commented on the man-made beherit?
I think it's what is shown in the page right before the Molda bit.
Daiba is supposed to be taking Guts there?
Maybe Reddit's wet dream of Guts becoming the beast of darkness is finally coming true?
I think it's what is shown in the page right before the Molda bit.
Daiba is supposed to be taking Guts there?
Maybe Reddit's wet dream of Guts becoming the beast of darkness is finally coming true?
Silat is remembering what he saw in volume 27, which makes him doubt Daiba's intentions, and that's why he decides to follow him. That contraption doesn't exist anymore, Ganishka merged with it in volume 33. And needless to say, another one couldn't be made or operated without Ganishka.
I didn't spend time on it in my big post because it's obvious, but Daiba is clearly lying to Emperor Lardassian, he just wants to get his hands on Guts for whatever nefarious purpose the Continuation team has cooked up (guaranteed to be stupid).
Well, during all this time I avoided criticism because I wanted to be understanding and understand the situation of Studio Gaga and Kouji Mori, but deep down I still always felt uncomfortable reading these new chapters. And after the attack of Rakshas, which was very sudden, poorly explained, poorly resolved, and after seeing that the supporting cast is very lost and the dialogues are very poorly structured and at times even make no sense, I decided to criticize. Indeed, even the most optimistic cannot deny that the work is going through several narrative problems and execution of ideas, I will try to list them one by one:
1 - Guts and his poorly executed depression: After having Casca, the greatest love of his life and the person he fought so hard to cure, taken away, it is understandable that he would become depressed and even lose the will to live or fight. But the way Studio Gaga is executing this is very poorly done. Let's imagine, if Miura were writing this same situation, I'm sure he would give Guts complex internal monologues, explore his psyche in depth and not leave him there just watching everything with that tired face and without any development for several chapters. If you just show the character in a passive way without any development, this state of depression becomes boring and tedious to follow over time.
2 - Completely lost supporting cast: And what about Guts' group? Clearly Mori doesn't know what to do with them, man, seeing our Black Swordsman so broken, you'd expect them to show reaction and be desperate to save him. But when he was chained in jail, no one other than Rickert showed the slightest empathy or reaction. And Rickert himself, after hearing that he was arrested because he was dangerous and that it was for the good of everyone, simply accepted it passively. Wow, Guts was part of the old Band of the Hawk, which was practically a family to him. The most coherent thing would be for the character to be desperate and following his friend closely, and he didn't even show much reaction to Caska's kidnapping. And Erika, who appeared in very few scenes, doesn't know about these things? And Puck, who was always a close friend of Guts, was very emotional and accompanied him and helped him get up at his lowest point, didn't show any reaction when he saw his home island being destroyed. He doesn't remember Rickert, doesn't show any reaction and in fact becomes distant and cold in many situations. And Isidro? During the attack of Rakshas, we were shown that out of nowhere, without any explanation, he was going to go on a trip, but where to? Why? What was the reason? They just threw that in, and after a fight against the Trolls, also out of nowhere, he apparently gives up on his trip and goes back to worrying about Guts following him closely. And Schierke? For almost 10 chapters, she has been on that never-ending astral journey, and honestly, it's been tedious having to wait for her to arrive in Falconia, and all we see is her sleeping body. Morda and the other wizards have had no relevance whatsoever to the story. Seriously, when they saw their house being destroyed, they did nothing to defend themselves? Anyway, there are several other problems that if I talk about them here, we'll never finish.
3 - And Griffith, where is he? And Caska? Well, they disappeared with her: During Miura's time, it's important to remember that he always tried to explore and show the two nucleus in an alternating way, that of Guts and his group, and that of Griffith with the new Band of the Hawk, and developed both equally, but after the destruction of the Island, this group was only shown in one chapter and then never again. And Caska, who was simply relegated to a prisoner maiden who is only there to be saved by the protagonist? There was barely any dialogue, no development whatsoever, and it was lost in the story and has been missing for several chapters.
4 - The Plot Pace: It is common knowledge that, especially from the mid-2000s onwards, Berserk chapters began to have longer hiatuses and to come out less frequently. But everything was always compensated for with well-constructed chapters that tied the story together and advanced it well. In addition to the art, which was incredible and had a good pace. But now we are faced with chapters and arcs that are simultaneously very fast, poorly developed and rushed, such as the destruction of Elfhelm, or the recent attack by Rakshas that was apparently supposed to be important, but was poorly explained and resolved in less than 2 chapters. And Qliphoth appearing in the Kushan kingdom? Well, there was no explanation and we were left with loose ends and no development in an issue that in theory should have been important. And the rest of the time, all we had were dragged-out chapters that developed almost nothing and seemed not to advance the story.
I hope Studio Gaga and Kouji Mori reevaluate the way they are handling Berserk, because this work was not just about incredible art, but it had a sophisticated, complex script, deep characters, full of nuances and a very dense world. And honestly, the way they're handling this is sad to see. It's like a wax statue, on the outside it's beautiful, but on the inside it's empty and without content, and this can be applied to Berserk, which has the name, the characters, the look, but no longer has the soul and essence it once had. It's like seeing the body of a deceased friend of yours, he's there, but he can't speak, breathe, or interact. I am very concerned about the direction they are taking this work and how it will all end.
1 - Guts and his poorly executed depression: After having Casca, the greatest love of his life and the person he fought so hard to cure, taken away, it is understandable that he would become depressed and even lose the will to live or fight. But the way Studio Gaga is executing this is very poorly done. Let's imagine, if Miura were writing this same situation, I'm sure he would give Guts complex internal monologues, explore his psyche in depth and not leave him there just watching everything with that tired face and without any development for several chapters. If you just show the character in a passive way without any development, this state of depression becomes boring and tedious to follow over time.
2 - Completely lost supporting cast: And what about Guts' group? Clearly Mori doesn't know what to do with them, man, seeing our Black Swordsman so broken, you'd expect them to show reaction and be desperate to save him. But when he was chained in jail, no one other than Rickert showed the slightest empathy or reaction. And Rickert himself, after hearing that he was arrested because he was dangerous and that it was for the good of everyone, simply accepted it passively. Wow, Guts was part of the old Band of the Hawk, which was practically a family to him. The most coherent thing would be for the character to be desperate and following his friend closely, and he didn't even show much reaction to Caska's kidnapping. And Erika, who appeared in very few scenes, doesn't know about these things? And Puck, who was always a close friend of Guts, was very emotional and accompanied him and helped him get up at his lowest point, didn't show any reaction when he saw his home island being destroyed. He doesn't remember Rickert, doesn't show any reaction and in fact becomes distant and cold in many situations. And Isidro? During the attack of Rakshas, we were shown that out of nowhere, without any explanation, he was going to go on a trip, but where to? Why? What was the reason? They just threw that in, and after a fight against the Trolls, also out of nowhere, he apparently gives up on his trip and goes back to worrying about Guts following him closely. And Schierke? For almost 10 chapters, she has been on that never-ending astral journey, and honestly, it's been tedious having to wait for her to arrive in Falconia, and all we see is her sleeping body. Morda and the other wizards have had no relevance whatsoever to the story. Seriously, when they saw their house being destroyed, they did nothing to defend themselves? Anyway, there are several other problems that if I talk about them here, we'll never finish.
3 - And Griffith, where is he? And Caska? Well, they disappeared with her: During Miura's time, it's important to remember that he always tried to explore and show the two nucleus in an alternating way, that of Guts and his group, and that of Griffith with the new Band of the Hawk, and developed both equally, but after the destruction of the Island, this group was only shown in one chapter and then never again. And Caska, who was simply relegated to a prisoner maiden who is only there to be saved by the protagonist? There was barely any dialogue, no development whatsoever, and it was lost in the story and has been missing for several chapters.
4 - The Plot Pace: It is common knowledge that, especially from the mid-2000s onwards, Berserk chapters began to have longer hiatuses and to come out less frequently. But everything was always compensated for with well-constructed chapters that tied the story together and advanced it well. In addition to the art, which was incredible and had a good pace. But now we are faced with chapters and arcs that are simultaneously very fast, poorly developed and rushed, such as the destruction of Elfhelm, or the recent attack by Rakshas that was apparently supposed to be important, but was poorly explained and resolved in less than 2 chapters. And Qliphoth appearing in the Kushan kingdom? Well, there was no explanation and we were left with loose ends and no development in an issue that in theory should have been important. And the rest of the time, all we had were dragged-out chapters that developed almost nothing and seemed not to advance the story.
I hope Studio Gaga and Kouji Mori reevaluate the way they are handling Berserk, because this work was not just about incredible art, but it had a sophisticated, complex script, deep characters, full of nuances and a very dense world. And honestly, the way they're handling this is sad to see. It's like a wax statue, on the outside it's beautiful, but on the inside it's empty and without content, and this can be applied to Berserk, which has the name, the characters, the look, but no longer has the soul and essence it once had. It's like seeing the body of a deceased friend of yours, he's there, but he can't speak, breathe, or interact. I am very concerned about the direction they are taking this work and how it will all end.
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I'm gonna be honest, I don't think Daiba looks bad in this panel, and at least it looks properly finished.
What are you saying? Tsug is looking better than ever!
And who can forget the Yorkshire Terrier-Daiba fusion?
Unlike Guts face which not only looks completely different from his face, it also has a lot of mistakes and weird shading.
Anyway, artwise I think the best episodes were ep 365 and 365.
Some of the panels looked weird but overall the inking and use of screentones (among other effects) was better.
These recent ones are looking very rough.
Their shading is very inconsistent because they don't choose a specific source of light, therefore the shadows don't make sense. I mean, just look at the page from which the drawing was taken: there's a bigger face of Guts right next to it, and it has NONE of the shades that you can see here, even though nothing has changed.
Beelzebud
[...] Into the abyss will I run [...]
Excepts his facial wrinkles looks like long hairs in the face. He looks like one of the Gomez hairy family.
Yes I know, but even without a definite light source, there's a way tom make it better, just by doing hatching properly.
I've done a rough edit here on Clip Studio, and mind you, the resolution is bad, but anyway, I removed some of the hatching along Guts face and also did a hatching in a different direction, edited a little bit of his eye and also introduced some shading in his forehead.
Also a little bit of screentone on the left side to simulate ambient light.
See if it looks better or not (original on the left, my edit on the right):
I also think they could use less hatching on the faces, since it takes much more time to do, and it's also looking weird, but whatever.
You are right, but I still think is not that bad as Guts face though.
Perhaps they could make the lines thicker, to differentiate them from the hair and the beard.
Beelzebud
[...] Into the abyss will I run [...]
All this leads me to believe that they could have skipped this Kushan Capital "chapter" entirely. There was no need for the city, the emperor, the chieftains, the Kushan citizens, the Kushan ships, and probably also not for the new "Brahmin".
The seahorse could have just have been throw at some random and unknown coast, and Daiba/Rickert/Bakiraka co. could have just crossed paths with them and gone directly to the point on this episode last page, with them dragging Guts.
All the bullshit talk about not depicting scenes Mori didn't remember about has no meaning, because it's clear they are just filling the story with made up things and trying to get somewhere. I'm sure they have no plan, be they should have some plot point, location or event they know about and are trying to reach.
It looks miles better, though the jawline looks different from how it should be.
The proper way to distinguish between hatching and hair is how distant the lines are from each other. When you do cross hatching, you have to make sure each line is equally far apart from each other and following the shape of what you're portaying. Just making the lines thicker isn't enough. But they don't do that, because it's a time consuming task that requires studying and attention to detail, so they just place lines on whatever they're drawing hoping that it gives the art more volume.
Beelzebud
[...] Into the abyss will I run [...]
To me it now looks like Guts, at least. So it's better
I'm not a drawer myself, but I'm surround by artists in my daily life. Isn't shading and defining a light source angle one of the basics of drawing realism? If they can't do that, what are the capabilities of this team? They are hired to do that, and it makes them professional drawers! That's a shame!
Absolutely, this Tsug panel it's a highlight for the entire continuation.
Never forget (and never forgive) that in the Continuation, Guts hasn't thought about Casca once since she was abducted. His depression is shown to be related to the fact "his sword failed him".
Getting kicked in the balls isn't as bad as getting shot in the gut, but it's still not great. That being said, this drawing of Guts will be hard to top as the worst piece of art they've produced.
Sure. Our assumption so far has been that they want to show a pitched battle between huge armies, and that's why they went through this whole circus.
Indeed.
Beelzebud
[...] Into the abyss will I run [...]
I also found something weird on it, but I think that's more because he left the original neck shades and didn't edited it to follow his own light source
Even that assumption may have no meaning now, that Daiba is antagonizing Guts, Silat is antagonizing Daiba(indirectly antagonizing the Emperor? Since Daiba is above him and/or his right arm) and the main group is far away from the city. Maybe everyone who stayed behind will just be ignored like they did to Casca?
I can totally see to continuation splitting the characters so that they do not have to deal with them. And honestly it can be a improvement as there will be less characters to mess.
Hello everyone,
First post here. I just wanted to express how grateful I am for this forum. I love Berserk dearly and the continuation chapters disappointed me a lot.
The weird thing is that most plebeian platforms like Youtube or Reddit praise the story and art of the continuation. I thought I was going mad being in the minority that thinks the art is mediocre and the story is horrendously written.
Reading you all was heartwarming. Thanks a lot.
First post here. I just wanted to express how grateful I am for this forum. I love Berserk dearly and the continuation chapters disappointed me a lot.
The weird thing is that most plebeian platforms like Youtube or Reddit praise the story and art of the continuation. I thought I was going mad being in the minority that thinks the art is mediocre and the story is horrendously written.
Reading you all was heartwarming. Thanks a lot.
The evil army of ungrateful people that dislike the continuation grows bigger by the day!
All jokes aside, welcome aboard!
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I said that... jokingly however. Daiba getting Guts preggers and making a Daka out of him.
or Making a new Ganishka style "god"... may be they will call him Vishnu or Brahma or something...
They should just look at basic proportion in new art. Kushan people's feet are totally out of proportion. They are as big as their arms!
Maybe Daiba will try to make Guts go under his control or make him go sane again
And Guts’ Beast of Darkness was shown unchained, maybe we are getting even more filler drama
And after whatever happens, Guts might get a power up… anyway, where is Guts’ behelit? What can Daiba possibly do with it?
And Guts’ Beast of Darkness was shown unchained, maybe we are getting even more filler drama
And after whatever happens, Guts might get a power up… anyway, where is Guts’ behelit? What can Daiba possibly do with it?
Actually, it was put back in chains in 374, but who knows, maybe they forgot they did that?
We're like the Bakiraka's mountain hideout, impregnable to trolls and other pests!
It was just random meaningless imagery, don't expect it to make sense with whatever comes next.
The real answer would be nothing. He can't do anything with it. But this is the Continuation, so anything's possible.
