Manga: Berserk

[Ryllharu]

However, the other half of the storyline is like Gilligan's Island in reverse.

"When will they ever get to the island?!"

I do really like these chapters, but I still feel we need to move on. Griffith is super nice and invincible, we get it. He's going to kill the Emperor, become king, rape Charlotte (again) and rule under the enormous lie that he is one of the God's Hand (embodiment of all evil).


But where are the other God's Hand in all this? We've seen them face off against the Skeleton Knight or Guts once or twice. Perhaps they are waiting for Griffith to set up their kingdom? Or is Griffith once again "good" after being reborn? Zodd's allegiance tells us otherwise, so perhaps they are only biding there time.

[Chiodos]

I actually like the theory that Griffith is only there to set up their kingdom.

But, woudn't they have done it way earlier? Or did they need someone that has the quality of a leader, like Griffith?
And what's going to happen IF after he has become left and right? They'll disspose of him and Guts going to have remorse and try to save him but will fail and have to fight up against the God's Hand itself? Maybe the Skeleton Knight got glimpes of this and turned out and does what he does.It seems though very unlikly but still.

I also don't see Zodd's allegiance more than just mere pawns that are easly to breed and move without big questioning.

[Shinji Ikari]

There is no possibility for any of the god hands to join the real world like Griffith has. And the only reason Griffith was able to join the real world was because of Caskas and possibly Guts offspring. Rather, by having the egg eat the offspring he was able to be reborn.

And most of the people are blaming Guts and Caska for being heretics and stuff like that. And even though they aren't really, there ones blaming them aren't totally off either since most of what's happening in the real world has only been made possible because there is some being that live between worlds, the branded ones.

And now that the dark hawk of destruction (whom everyone thinks is the white hawk of salvation) Griffith is reborn the world have begun to merge and the apocalypse is closing in on the people. It's so funny that everyone belives Griffith to be the white hawk and follow him like blind sheeps when it has been said (for us readers to know) that he is clearly the dark/black hawk, muhahahaha.

That makes me wonder though. Since there clearly is a white hawk/eagle (whatever, the translation says different things several times) according to the prophecy of the world... Who is this person? Is it in fact Guts? And in that case, isn't it kind of ironical that the black is dressing up in white and the white is dressing up in black (aha, guess Guts lil' white hair might be the give-away).

Edit: One more thing about "making their move". They are making their move all the time by controlling the destiny of man. They say all the time (boating about it actually) that they are the ones who control destiny, but that they can't control every detail, and that in the ceremony, they can't fortell because they are kind of cut off. Getting the fifth and final god hand was their plan, what streches beyond that has not been mentioned. It might be that they need the fifth to keep a better grip on destiny, or it might because they knew that the fifth would be able to break through to the real world (kind of strange if the knew though).

[bagandscalpel]

While on the subject of the God Hand, to me, it seems that some of them only serve short spans and are capable of being deposed. I assume this is the case since the Eclipse that marks the ascension of a new God Hand takes place in a defined cycle of years (the number escapes me), as well as the special ceremony (when God Hand takes flesh, again, in 200 some-odd years). Makes me wonder if Griffith is, indeed, killable now.

[Ryllharu]

There is no possibility for any of the god hands to join the real world like Griffith has. And the only reason Griffith was able to join the real world was because of Caskas and possibly Guts offspring. Rather, by having the egg eat the offspring he was able to be reborn.

I did not say that they would become corporeal again like Griffith. Griffith (as Femto) raped Caska, corrupting her child and Guts' for the sole purpose of his return.

But we have been learning that the two worlds are beginning to merge (the apocalypse). This is what Guts used to call "the border." Farense and Serpico (and all the others Guts encountered since the eclipse) were exposed to this sooner than everyone else.

If Griffith is able to accelerate this joining (as he already has by bringing so many Apostles into his new Band of the Hawk), perhaps he will become Femto once more when he is done and the rest of the God Hands will follow. The natural world has been corrupted since the Behilit was last used, and it has only been getting worse and worse.

They can and have manifested themselves into some semblance of physical form. Conrad (puckerface) showed up as a bunch of plague rats, and Slan appeared and fought with Guts as monster intestines.

If Griffith succeeds, they probably won't have to bother with that anymore.

[Shinji Ikari]

Yuh, I know you know, I was a bit late, but my answer was towards Chiodos.

[Ryllharu]

Zodd has always been the "Guts" of evil. He's one of the most powerful warriors in the land, and has a strange sense of honor for one of his kind. Still, he kneels before Griffith easily enough, and was the first thing to come to Griffith after he was reborn into the world. I would not be all too surprised if his code of honor leads him to betray Griffith.

There so little we know about the other 4 God's Hand. But at least some of them are the more interesting characters. I suspect the only reason they've never moved before is simply that none of them had the drive to do so. Perhaps the mortal world was now beneath them. Griffith on the other hand, had left so much unfinished. Griffith was tortured after nearly achieving his dreams of being somebody. Had he not gone crazy from Guts leaving and gone after Charlotte, it is likely he would have ended up King anyway. After using the Behilit, his aspirations continued anyway, and he returned to claim his Earthly throne.

(I needed to look up two of the names on wikipedia)
- Void (the brain guy), is simple enough. He appears to be the precursor to Guts and Griffith, his nemesis being the Skull Knight. He also appeared to be the leader, which meant he was either the first, or the last. Since Schierke's master knew the Skull Knight, we can presume he was the most recent.

- Conrad and Ubik (the ones I looked up), are fairly generic and uninspired. They are probably the oldest of the God Hand though.

- Lastly, there is Slan, the one who looks like a succubus. She and Void are by far the most interesting of the Hand. Berserk takes place in a medieval era, and if I remember right the God Hand are created every couple of centuries. It doesn't seem like Slan would work her way up the same way the others did. Unlike Griffith, and probably Void, it would be incredibly hard for Slan to carve her own little empire before ending up relying on a Behilit for power. After all, she's the only female Hand. That gives me the impression that she was either some manner of deposed nobility (like the infamous Countess, Elizabeth Báthory), or something even more interesting. Plus, she has had some strange fascination with Guts from her appearance in the first few volumes.

I would really love to see her backstory.

[Chiodos]

What I don't really get (or remember) is what gives the resurruction of Griffith? I have a vauge memory that they just left that blank, that he JUST did.

I'm actually more interested in Skull Knight, though he is the most stereotypical and dull. Slan on the other hand, well, I can say that there's alwasy this female.
Still, will problaby take litteraly a year before we know anything more about her, considering where this is going. They still need to show more deeper in the others, or just...show them like they did with Slans encounter with Guts.

What I also want to know, there's no more Behelit?

[Shinji Ikari]

The rebirth of Griffith is made possible by a number of things. First off they had to make a new hand and have sacrifices. But the key ingredient in making this soup of sacrifices and already dead people (being the massive force of spiritual beings not able to cross to the other world lost in the astral plain) work was Caska and or Guts. As I get it, if they had not been there at all, the ceremony could not have been initiated properly. They would just have had a lot of loose ingredients. And then when it comes to Griffiths rebirth more closely, the egghead was the container and the baby he ate became Griffith. Or so it would seem to me, since Griffith later on gets irritated because he still has feelings for Caska and Guts (which is the cause of the demon baby/spawn).

So Griffith is in short born through the egg who ate the baby... And this was possible to begin with because Guts and Caska were the chefs who stired the soup of sacrifices and ghosts together.

But of course Guts and Caska are not to blame for this event, or not at least entirely to blame. Caska as we know was drawn there by fate/destiny (whatever).

And I think we won't get to know much more about the god hands or the Skull Knight since the story has so far put them up on a pidestal, sort of making their lives untouchable (not unkillable since that is Guts whole life (swimming against the stream of destiny)). Some interesting small things surely, but no real details probably.

The behelit still exists, well, at least the eggs that were sent out into the world. Maybe there can't be another one after the whole egg-event-thingy. But I think there can still be Behelits, it just seems like the God Hand needs them to exist.... I have no idea, just speculating

[Ryllharu]

I also have to say that I doubt we will ever learn anything more about any of the God Hands, except the slightest of chances with Void, who with the Skull Knight most parallels Guts vs. Girffith.

It's just some wishful thinking on my part.

[SilentSnake]

I also have to say that I doubt we will ever learn anything more about any of the God Hands, except the slightest of chances with Void, who with the Skull Knight most parallels Guts vs. Girffith.

It's just some wishful thinking on my part.

Our grandchildren might, though...

Unless Miura decides to use up all high aces for a mind-blowing Berserk ending (still, It wouldn't take less than 3 years to tie all ends imho )

[Chiodos]

Would be wierd telling your grandchildren to read this "awesome and goory" manga. If I did, I would problaby get a restrain order from the parents =P!

[kAi]

Chapter 294 is out if you didn't know.

[February]

woot cant wait to d/l 294

the manga seems to be moving slower than ever and its taking forever for them to get to the fairy's land...i don't even know why he can't just bring caska along

its been such a long time but i wonder why Griffith even bothers staying in the mortal world? since he is one of the God hands, what makes him want to even stay out here? I know his inital goal was to becoming king or conquest but what will he do after he achieves it? destroy the world? so many unfulfilled questions..

[Chiodos]

He'll problaby want to cleanse the world he is dominating by wiping out almost every thing that according to him is bad. Or he is being pulled by strings from the shadow.

Just guesses though..

[Shinji Ikari]

Hey, have I missed something? Why is this place dead, a new chap has been released, rejoice brethren.

www.tokyotosho.com is the best link I can give, I get everything from there. search for it there if you don't find it, it's scanned by FH

[Munsu]

Hey, have I missed something? Why is this place dead, a new chap has been released, rejoice brethren.

www.tokyotosho.com is the best link I can give, I get everything from there. search for it there if you don't find it, it's scanned by FH

What about reading the posts before you... we already know a new chapter was released.

As to why this is dead, well the pace is too slow for this series... especially for a series that comes out so infrequently. Something big needs to happen soon or we better be well rewarded for this slow pace because it really makes no sense. This series comes out once a month or so, with a 20 page chapter with little content... The least this guy could do is either release more frequently or give us 30+ pages per chapter or so.

Well, I don't really want to complain... but it has to be explained why there's little discussion about this. The pace for this series is completely wrong, especially when it relates to release frequency.

[Shinji Ikari]

Opps, my bad. I totally missed the release of this chap I guess. Sorry, didn't mean to ruffle any feathers.

[Munsu]

Opps, my bad. I totally missed the release of this chap I guess. Sorry, didn't mean to ruffle any feathers.

Nothing to do with you, Miura is just pissing me off with his slow pace... I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired of the children with the white hawk dream. And it's not really about the slow pace, it's a combination of the release rate with the amount of content he's providing.

[Shinji Ikari]

Yup, totally. At least with mangas like Claymore you get a good long chapter every month, and no beating around the bush with the story.

Haven't read the two latest chapters, I probably won't start reading again until Guts and the gang is on the island. I just hate every time there is a chap glorifying Griffith.