btw I’ve found these stretches from the WAK blog very helpful when knitting a lot:
Plus make sure to take breaks regularly - and stop if anything starts to hurt!
especially with gift knitting I know it can be tempting to push through it for a deadline, but it’s really not worth causing long term injury. (And anyone knit-worthy should be understanding of that, imho.) Stay well :)
BERSERK
"Struggle, endure, contend. For that alone is the sword of one who defies death."
TLDR; There is literally nothing I can say that hasn't been said to death about this story. But I like beating dead horses so!
If I do this now I can check it off my personal review list. Spoilers abound. I have only watched the Golden Age Movies and have just started collecting the Deluxe Volumes so all spoiler material is related to those two. Except when it comes to stuff like OST.
Rest In Peace Kentaro Miura. Mangaka's work so hard and for so little appreciation. From the man to the team that supported him, and still carry on his work to the end, thanks for such a captivating story of struggle, loss, and victory.
I've been thinking of how to show my appreciation for a long time now. I started engaging with Berserk back when the Golden Age movies were available on Netflix. This was back in, I think 2018-2019, and while the world was going through Covid I was undergoing hospital visits for a chronic, incurable, disease. Feeling hopeless and so incredibly bored, I had heard about Berserk but hadn't given it a watch yet. I'm so glad I did. I don't have anything new or insightful to say, so many other fans have created video essays, art pieces, and even meaningful cosplays to show their love for the series. But just like any other fan, I really do love this series.
So instead of being all high I.Q about it, enjoy this "old woman yells at clouds" kind of rambling review.
I appreciate that if you go find interviews about what stuff inspired Berserk, Miura credits and accepts the comparison of Berserk with Shojo Manga. The idea that certain genres are strictly for one gender and that the two can't mix is, thankfully, one going out of fashion. In most recent memory, the mangaka for DanDaDan said he was told to read 100 Shojo titles because his ideas were too depressive (or something of that nature) I feel that the less one restricts, the more inspiration can be pulled from all different kinds of sources.
There is so much blood and gore and GUTS in Berserk. Body horror, Cosmic horror, real life no joke fun horror. It's distressing, it's exciting, it's all great. But Berserk really does shine with it's quieter moments.
The relationships Guts manages to create with the Band of the Hawks, after suffering child abuse and complex dynamics, to losing all of that in the end after the Eclipse is gutting. But only because Miura created these pockets of quiet reflection and readers got to truly get this sense of people coming together.
What I love is how different the big three are. Guts, Casca, and Griffith. I don't think there's any comparison to that devastating triangle they got going on. At least, I haven't read/seen it yet. Casca going from despising Guts growing to like and then love Guts. Guts growing more comfortable with others, and falling in love with Casca. Griffith in this eternal state of cucking himself and cucking others (he deserves it) it's all so fun to read and be a part of the disaster.
If you are of the opinion that her character sucks LEAVE. I love my men beefy, but I love my girls to be the best they can be!!!! That scene where the band rides through town and Casca has women swooning for her? YEAH, THATS ACTUALLY ME! In this world of lacking female representation, Casca is top tier. Beautiful in and out of armor, confident in her abilities and respected by her male peers who liken her to an older sister. As a woman, watching her be a badass but not completely devoid of femineity, is truly awesome to see. Her journey up until the Eclipse was a pleasure to see.
Now, taking off my woke glasses, there are certain moments involving her that I do have thoughts on. Whenever the subject of sexualization in manga comes up I see fans criticizing certain moments of the manga. Casca isn't an exception to the evils of the world Berserk takes place in. Girls and young women are taken and abused by just the most vile of creatures. It gives me the ick, the whole Princess Charlotte thing and her Dad .
Her first meeting with Griffith happens after he saves her from a man that was going to abuse her. Her last meeting with Griffith (Before becoming Femto) is left ambiguous. I have trouble reading it as either him blatantly coming on to her out of jealousy or simply wanting to cling to the dynamic they had once before. The one where he was in control of her admiration and loyalty of him. I feel no matter which interpretation you take, the fact that the man she idolized thought to do something to still keep her attached to him, when she has so obviously started to move on from, hurts.
I haven't gotten to the stuff after the Eclipse yet. I need to get on that and read the manga. But I know a couple of things and I wish Casca got to her own person. Griffith has his dreams, Guts has his own too that involve Casca, but I dont know what HER dream is. What does SHE want? She keeps the Band of the Hawk together after Griffith's fall because she is their remaining leadership and these are her men. After the Eclipse she reverts to a shell of her former self carrying a LOT of trauma.
I may be blind and braindead though. If her dreams were said, they weren't said clear enough for me. Let me know whatever I missed, please. Because when I think of Casca I see this wonderful, strong, female lead but I cannot for the life of me recall what she wanted. She's even referred as Griffith's sword during her service with the group. Out of her loyalty and willingness to execute any task, but still reduced to a tool used by a man that rose high to nobility.
Justice for Casca. GIRL GET OUT OF THAT BL SITUATIONSHIP RUUUN!!!!!!!!!
GIF by meimihaneoka
You deserve a mangaka that doesn't hate you. All creators are most cruel to their creations. Props to Miura. To this day, I still find people reading Berserk for the first time being shocked of the shit he went through as a child. The manga opens, you think he's this edgy Seinen protagonist and the layers peel back the more you read. If reading didn't sell you on the truth that this is a sweet boy at heart, the beautiful theme of his will absolutely help. It sounds so cold but feels so gentle.
Seeing him realize he can be much more than a sword and be an actual person was touching. So many people can leave their marks, good and bad, and all of it helps to shape the kind of person one chooses to be. The stuff he had to suffer through left him scared of trusting others. His role model failing him deeply left him directionless and all he knew was to fight to earn his keep. He bites the hand that feeds because he knew no more than abuse. If anyone deserves to be hit by the Bisexual agenda, it's him. Coming home to a beautiful strong wife and a beautiful twink husband, both baddies, he deserved the life of peace that comes with it.
So funny that if Griffith kept his mouth shut and didn't spout that bullshit about a true equal, he wouldn't have unknowingly inspired Guts to finally take his life in his own hands. While Casca stays loyal to Griffith, it's so bittersweet that Guts sets off on his journey just to be quals with Griffith. Loyal in his own way because, truly, the bonds he made affected him that much. He grew comfortable with being depended upon by his men, he trusted his comrades and their skill. He gets angry when the people in his care are held up.
That conversation with Casca, the bonfire of dreams, I'm sure that that's either the moment she feel for him or a big part of it. Boy used all the brain power he has to say something so beautifully worded. Maybe he picked up a Shojo vol sometime during the campaign lol.
Destined to be the male lead of a romance, forced into cosmic consequences of immense magnitude (all of it his fault)
"Why Couldnt you have just been satisfied with staring at the castle from afar?" Granny, there are rapists, murderers, and rapist murderers in these cobblestone streets!!!!! Griffith should have just punted her into the abyss.
Dude, fuck the Golden Age movies for not including the river scene with Casca. When I read that it shocked me. If you watch the movies, i think it's the third one, during the siege of Doldrey it's pretty obvious the weird obsession the King of the Tudor's has with Griffith. The servants he keeps all resemble Griffith and he's anythign BUT chill when whining to Boscogn about capturing Griffith ALIVE. That was fine.
But reading the manga (or watching the old Anime), it's explained better. Griffith cleaning himself in the river, clawing at himself and calling himself dirty for what he had to do, ugh, you poor thing. There's this aura surrounding him of being untouchable, enhanced by his reputation in and out of the band, that lends itself well to the story. That child like innocence, the admiration of his closest friends and allies, the words he uses to play head games with. Until you realize he is also not an exception to the cruelties inflicted on those who have no other means to gain what they want, it's all saddening.
Guts and Casca, the whole band itself, form this strong sense of kinship and have bonded through all of the hardships they faced. Griffith is there, but that's just it. He's their leader so of course he's celebrating their victories as well, but whether consciously or not, he remains as this figure that exists in another realm all together. Victim of his own aura. Must be hard to connect with others if they are either glazing you or straight up hating your guts.
I enjoyed reading Berserk during the Golden Age more than watching it. Probably due to it being something I can consume at my own pace with the creator's original intent. I truly think Griffith didn't mean all or most of his actions but, in for a penny in for a pound. Men who foolishly play along with a child's game, aren't people he takes pity on.
I would crash the fuck out too if I lost a walking beef cake, especially one that was the pivotal tool to achieve my dreams. Having sex with a princess while thinking of them though? That's hella gay. Losing the mind, the body, and in some views the soul, would certainly be a breaking point. This once awe inspiring figure reduced to wasting away and failing to free himself from his suffering, tragic.
if you chose to see Femto as a separate thing or as a part of Griffith is up to you. Personally, I ignore that alter ego all together. Griffith in his journey leading up to that transformation is, to me, much more interesting.
Susumu Hirasawa....every media I end up enjoying gets blessed by his hands. It's him and Hiroyuki Sawano that are always the culprits as to why I enjoy certain anime tracks. While watching Paprika I thought "This sounds a lot like something I'd hear in Berserk". While playing Ruiner, the theme that plays while exploring Rengkok City, peak. It's just so peak. Hai Forces is the best way to prepare for anything too overwhelming. Can't avoid feeling pumped to get shit done after listening to it.
The opening and ending theme to the original anime made me laugh I wont lie. The cheesy, Japanese accent heavy Engrish, with lyrics that don't really make sense just sticks with you after a while. The ending theme holds so much sadness. I laughed cause of how depressing it sounded. Listening to it again, at another gray cloud moment of my life, Im filled with this melancholic sadness. I didn't understand it then, I still don't, but at least I feel it now.
I can't find a gif for my other favorite moment of the movie, I love the party moment. It's the last hoorah and final curtain to a long and difficult campaign. You can feel how happy everyone is to have finally achieved what they fought so hard for. Unknowing that it's the real end to their story. Seeing Guts and Casca actually have fun as two people who grew up knowing only to fight for someone's benefit is wonderful. Again, I wish Casca had come to see herself as her own person with her own dreams. Maybe in another world she too would have figured out something new to chase after.
The other scene that resonated with me is after the Eclipse, after the nightmare Guts watches the men he's led and trusted ride on without him. The friends he gave his all to and who gave their all to him. Who ignored his closed off nature and the shitty attitude he had and included him in their celebrations. Losing that support system, followed up by Casca's crippling mental condition, it's no surprise he throws caution to the wind and sets out on his one man crusade against the demons that took away the people that helped shape him into his own person.
~Closing thoughts~
The manga is finishing. Are you truly a Berserk Fan if you weren't in the trenches with everyone during the hiatus? This story has gone on to inspire many creatives across the world in multiple medias. Elden Ring is one of my favorite videogames and you best believe I went to find the giant ass sword. It's Dlc, Shadow of the Erdtree, borrows some visuals like the bodies hanging from the trees. Ruiner has some stuff like the brand of sacrifice as a pin for one of it's characters.
When talking about communities, the online space can be so polarizing depending on who is talking about what. Some fans are critical, some read/watch with their eyes closed. I have the memory of a goldfish so don't think I'm excluding myself amongst the blind.
But while working my retail job, I happened to get a couple that came in wearing Berserk merch. Easiest conversation starter I had. They told me they did cosplays together, one mostly does the costumes and the other loves wearing them. A coworker saw my Berserk keychain and was interested enough to ask about it.
Media can connect people together in many different ways and Berserk is the truest form of that. We are all just small dream fires coming, occasionally coming together to form a bigger fire.
Watching the movies while recovering from surgery, enduring whatever came because Guts endured whatever came, is powerful stuff. More people need stories or experiences like this, this world is rough.
Once again, rest easy Miura. A master of the arts gone too soon.
man it does say a lot that beldaruit's bones are fragile enough they can break with just a small fall and yet he still threw a punch at deanreldy. he does NOOOOOT like that man and it's awesome
