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Berserk (TV 2016/17).


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Souther



Joined: 22 Feb 2015
Posts: 602
PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 1:34 pm Reply with quote
Episode 4: spoiler[Isidro and Puck were cracking me up this episode, they're complete goofs. We're finally introduced to Schierke and Flora, and Schierke's introduction and her casting the barrier was pretty cool.

Guts mentoring Isidro was also cool, especially considering his childhood with Gambino. Already, he's showing his softer side to them. I like the advice Guts gave Isidro, he can't spend all day in training mode, he's gotta get out there and fight with what he's currently got. He should play to his strengths. Puck also realises this.

Meanwhile, Farnese's still coming to terms with her own weakness, Serpico notes the change, but still sees Guts as a danger to her. Flora telling Farnese she didn't kill any witches but saying she wouldn't share the blame already tells you about her kind and insightful nature, even in the brief period she was in the episode (though the anime cuts out what Farnese was thinking that prompted Flora to say that). It also means that the heretic hunts Farnese took part in were largely fruitless.]


Last edited by Souther on Fri Apr 21, 2017 5:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 5:15 pm Reply with quote
Episode 4:

Oh man, I forget how funny Isidro can be in this show. I mean, Berserk doesn't have a whole lot of comedy but this guy always expresses humor in it.

Nice to see Schierke appear but Isidro really made the mistake of groping her this episode LOL (even if it wasn't entirely intentionally). I'm glad to see Casca doing a lot better now that she's calmed down though. Guts is still kicking ass as usual even against those elemental things in the forest. Good episode overall.
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Souther



Joined: 22 Feb 2015
Posts: 602
PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 9:34 am Reply with quote
Episode 5: This episode had the best looking 2-D segments in the entire series so far, I was pretty surprised.

I'm a big fan of how magic is depicted in Berserk. You get the sense that Flora and Schierke are genuinely dedicated to studying the world and its mysteries, they're seem more like scientists. It's also cool that Miura's taken some real-life aspects of magic, like the chants Schierke uses and the sigils for the ward Schierke paints on Guts.

The ideologies Flora espouses are a counterpoint to what we've seen of the series so far about "fate". One of the best moments is when Schierke believes Guts's quest to be foolish and hopeless, but Flora points out that even the knowledge they possess can cloud their eyes to the truth and notes that Guts is still alive, despite being condemned to a horrific fate and having faced impossible odds. She also insightfully notes the duality of Guts's negative feelings; though they are destructive, they're also what has carried him this far and allowed him to fight. His new goal to protect Casca tempers those negative desires.

The tiers of the planes, as well as Flora's small knowledge about the mysteries of the God Hand, provide a bit of explanation as to what was happening to Griffith during the Eclipse, for those who are anime viewers only. Griffith was sinking down to the lower levels of the astral world and Flora talking about the Behelit's master sending them reflects the Behelits rising up from there.
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Souther



Joined: 22 Feb 2015
Posts: 602
PostPosted: Sat May 13, 2017 8:12 am Reply with quote
( long post again) Another decent episode. The action was better and the Kelpie actually looks pretty good!

Isidro laments his weakness (you can see the poor kid in tears when he sees Schierke's power in action) and is down on himself. I liked the talk between Isidro and Morgan. Morgan sees a bit of his younger self in Isidro and wonders if his dreams of becoming a swordsman are the real deal or if it's just an escape from reality. In the manga, it was a bit clearer that Isidro took the man's words to heart but had to put on a front.

I also liked Serpico reflecting on their journey, how Farnese's grown and how he didn't want that to all be for nothing, wiped away by the perils of the mission. As hostile as he is to Guts, he entrusts Farnese's safety to Guts, a small growing moment for the two. Finally, we have Schierke showing off her magic, but losing herself in anger over the way the villagers treated Flora, having to remember Flora's words about what magic's supposed to be used for, to distance herself from and not abuse that power. Nonetheless, she gains Guts's reverence and he assures her she's not at fault, another cool moment.

The reveal of the 4 kings and the fact that both the witches and the Holy See worship them (the Holy See also share the same Hawk of Darkness prophecy, interestingly) adds another layer of context to Berserk's world. As Schierke mentioned before, there was a time where witches and magic were accepted and people had more belief in other deities before the spread of the Holy See, and the Holy See still have remnants of those beliefs, albeit warped to suit their doctrine. So, just how did such a distorted view of magic/polytheism come to be?

There're a number of potential reasons. Back in season 1/the Conviction arc, we see the thieves lying in wait for Guts talking about the heretics' disturbing rituals involving binding intestines to trees. Then at Albion, we see the heretics and their horrific rituals. The deity they believe is a goddess, is actually Slan, one of the God Hand. Along with Griffith presenting himself as the Hawk of Light, the Holy See's messiah and who's on the Holy See's iconography, it suggests that the God Hand have played a deliberate role in the distorted image of witchcraft and the Holy See's stamping out of heretical beliefs, which happen to have driven away Flora's and Schierke's brand of magic as well.

The heretics in Albion have also co-opted and warped ideas of paganism to suit their desires, mainly to escape their suffering and part of it as a reaction to the Holy See. Both parties' beliefs unwittingly played a hand in perpetuating the suffering that set the stage for Griffith's incarnation, but the conflict between the heretics and the Holy See is also part of the wider context of the misery of Berserk's world. The knowledge and beliefs that Flora and co. demonstrate would improve the lives of people in Berserk, and in order to create the context for Griffith as a saviour, divorcing people from that knowledge and having people rely on misguided beliefs and evil power instead is part of the God Hand's agenda. But there's still hope, as the priest was willing to listen to Schierke's words and accept her beliefs. Though, perhaps magic does have a dark side to it? Schierke's loss of control during the Lady of the Lake's summoning could allude to something.

And finally, going back to the Golden Age arc, Charlotte and Judeau talk about the legend of Gaiseric's kingdom being destroyed by 4-5 angels. Considering the Holy See's and the witches' shared beliefs, it makes me wonder whether or not 4 of the angels were actually the 4 kings.
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