Berserk: 288 - "Sea Battle (1)"

[Sandman]

Only by your AV

Anyway I am pretty sure I called it pirates on the high seas... I guess I didnt say the same pirates that they fought in the harbor but of course I took the Captain as dead... I figured it would be the ones waiting for the shipment of childeren but I guess not

[ghostdog]

Once again great work Evil Genius , thanks for the release.

As far as the chapter goes I'm not that happy though... Everything was, let's say a bit... cheesy. Shrieke's rubbing Gutts back, caska and Farnese are mudfigh...erm waterfighting semi and fully naked... and we have LeChuck comming for a visit. Where the hell is Guybrush Threepwood? Oh wait we have a Guybrush , it's "sir" Roderick... 'sigh'...man I hate that guy... And yes I still hate him even though he is a super "master and commander"...

Ok , I'm not that dissapointed , after all it's Berserk , it has great drawing , it has great style , Gutts still rules ... but I think that it's getting more and more "lighter" . I mean yeah , we still get to see some unending slaughter (even more lately) but it has lost a lot of that sweet darkness of the earlier times... Anyway I've come to expect A LOT from the best mangaka of the world, so that's why I'm a bit demanding...

[Xarfai]

As far as the chapter goes I'm not that happy though... Everything was, let's say a bit... cheesy. Shrieke's rubbing Gutts back, caska and Farnese are mudfigh...erm waterfighting semi and fully naked... and we have LeChuck comming for a visit. [...]

Ok , I'm not that dissapointed , after all it's Berserk , it has great drawing , it has great style , Gutts still rules ... but I think that it's getting more and more "lighter" . I mean yeah , we still get to see some unending slaughter (even more lately) but it has lost a lot of that sweet darkness of the earlier times... Anyway I've come to expect A LOT from the best mangaka of the world, so that's why I'm a bit demanding...

I think I tend to be a bit radical with my statements (see my post above) but what ghostdog posted is at least partly what I wanted to say. Good to see that I am not the only one who is a bit unhappy (though, perhaps I´m not the one who should post about this and leave it to other people).

[MrFelony]

and it has gained some of the friendship etc of its band of the hawks days. It seems pretty obvious to me what Miura is doing here. there is a purpose for why it isnt so dark anymore.

[Death&Rebirth]

Also what's the point of being always dark?
I mean, Guts, isn't a boyscout (who is anyway in this manga?) but given the protagonist always dire situations and making him face options that will sacrifice something he would value (friend, object, memory, etc.) and to make him torment day after day it would be pointless and make the manga redundant. Every plot has a flow, with darker and lighter situations. Speculation aside, no one can say if all Guts squad will survive specially when they clash with "Neo-Hawks" (it's bond to happen). Or if Caska will want to continue journeying with Guts or if she will want to find some answers herself (to sort some ideas out).
Now it's time to gain new alliances and new strengths. To find some peace. Another time of perils will come. Miura just doing what's needed to maintain the equilibrium.

[Istvan]

One of the things that I really like about Berserk (and part of what makes it so great) is how dark it is, and the incredible flavor that adds to the story. But I still like the way that the current "lighter" themes are tending, nor do I think that they in any way take away from Berserk's awesomeness. A truly good story needs both light and dark moments, or for a really long series, lighter and darker arcs. If it's just (or mostly just) dark, it would eventually become monotonous, and it'd stop being truly moving. There's only so long a story can maintain such an atmosphere before it starts to loose its impact and the story becomes...boring. So personally, I'm glad that Miura is avoiding such horrible fate for his series.

[MrFelony]

I'm not the only one who thinks miura is going down the same path he did with the hawks, am I? It seems like he is setting up this new happy family only to pull the rug out from under us like he did with the eclipse.

[Istvan]

I'm not the only one who thinks miura is going down the same path he did with the hawks, am I? It seems like he is setting up this new happy family only to pull the rug out from under us like he did with the eclipse.

Maybe, but part of what made the Eclipse so devastating was the betrayal of Griffith, not just that everyone died. I don't yet see any way for some sort of equivilent betrayal to occur with the new group, and without that it wouldn't have the same impact.

[hbi2k]

I just had a thought-- pure speculation, of course-- but Miura likes to tease us that Guts might try to use a Behelit in order to gain the power to get revenge on Griffith, although we know he probably won't and it wouldn't work even if he did (because he's not "ordained by fate"). He also likes to tease us that if she gets her mind back, Casca might not share Guts' goals for the future. What if CASCA were to try-- or even succeed!-- to use a Behelit and get revenge on Griffith? That would be a hell of a twist!

...probably won't happen, but it'd be a hell of a twist. (-:

[MrFelony]

that would be pretty crazy and close to the speculations i've made. I've always thought casca would reject Guts which would cause him to go insane or something. maybe that egg apostle will come back and swallow guts and shoot him out as a super sayan but that is meant for another thread

[Death&Rebirth]

that would be pretty crazy and close to the speculations i've made. I've always thought casca would reject Guts which would cause him to go insane or something. maybe that egg apostle will come back and swallow guts and shoot him out as a super sayan but that is meant for another thread

I find that very improbable (but not impossible). Would Caska be capable of sacrificing Guts & Co.?
I think she does have notion (although bizarre) of what The Eclipse can bring. Attending that Skull Knight said what Guts desires might not be the same of what Caska desires, i think that Caska might be or reluctant to continue to be with Guts, which means she needs to sort her mind out after the rape and lost of her child(?) or simply the inverse, that Guts might want to settle down while Caska wants her revenge (and we know that nothing can stop the hatred of woman scorn).
Want i find also improbable is everything maintain like it was but with Caska back to her old self. Seems to be too cliché and the story (is supposed(?) to be) building for another plot twist....

[Starnum]

That would be a crazy plot twist, but I doubt it’s even possible. As we’ve discussed before on this subject, those who have been branded as sacrifices probably aren’t even eligible to use a behelit. However, even if she could, which I doubt she’d be able to go through with making a sacrifice, that would make her just as bad as Griffith anyway. More importantly, she’d just become an apostle. There’d be no chance she could defeat Griffith, for her power would come from the same place as his. Idea said that Griffith’s will is his own, so it would be like trying to defeat the Lord of Nightmares with a spell powered by energy from the Realm of Nightmares. Heh, it just doesn’t work. Not that he’d be immune to any attack she could make on him, but he’d just be vastly more powerful than her.

[Istvan]

That would be a crazy plot twist, but I doubt it’s even possible. As we’ve discussed before on this subject, those who have been branded as sacrifices probably aren’t even eligible to use a behelit. However, even if she could, which I doubt she’d be able to go through with making a sacrifice, that would make her just as bad as Griffith anyway. More importantly, she’d just become an apostle. There’d be no chance she could defeat Griffith, for her power would come from the same place as his. Idea said that Griffith’s will is his own, so it would be like trying to defeat the Lord of Nightmares with a spell powered by energy from the Realm of Nightmares. Heh, it just doesn’t work. Not that he’d be immune to any attack she could make on him, but he’d just be vastly more powerful than her.

And even leaving aside all of the reasons she wouldn't do it, and all the reasons it wouldn't help (such as an Apostle can't defeat a God's Hand, etc.), I doubt she'd even be allowed to do it. I don't even mean about the brand, just the simple fact that I don't think Idea would create an Apostle that would hurt Griffith's plans. Even the Emperor is clearly helping Griffith achieve his dream, as Idea intended.

Also, she doesn't even seem to meet the criteria, in that the behelits usually activate when one's dream has collapsed, and you're offered a chance to restore it by making the sacrifice. I don't see how that could apply to Caska under her present circumstances.

[MrFelony]

I still think she's going to abandon guts if she gets healed. and i'm still waiting for some sort of counterbalance for idea like with those elemental kings or w/e we talked about what like 2 years ago by now?

[Gemino]

If Caska is healed and chooses to leave Gutts I wonder where she would go? It would be interesting to see what would
happen if she attempted to return to Griffith. Would Griffith reject her or take her in? Remember that the vessel that Griffith was re-birthed from (egg apostle/tainted baby) caused him to have a strong connection to her. If she is accepted it would cause great tension in the Neo-Hawk camp because of the brand. Also I may be wrong but did anyone notice that at certain times the brand causes inconsistent extreme pain when Griffith is around? For instance when Griffith and Zodd came to visit Caska and Gutts in the Snow the brands on Caska and Gutts didn't have the same intense reaction that it did when Gutts tried to approached Griffith in Femto mode during the saga with the Count.

[Death&Rebirth]

Guts and Caska can now feel somewhat use to Zood's presence. As for Griffith i tend to believe since he isn't in the "Femto" form, that his power isn't so intense to manifested a be felt by the brand.

On the subject of Caska alone, well to be frank i don't like much the idea of Caska running to Griffith (even if it's the vessel of her son). Nor i find it appealing plot wise. I mean, she when was sane know what happened and who was the one that left her that way. I find much more interesting she to find her own roads temporally way from Guts and Griffith. Also Griffith doesn't seem much interested in Caska. The Idea is for him to become ruler of his own kingdom and by that he consorts with (the now) Queen Charlotte. Also, i dunno how well the telepathic girl would take that idea well, since she isn't too fond of Charlotte presence much more that seeing another rival for Griffith affection.
I did for once in my life toyed with the idea of Griffith being consort of two queens - Charlotte for Human World and Caska for The Demon World (for the lack of better term). But i don't see the plot going on that direction. But it would need a good plot twist for that to happen (and Miura likes to surprises "us")

[Istvan]

I did for once in my life toyed with the idea of Griffith being consort of two queens - Charlotte for Human World and Caska for The Demon World (for the lack of better term). But i don't see the plot going on that direction. But it would need a good plot twist for that to happen (and Miura likes to surprises "us")

But without the power of her son, Caska doesn't have any power that would make her a suitable queen for the "Demon World". Now (although I don't expect it to happen, and doubt it could work) it might almost make sense for the second queen to be the telepathic girl, and her to queen of the Supernatural World. Won't happen, of course, but it'd make a certain degree of sense.

[Death&Rebirth]

Well the thing is, Caska has been in "the other side" so to speak, in the night of The Eclipse, while the telepathic girl is, as far as i see, just mesmerized by Griffith's charisma. She wasn't branded and her only power, atm, is telepathy. In the subject of Caska don't having power is true but i don't know if that's a requirement to be queen of the "Demon World" but more if that's Griffith's wish her to be and don't forget that caska's son spirit ("alma matter" or soul) exists inside Griffith which can favor her. It makes to me more sense for a branded woman, even if powerless in terms of supernatural, to achieve higher post that a non-branded one (even if with some supernatural powers like telepathy) in the "Demon World".
Of course this all the assumption if Griffith decide to have 2 queens to consort, each in one realm...

[War Machine]

There doesn't seem to be any reason for Griffith to go back as Femto, and the idea of having two queens seems unnecessary, he already has control over the demons as it is and is soon to attain his dream, why should he go back to his other form? The rulers of the other world are the God Hand, period. Plus, the God Hand fit very nicely in the five available fingers; any addition would ruin that idea of the hand. Also, Griffith doesn't seem to care for Guts or Caska, the fact that Femto didn't even flinch at the sight of Guts in the saga with the Count shows that the branded are at the bottom of the hierarchy, if there was any chance that they could get more powerful he would've dealt with them already.

[Istvan]

Well the thing is, Caska has been in "the other side" so to speak, in the night of The Eclipse, while the telepathic girl is, as far as i see, just mesmerized by Griffith's charisma. She wasn't branded and her only power, atm, is telepathy. In the subject of Caska don't having power is true but i don't know if that's a requirement to be queen of the "Demon World" but more if that's Griffith's wish her to be and don't forget that caska's son spirit ("alma matter" or soul) exists inside Griffith which can favor her. It makes to me more sense for a branded woman, even if powerless in terms of supernatural, to achieve higher post that a non-branded one (even if with some supernatural powers like telepathy) in the "Demon World".
Of course this all the assumption if Griffith decide to have 2 queens to consort, each in one realm...

The brand seems, basically, to mark the bearer as "food". I totally fail to see how having such a mark makes one in any way more qualified to be queen over those to whom the brand proclaims one as food. This just doesn't make sense to me.

[lon3vvolf]

Heres my 2 cents on Caska using a Behelit... Often in works of fiction writers drop hints of things to come. A bit of foreshadowing if you will. The intro of the Manga... the appearance of Griffith's behelit... the kama sutra book scene... some quite quite inconspicuous, but all a hint of things to come. IMHO we haven't gotten any such indication about Caska.

Now let me get off topic... could that girls prophesy to Zodd be more than just the battle him and Gutts teamed up in? Whats everyones opinion if Zodd left Griffith's side and helped out Gutts & Co?

[Istvan]

Sorry, I can't picture Zodd ever betraying Griffith, it just doesn't seem in his character.

[Starnum]

I agree. Didn't he say he intentionally wanted to leave his missing horn as is, as a sign of his loyalty to Griffith. Seems that came up at some point, like he could regrow it, or it could be fixed, but he chose not to. *shrugs*

[MrFelony]

well just about every time SK has said casca may not want the same thing is a hint that some shit might go down .

[Starnum]

Not really. He only said it once, and to me it just seemed to imply that she may not be hell bent on revenge, like Gatts once was. *shrugs*