Berserk 301 - Confusion

[Triko]

Kind of makes you wonder how long Gats will have to take to get to Griffith. I mean, hes got so many demons and humans following him now it would take a lifetime for Gats to go ahead and singlehandeldy go through them all.

He wouldn't have to go through all of them, rather take the convenient secret passageway to confront Griffith on his throne

Seriously though, before these last couple chapters, I figured a ton of Apostles would be killed and Griffith would be weakened (still a possibility) enough for Gutts to confront him in a future battle (of course he would get more powerups before the eventual match). Though that scenario is about as convenient as those handy secret castle passageways...

Agree with posters above, that once Griffith forms his kingdom, it wouldn't take long before the more sadistic Apostles would go on killing sprees and his kingdom starts to unravel into chaos. I'm very anxious to see Griffith's monster form (if any) he'd need to assume to take on the Emperor, and how the Humans would react to their own Demon King.

[FightClub]

[spoiler]BERSEKS[/spoiler]

[The Prince]

From the FAQ:

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Q: Is Griffith the King of Midland?

In the anime it is stated that Griffith is king. However, that is not the case in the manga. That is a difference that only occurs in the anime. Griffith does indeed plan on becoming the king of Midland, but so far that has yet to happen in the manga.

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I always presumed this little slip was some foreshadowing on Miura's part (assumed he had a hand in the screenwriting) , that probably hinted at things to come. Probably was something that got missed in the editing process.

[DrPepperPro]

I always presumed this little slip was some foreshadowing on Miura's part (assumed he had a hand in the screenwriting) , that probably hinted at things to come. Probably was something that got missed in the editing process.

Or maybe he said: "Holy crap what have you done to volume 1-3. Oh well just do whatever you want I can't help you."

[Deathbringer]

Too bad we'll have another break, but I think it's basically a result of the fact that Miura does such amazingly detailed chapters and does all of the work himself, without even an assistent.

Actually, the last volume lists his studio team with at least 5 assistants, which is more than understandable in my opinion, i actually feel sorry for them since assistants usually have to deal with the minor details of the drawings like proper shadowing, light effects, debris, clothe patterns etc....and in Berserk´s case, with constant hundreds of soldiers, dozens and dozens of mosnters in 2 page drawings, it´s no wonder it takes so much time. I´m in no way taking credit for him though, in the end, those massive drawings are essentially his work.

Anyone who calls Miura lazy for these breaks is an idiot.

Also, anyoen noticed that skinless Apostle with a skull head with a couple of antaneas that Guts fought WAY back at the Eclipse but didn´t killed? I love it when Miura shows old no-name Apostles in the middle of all that chaos.

[Istvan]

Also, anyoen noticed that skinless Apostle with a skull head with a couple of antaneas that Guts fought WAY back at the Eclipse but didn´t killed? I love it when Miura shows old no-name Apostles in the middle of all that chaos.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Miura kept track of every Apostle he's ever shown in any scene, just so he can make sure that they stay consistent and accurate. That's just how amazing he is.

[lon3vvolf]

Also, anyoen noticed that skinless Apostle with a skull head with a couple of antaneas that Guts fought WAY back at the Eclipse but didn´t killed? I love it when Miura shows old no-name Apostles in the middle of all that chaos.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Miura kept track of every Apostle he's ever shown in any scene, just so he can make sure that they stay consistent and accurate. That's just how amazing he is.

Reaffirm and concur with opinion above. Miura is a perfectionist like that. Hopefully this 'break' will take us back to Gats and Co. I'm hoping thats what Santa will bring me.

[Starnum]

I wouldn't get your hopes up. I get the feeling we're not going to see any serious development with the Gatts Tai until after this business with Griffith is concluded.

[Brainpiercing]

I wouldn't get your hopes up. I get the feeling we're not going to see any serious development with the Gatts Tai until after this business with Griffith is concluded.

It's called building up tension.

Well.... I call it sadism.

But no, I think you're right, but it's just the way Miura wants to do things. If he were to switch to Gatts too quickly then it would feel like he would have to make more chapters with them sailing, and he might not want to do that. We've had one pirate episode, I don't think we need another.

[Istvan]

Besides, I would expect at least a couple more chapters to wrap up the current conflict with the Kushans before switching to Guts. If Miura were to transition without properly finishing the current issue it would feel...akward.

[DrPepperPro]

I could imagine a quick check up on the bechi when/if Griffith does something weird/amazing/powerful to defeat Ganaishka.

[Aetherfukz]

Daiba's narration as he soars over the battlefield really drives home the fact that what made Apostles apostles in the first place was their own humanity, their weaknesses and deviant desires. I really, really liked the dichotomy there; in humanizing the Apostles, Man becomes demonized.

Yeah loved that part too, awesome narration. Another break though, *sadface*.

[Grahf]

Wow breaks are the exact reason I've stayed away from the Berserk sub forum. Honestly I don't know what to say. New Berserk is always better than no Berserk but I mean come on. Bitching and moaning complete.

I really don't see anything good ahead for the inhabitans of Griffith's kingdom. It will be nice for abit, but once the honeymoon is over .... Griffith more or less seems like (as the Joker said) "(I'm) a dog chasing a car he wouldn't know what to do when he caught one". Though who knows perhaps he doesn't stop at just his own kingdom and tries to repeat what the SK did? If he tries to reunite all the kingdoms does that turn into problems with all the rest of GODHAND?

yeah we will have to wait and see huh?

[Starnum]

With Berserk, you're always waiting. Wow, nice to see you in the Berserk forum for a change, Grahf.

I wouldn't really call Griffith a dog who chases cars, who wouldn't know what to do with it if he caught one. I think Griffith knows exactly what he wants, and Midland is only the beginning. He may have settled for Midland when he was a man, but now that he's the Overlord of the Godhand, he won't stop until he rules the world, IMO. Though him becoming king of even Midland will be a big step for the story. I'm looking forward to it, and then maybe the Gatts Tai will finally reach Elfhelm! Oh, and I don't think the rest of the Godhand will be a problem for Griffith. None of them control any of the other parts of the planet, as far as I know, if that's what you mean. Besides, he's pretty much their leader now. They're always a problem for Gatts, of course.

[Grahf]

I didn't mean in respect that they controlled other parts of the world. More so If I remember the whole SK story....... That the kingdom got so large that SK had to be "punished" by the "four angels" of god. Correct me if I'm wrong, it might be one of those times to re-read all of Berserk again.

edit: Dog chasing a car was a bit of a reach. Especially now that Griff isn't human anymore. If one thing we learned about the human Griff is that he was weak mentally. If him becoming GODHAND got rid of that weakness completely has yet to be seen. One could say that he isn't the same as he has already confronted his "two closes friends" and wasn't swayed. I'm not buying it at all personally, could be all cause of the "childs" body or perhaps the same lingering weakness. He isn't one to over look anything no matter how "small" it is. The fact that Gutsu is still alive just leads me to believe that he is still weak in some respect.

Fucking griffith.

[Wib]

Thank you, my friend.

[Istvan]

I didn't mean in respect that they controlled other parts of the world. More so If I remember the whole SK story....... That the kingdom got so large that SK had to be "punished" by the "four angels" of god. Correct me if I'm wrong, it might be one of those times to re-read all of Berserk again.

That is the story as it has been passed down, anyway. Keep in mind, however, that just because people interpreted events a certain way, that doesn't mean that's what actually happened. There's a lot of speculation that if SK was that old king what actually happened might have been that some freind/companion of his (probably Void) sacrificed him (and possibly his kingdom) a thousand years ago.

If one thing we learned about the human Griff is that he was weak mentally.

I disagree completely. I thought Griffith was extremely strong mentally. It's just that he was still human, and the right stress/pressure can break any human mind.

[Grahf]

I agree he was human. Though there is different degrees to where someone can break. He couldn't handle one (respectfully) small loss in the grand scheme of things. He seemed strong through out because he never had to deal with adversity for couple of years. The true test of someone is how they deal with things when they are bad. Sorry to say but things that happened to Griffith prior to him being tortured for a year straight wasn't that bad.

[hbi2k]

I dunno, it may seem mild by Berserk standards, but he DID whore himself out to an ugly old man, and it obviously disturbed him afterwards. Griffith was never above making intensely personal sacrifices when they proved necessary.

[Eldo]

I dunno, it may seem mild by Berserk standards, but he DID whore himself out to an ugly old man, and it obviously disturbed him afterwards.

That's debatable. When Griffith killed the ugly old man, he didn't do it out of malice or sprite. He was calm and collected and did what was necessary. Could he truly be disturbed when he showed no signs of distress? Griffith is very strong mentally, as Istvan said. He broke because his image of perfection broke. He was humiliated in front of people who revered him.

[Istvan]

Equally importantly, the only friend he had in his entire life abandoned/rejected him (that's how it seemed to Griffith, anyways), possibly because said friend disaproved/hated him. Also, as Eldo points out, he faced defeat for the first time in his life. Also, up to that point he had been under tremendous stress and pressure; Caska has noted this at several times. It's not easy having to be perfect pretty much every moment of every day. And so on. Frankly, when you consider what he went through, (from the perspective of his life, not yours!) it's not surprising at all that he broke. But as far as "weak" goes, consider the aftermath. He spent an entire year being systematically tortured and crippled, with no hope of rescue or surcease, and at the end of that time he was still totally unbroken, and as sane as when the torturer first started. That is not the reaction of a mentally weak person (frankly I doubt Idea would have been interested in a mentally weak person for the final God's Hand, but that's a different story...), or even most mentally "strong" people. When you actually consider everything Griffith did and bore, his strength of will/mind was...amazing.

[Starnum]

I totally agree with you Istvan, as usual, heh. To add to what you've said, if I may, I'd also like to point out that while Griffith's life may not have seemed hard, it was probably because of how strong willed he was, and of course his brilliance. His life doesn't seem as harsh compared to Gatts', of course, but he grew up from nothing in a similar fashion as well. Then, all his life as a mercenary, growing from a no-name to the legendary White Hawk of the Taka no Dan. Yes, he was under an extreme amount of stress and pressure, and yet he never failed, until Gatts left of course. Gatts was the only person who could rival/best him. I think back to the final battle at Doldrey, I don't remember the exact figures, but Griffith lead something like 500 soldiers against 5,000, and yet somehow they still won. No, Griffith's life was no cake walk, and he is an incredibly strong-minded and brilliant man. Still is, that's the scary part. Fate destined that he would ascend to a greater place than even he envisioned. However, I'll be there grinning when Gatts proves to be the only man still capable of besting him, and cuts him down. Only because my "dream" ending where he lives and becomes human again seems like a total stretch. XD

Oh yeah, and lest we forget how he, uh, sacrificed his body, in order to raise money for his army. I still think he only did it because it was easier than letting his men die. He seemed pretty torn up about it afterward, the way he clawed at his arms like that. He was just that devoted to his dream, as he is now. Anyway, that's just another messed up part of his life, you know what I mean. Yet he was strong-willed enough to go through with it. I really like the part where he kills that perverted count. You could tell Griffith wanted to kill him, even though he acts so casual about it. >.>

[Grahf]

I was looking forward to replying earlier but the evil doers needed deterring.

We are talking about the Guy who wanted the big job (right?). As was pointed out, he was willing to sacrifice himself in many ways. Yeah may have or may not have 'smutted' himself out to the rich guy. Of course that wasn't easy I'm not doubting that. That made him a great general.

Bottom line is he wanted something that was bigger than just him. He wanted something that took shape of more than just him. He took on something that everyone (well almost everyone) wanted. That made it okay for him when everyone worked for what he wanted. Then along comes "The most important" piece on his chess board saying: "I've had enough, good bye". The result of the ensueing battle comes along and it all ends? Where was all this "mental toughness" when he lost? I agree that was great shock to the system, but for him to fall the way he did? Proves he couldn't hack being a king.

[DrPepperPro]

When it came to Guts, the way Griffith thought was just different. I think mentally he could have handled any other situation, just not Gut's messing him up. Before Guts, he sustained himself mentally purely by his own mind and will. After Guts, he relied on him in increasingly heavier amounts as time went on.

That's how I look at it anyway.

[Eldo]

It pretty much took Guts leaving to make Griffith see how important he was to him. If Ricket or Corkus left, would he have the same response? Probably not.