You know, I actually didn't like the first few chapters either, but after catching up in the series I've found they're much more enjoyable if you reread them. The count is still pretty uninteresting, but if you think about it, most of the Retribution Arc isn't really that great. (The elves was kinda filler, and I really didn't care about the whole thing with the priest until he and Guts fought at the end of the arc)
Berserk
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I disagree, Retribution accomplished a lot. It was a whole lot better at capturing post-Eclipse Guts, the first volume or so didn't, because it's fairly clear Miura wasn't sure where to go with the series and by the time he finished Golden Age he had completely different character. There are things volume 1 Guts does that contradict his character in the rest of the series, which doesn't happen in Retribution.
On the Count…he's interesting to me in retrospect in that he acts unlike most other Apostles. Ganishka lost his humanity and opposed to God Hand, but the Count retained his humanity yet was still loyal to them and to his daughter. Even Zodd would put the God Hand interests before his own, so the Count showed off something pretty significant before most of us really understood that significance.
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I liked the first few chapters. While I never understood it at first, it was pretty cool how so many little details were vaguely foreshadowed. It's kinda scary at times on the second read almost.
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Awww…the elf wasn't in the anime. He/She was fun and cute.
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I disagree, Retribution accomplished a lot. It was a whole lot better at capturing post-Eclipse Guts, the first volume or so didn't, because it's fairly clear Miura wasn't sure where to go with the series and by the time he finished Golden Age he had completely different character. There are things volume 1 Guts does that contradict his character in the rest of the series, which doesn't happen in Retribution.
Well, it could be argued that Guts in the first Volumes was on the verge of a mental breakdown. The memory of the Eclipse was still fresh and he spent all the time since he left Godo's place in complete solitude, fighting for his life every night. Seriously, the various spirits that harassed him during the night were the only company he had, and all of them were actively trying to make him loose it.
Anyone would start to crack under these conditions and start acting weird and out of character. Who knows what would've happened with Guts if Puck hadn't come along to play the morality pet/companion/first aid kit.
So its more a case of Guts' personality getting broken to pieces by the eclipse and by all the mind screw that came after. But with Puck's help his mental state started to heal, albeit very slowly, and thats why he is now more similiar to his pre-eclipse self. -
I agree with that; the only real contradiction moment I can recall is when he was banging the monster woman in the first chapter (when he should still be devoted to Casca), and even then there's nothing saying she didn't have him under some trance.
Or that… he's a man, and had to get it out of his system I suppose :P
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I wonder if Miura had even thought of creating Casca when he wrote that first scene…
I had the privilege(?) of actually forgetting what happened during the first three volumes; I only remembered that there's a Black Swordsman, and there's a flashback, so I dove in from vol 4 onwards (Guts getting raped) without remembering the Godhand at all. Suffice to say, the Eclipse was a HOLY SHIT WTF moment
On a sad note, it seems that this week's young animal won't have Berserk after all. It SHOULD have some info on the anime though :X
Volume 35, which was already released, has a preview for the next episode, so it's really just a matter of time.
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Are berserk chapters released weekly? monthly? or irregular?
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Bi-weekly, we're just coming off a long break.
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I see, good good stuff.
Finished the anime and reading the manga.
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I agree with that; the only real contradiction moment I can recall is when he was banging the monster woman in the first chapter (when he should still be devoted to Casca), and even then there's nothing saying she didn't have him under some trance.
Or that… he's a man, and had to get it out of his system I suppose :P
Hmm. . .He was going after the Apostles that killed his old comrades. The monster woman was one of them. He banged her in order to get so close to her to blast her face away with his canon.
You can read that last sentence in more than one sense, actualy. . .
And yeah, I'm just excusing Guts behaviour; Miura probably didn't even know who Casca was by that time.
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Hmm. . .He was going after the Apostles that killed his old comrades. The monster woman was one of them. He banged her in order to get so close to her to blast her face away with his canon.
You can read that last sentence in more than one sense, actualy. . .
And yeah, I'm just excusing Guts behaviour; Miura probably didn't even know who Casca was by that time.
Gutts is hugely sexually hung up to the point that even people touching him makes him freak out, thanks to when he got raped. Having sex with demon lady is very out of character.
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Skull Night is skully.
http://www.younganimal.com/berserk/cm/index.htmlFifth commercial is up. Only one little bit is new, but totally awesome.
Text on screen says "Berserk, advent." GACKT says "Surpassed imagination, Berserk."
Well, that's the last on. So… now we wait till the stuff comes out in Young Animal.
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OMG finally awesome great job! So now we have "Begins", "Rebirth", "Stirs", "Now a new History is carved", and finally "Advent". I wonder what they mean?
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Skull Knight looks awesome, but I think he's also CG? There's something a bit too "perfect" in the way his helmet moves which can only be achieved with 3D models.
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Damn seeing Skull Knight animated like that made my jaw drop.
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Dropping loads. :shocked:
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Miura himself said he absolutely depises the first 3 volumes, he even went as far as to say he now disowns them. I think it's more or less universal that everyone hates the first 3 volumes.
I suggest anyone getting into the series to start at the Golden Age, not only will it make the ending of said arc even more surprising than it already was, but people will actually READ it. I've lost count of how many people I've seen say they only got a volume or 2 into the series before stopping and not going back. Heck, I was one of them. But thank the Gods I did come back to it.
Also, while out of character yes, I love the opening scene of Berserk. As bad as the early volumes were, when you first opened Berserk and the first 2 pages consisted of a dude screwing a chick, the chick turning into a demon, the guy shoving his hand which is actually a canon into her mouth, and then firing you know you're in for one helluva ride.
Some series ease you into things. Berserk says "fuck that" and tells your ass to buckle up.
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I had heard rumors of the anime returning but never thought it was true. Back in 2002 the anime was how I got into Berserk.
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Got interested with it here. Lol
I think its better to start with the anime first, gets you oriented to things, then you see some difference… and you live through volume 1 - 3. XD
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Miura himself said he absolutely depises the first 3 volumes, he even went as far as to say he now disowns them. I think it's more or less universal that everyone hates the first 3 volumes.
I suggest anyone getting into the series to start at the Golden Age, not only will it make the ending of said arc even more surprising than it already was, but people will actually READ it. I've lost count of how many people I've seen say they only got a volume or 2 into the series before stopping and not going back. Heck, I was one of them. But thank the Gods I did come back to it.
Also, while out of character yes, I love the opening scene of Berserk. As bad as the early volumes were, when you first opened Berserk and the first 2 pages consisted of a dude screwing a chick, the chick turning into a demon, the guy shoving his hand which is actually a canon into her mouth, and then firing you know you're in for one helluva ride.
Some series ease you into things. Berserk says "fuck that" and tells your ass to buckle up.
I had to double check where the 4th volume starts to see if this was a good idea.
Very first panel is a big black guy raping a little boy. LMAO I don't think many people would be interested in the manga if that's their first look of it. Anyways it would be good to start towards the end of the 3rd volume when Guts is born.
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Skull Night is skully.
http://www.younganimal.com/berserk/cm/index.htmlFifth commercial is up. Only one little bit is new, but totally awesome.
Sweet stuff. Yeah, the Skull Knight looks amazing.
Also, I completely disagree with skipping the first three volumes. I think they are vital to the atmosphere of the Golden Age arc. Because of those current time chapters you know things are going to go to hell during the flashback, and are left wondering how and why it's going to happen, enhancing the looming sense of impending doom that hangs over and permeates the epicness of the beautiful storytelling.
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You're right. I was felt with a sense of dread when I read the Golden Age. Here's all these happy go lucky times, which I knew were going to go to shit, but was both scared and anticipating to see how.
The first 3 volumes are still shit, tho.
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What Gokuyuske said. Also, the first three volumes explain where Guts got his Green Behelit.
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Sweet stuff. Yeah, the Skull Knight looks amazing.
Also, I completely disagree with skipping the first three volumes. I think they are vital to the atmosphere of the Golden Age arc. Because of those current time chapters you know things are going to go to hell during the flashback, and are left wondering how and why it's going to happen, enhancing the looming sense of impending doom that hangs over and permeates the epicness of the beautiful storytelling.
Absolutely correct.
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Nonono Behelith is animated all wrong!
That thing should be totally inanimate and then very slooowly get into place and tell you that shit is now going to go really wrong.…well that's how I imagined it ^^
gah... kinda like that movie where that shitty clown puppet is sitting still all the time and it is still terrifying
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What Gokuyuske said. Also, the first three volumes explain where Guts got his Green Behelit.
Puck's introduction, as well.
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Berserk is by far the most complex shit I've ever read. I don't understand a damn thing in the story pretty much.
You need to read more shit.
I don't think Berserk is that complicated.
It's an action-fantasy story. The themes are pretty simple.
Stories of its kind that take place in real world (or similar) are often more complex.
Sexual desire and the inner struggle it leads to, for example.
Being raped by monsters is nowhere near that depth, if not somewhat fanservice.
Not to mention our current issues are far more complicated that the problem we had in Medieval Age.How the hell are action-fantasy manga hard to comprehend?
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lol, where da fuck is that Buuhan post
wowzers
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anyone can tell me how the berserker armor works?
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@JERK:
lol, where da fuck is that Buuhan post
wowzers
There is a function to lead to his post. Click the in the quote (lies next to Originally Posted by XXX)
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@Sea:
You need to read more shit.
I don't think Berserk is that complicated.
It's a fantasy story. The themes are pretty simple.
Stories of its kind that take place in real world (or similar) are often more complex.
Sexual desire and the inner struggle it leads to, for example.And yet it's Griffiths desire for Guts that drives him insane when he can't hold him and it's his night with the princess that pushes him over the edge. I would say that Berserk is a very complex story. Most movies are not as complex because they lack the time to unfold as much as Berserk does and most Tv Series are not as complex because they are made in a way so that everyone who watches them completely understands them.
In todays entertainment complexity is too often sacrificed for the broader appeal that comes with simplicity.
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And yet it's Griffiths desire for Guts that drives him insane when he can't hold him and it's his night with the princess that pushes him over the edge. I would say that Berserk is a very complex story. Most movies are not as complex because they lack the time to unfold as much as Berserk does and most Tv Series are not as complex because they are made in a way so that everyone who watches them completely understands them.
In todays entertainment complexity is too often sacrificed for the broader appeal that comes with simplicity.
I agree, for example Griffith is imho a more developed person/villian compared to let's say Sauron or Lord Voldemort.
But on the other hand berserk has alot of pointless stuff like the elfbeequeen or maybe our current monster of the week. Not that they aren't disturbing^^… but still I prefer the parts with personal interaction.
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And yet it's Griffiths desire for Guts that drives him insane when he can't hold him and it's his night with the princess that pushes him over the edge. I would say that Berserk is a very complex story. Most movies are not as complex because they lack the time to unfold as much as Berserk does and most Tv Series are not as complex because they are made in a way so that everyone who watches them completely understands them.
In todays entertainment complexity is too often sacrificed for the broader appeal that comes with simplicity.
If you think Berserk is complicated you should read more manga of the Psychological genre
And if you want to read something truly complicated you shouldn't read manga. -
Well, there is definitely some complexity in Berserk, and it deals with metaphisical themes that will or will not be deeply explored. They at least tried to make an explanation for magic and all that stuff that wasn't "there's magic in this world. deal with it".
Guts character is quite complex also; he is definitely a killer, he doesn't doubt a second to slay hundreds of demons, and he even enjoyed that. Yet, when he has to do it to protect Casca, he finds it increasingly difficult and finaly loses it and tries to rape Casca himself. That's some pretty fucked up stuff, not straight "fantasy manga" stuff.
Of course, in the end it is solved via "uber apostle of titanic proportions vs. gutts in berserker armor and shierke throwing massive fireballs", but yes, there's definitely some good stuff in there.
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Well, there is definitely some complexity in Berserk
I wasn't saying there isn't.
There is, but not in a "hard to understand" sense.
What's so hard to comprehend in Berserk? -
@Sea:
I wasn't saying there isn't.
But not to the point "hard to understand".
What's so hard to comprehend in Berserk?I completely missed the first time around that Judeu is in love with Caska until pretty late into the story?
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Well, the way the fantasia world was created was quite "aaah. . . ok." If it was all planned by Griffith, he must be at least Aizen level.
Everything having to do with Griffith's rebirth is also weird as fuck. As someone said, the equation is kinda absurd "massive living beherith + gutts deformed son + a shitload of wierd shit happening at the same time = Griffith reborn!".
The god hand controling FATE itself is also a high concept, and that Fate is being controlled by the Idea of Evil, which is the evil created by mankind (was it¿?) which at the same time is God which. . .well, wathever. It is at least kinda confusing.
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@Sea:
I wasn't saying there isn't.
But not to the point "hard to understand".
What's so hard to comprehend in Berserk?I don't really understand how Griffith got his body.
Ultimately we can agree that Berserk is complex but not purposely hard to understand?
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maybe it's complexity is not into the hard to understand
but it has many secrets as the story goes*sory for the bad english
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You are right it's not terrribly hard to understand, but it's a story with a lot of points and connections. This makes the story complex for me. What makes Berserk easier to understand is that you are given a lot of time to think about the important plot points and connections whenever there is mindless slaughter going on. That is why series like Ergo Proxy and Rahxephon are a lot harder to understand. The web of plot points and strings is a lot denser in these shows but in the end its not as big. So Berserk has a loose and big net while other shows a tight but smaller net.
I don't know if the definition is right but for me complexity is the the number of points and strings not how dense the net is.
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I don't know if the definition is right but for me complexity is the the number of points and strings not how dense the net is.
I was replying to Buuhan who said he couldn't understand Berserk/its complexity. I was saying it's not that complex.
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Ok :)
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@RobbyBevard:
I completely missed the first time around that Judeu is in love with Caska until pretty late into the story?
I watched the anime first and I must say it was much more obvious in the anime than in the manga.
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Wait, Judeu was in love with Caska?!?
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Berserk resumes in the 23. October issue of Young animal:
http://twitter.com/berserk_project -
@VL7:
Berserk resumes in the 23. October issue of Young animal:
http://twitter.com/berserk_projectWasn't it mentioned earlier that it would be in the October 8 issue? Was that mistaken?
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Berserk is "complex" in the sense that it has excellent world building and characterization but its narrative is pretty straightforward
Then again Buuhan probably only reads it to get inspiration for his awful porn drawings so
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Wait, Judeu was in love with Caska?!?
Yeah. Its subtle, but its pretty blatant after you realize it on a second run through.
The way he treats her and talks to her, trying to get her out of the mercenary life, staying with her loyally after the Hawks fall apart, sacrificing for her, pushing her towards Guts when he sees that she's falling for him, and his last acts of trying to save her during the eclipse, its a lot of little things.
And though it doesn't count for anything canon, Berserk Abridged really plays up on it, as well.
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I thought Judo loving Casca was pretty obvious on a first read