WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.120 --> 00:00:06.280 Meaning a man like this man letting butterfly, flapping his wing, 2 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:08.279 big down in the forest, man and gonna cause the 3 00:00:08.359 --> 00:00:12.119 tree fall, letting five thousand miles away. Man, nobody seen 4 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:22.160 nobody else. You don't need no man. You and you 5 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:26.320 got bacted like that. Man, go blackly dang on the panela. 6 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:26.480 Man. 7 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:29.719 Man, you don't matter man anyway. 8 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:38.640 All right, remis welcome to the Jay Burden Show for 9 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:39.640 the first time ever. 10 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:42.039 No thanks for having me on this so first time 11 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:42.799 that I've ever been here. 12 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:47.159 Yeah, a little bit of context, guys. Uh, it's been 13 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:49.719 a while since I've gone through this and due to 14 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:54.119 some fileshare issues, Uh, I had remiss on about two 15 00:00:54.119 --> 00:00:58.240 weeks ago to record the next series in Berserk. We 16 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:00.560 were kind of offset. So we decided did to do 17 00:01:00.679 --> 00:01:03.200 what I had prepared for, went through it, and then 18 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:06.519 this is earlier in the narrative, so you will be 19 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:11.079 listening to it first, but chronologically the next segment is 20 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:15.079 going to be uh, you know, out afterwards, recorded first 21 00:01:15.159 --> 00:01:18.040 released second, So a lot of the kind of the 22 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:20.439 rooms is we're going over that will be in the 23 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:24.239 second part. Uh, So don't feel like this is super jumble, 24 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:26.760 just some context there, but yeah, man, I'm glad to 25 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:27.319 have you back on. 26 00:01:28.120 --> 00:01:30.920 Yeah, I appreciate you having me. I love having I 27 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:33.560 love having this discussion, and also you know you're a 28 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:36.519 great host. Thanks. I think it's I think it's I 29 00:01:36.519 --> 00:01:39.519 think it's funny. I did I kind of like referenced 30 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:43.640 this episode in the past, you know what I mean, 31 00:01:43.680 --> 00:01:45.359 Like when we Yeah, you know what I mean, as 32 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:46.680 much as I could, I was like trying to like 33 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.239 bake in some sort of like time shenanigans. It's like, yeah, 34 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:52.640 I'll I'll discuss the things that I said last time, 35 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:56.920 this time from the from the past, right. Yeah. I 36 00:01:57.239 --> 00:02:03.920 think especially this this part of this story is very 37 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:06.519 close right to my heart, right, So I love talking 38 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.879 about it. I love the discussion, and I think it's 39 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:15.840 it's pertinent, you know these days, people people like this 40 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:21.439 and these kinds of pains are are lessons for a reason, 41 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:26.080 you know. So that's why I always say read fucking preserve. Yeah, 42 00:02:26.199 --> 00:02:29.800 one hundred percent. So just a couple of things. Obviously, 43 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:32.960 somewhat similarly to the other episodes, I will be showing 44 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:40.280 select panels this this this book is fairly graphic, right, 45 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:42.439 so there's certain things I can't show every time I 46 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:44.319 put these up, I include a link to where you 47 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:45.319 can read them all for free. 48 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:49.520 I recommend it. And yeah, the audience has been champing 49 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:52.240 for this one, so let's get straight into it. So 50 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:54.759 obviously we're through Black Swordsman, which was sort of a 51 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:58.039 you know, a one shot. Everything from now on takes 52 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:02.199 place in chronological order in the narrative, and right off 53 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:06.759 the bat we are introduced to the birth of Guts. 54 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:07.639 Right. 55 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:09.919 So what we see is, and this is something I 56 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.240 probably can't show, it's a little bit graphic. Is a 57 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:17.439 mercenary company, right, all on horseback riding past this tree, 58 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:21.280 just covered in corpses, right hanging from the tree, and 59 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:25.360 one of the camp followers runs up a woman and 60 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:28.719 sees that there's been a baby born from one of 61 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:32.439 these bodies, right, a pregnant woman, hung baby, still alive. 62 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:36.520 We get a little bit of context there that effectively 63 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:38.479 this woman is sort of you know, one of the 64 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:41.960 camp followers. She has a relationship with, you know, a 65 00:03:42.039 --> 00:03:45.960 character will track for the next couple episodes, and yep, 66 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:48.680 no shock, right, this is Guts. 67 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:49.400 Now. 68 00:03:49.479 --> 00:03:52.960 What's interesting, you know, is he is technically saved, right 69 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:57.560 as part of this mercenary band, but again more foreshadowing, 70 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:00.400 one of the kind of nameless goons in the background says, 71 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:03.120 you know, picking up a kid at a place like this, 72 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:07.439 it's a bad omen right, he's cursed. Is something that 73 00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:12.159 will you know, continue to be relevant. So it moves 74 00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:14.120 forward a little bit. We see kind of Guts as 75 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:17.879 a young man witnessing the horrors of war, and this 76 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:21.120 woman who has sort of taken care of him dies 77 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:27.759 horribly of the plague, again rendered in somewhat excruciating detail. Right, 78 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:33.519 so quickly, you know, Guts moves into a role you know, 79 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:36.879 as you know, it's sort of a guy in this 80 00:04:37.079 --> 00:04:40.720 mercenary company. It's like a squire, you know, yeah, exactly 81 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:45.519 a squire. And we see him somewhat incidentally kill his 82 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:50.000 first man at or witness his first I guess, killing 83 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.040 at you know, six or seven. 84 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:55.000 Right, it's not a child. He a child. I cannot 85 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:57.360 be stressed enough. All of the things that happened here 86 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:04.399 are happening to a child. This is a little little boy, right, Yeah, 87 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:06.720 it's a it's a it's a it's a really really 88 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:10.759 brutal introduction to the world that he lives in. Right, 89 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:13.240 This is not the kind of thing that a little 90 00:05:13.319 --> 00:05:18.240 kid is obviously uh want to see. But this is 91 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:22.439 his life. And I think, I think the very fact 92 00:05:22.439 --> 00:05:25.199 that this kid comes out like the name, guts all 93 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:28.920 of it. Right, it's all so emblematic. Right, this kid 94 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:32.800 is born from death. He has been surrounded by his 95 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:38.480 whole life, basically from from from birth to to where 96 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:42.800 he is in the story. Now, it's endless suffering, endless 97 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:48.319 amounts of of the of the just the dark parts 98 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:50.279 of reality. Right, this is no there's there is no 99 00:05:50.519 --> 00:05:52.360 he doesn't get a filter, he doesn't get you know, 100 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:55.000 I mean, so many children, right, at least especially in 101 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:57.639 our our era, right our time, it probably it sort 102 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:03.480 of prides itself on separating children like almost like keeping 103 00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:07.079 them in a walled garden, right, And this story does 104 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:09.560 not give this child this luxury, right, he does not 105 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:13.600 have that. He he doesn't have any like you know, 106 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:15.959 we're skimming a bit, right, and that's that's that's good. 107 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:20.759 But the nature of the relationship that he has to 108 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:23.839 the people who saved him is even that it's like 109 00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:28.360 it's there's there's almost no closeness, there's no warmth, the 110 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:30.639 only warmth he ever really experienced. As a child, was 111 00:06:30.680 --> 00:06:33.160 with this woman who chose to pick him up in 112 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:36.879 the first place. But she dies, really and she dies traumatically, 113 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:38.560 and he watches it, you know what I mean. He 114 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:41.399 sits there with her, which I think is a beautiful 115 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:45.000 aspect of him. He is a deeply empathetic person already 116 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:47.600 as a child. Right, he sits with this woman as 117 00:06:47.639 --> 00:06:51.279 she's dying, holds her, holds her. Right. Everyone's telling him, 118 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:53.879 don't touch her, you could get sick, and he just doesn't. 119 00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:57.600 It doesn't even register for him, right. I love that 120 00:06:57.639 --> 00:07:00.720 aspect of Guts as a character. Really, it really shows 121 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:03.759 you early what kind of person he really is, right 122 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.079 he he he care Like if he feels a debt 123 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:09.639 to you, he will be there, right, he will be 124 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:15.399 there to foreshadow early and there he is the eponymous Gambino, 125 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:19.680 our guy, the dad, this kid's father figure. Like look 126 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:22.759 at this, right, corpse is thrown upon him. He freaks 127 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:25.079 out a little bit, and the first reaction that Gambino 128 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:27.480 has is hitting him in the face with the with 129 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:30.120 his with the butt of his spear and going, you're 130 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:32.240 trying to get me killed, right, Like this guy has 131 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:38.000 no mercy, right, complete complete, like completely callous psycho person. Right, 132 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:40.319 no mercy for a child. He doesn't give a fuck, 133 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:43.040 and that's got his life, that's his upbringing, right, this 134 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:47.720 is his this is his reality is bloodshed, combat, war, 135 00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:51.160 and that's all he's ever known and no real closeness, 136 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:53.680 no real warmth. Go ahead, sir, and we get some 137 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:58.040 more sort of autistic artistic excuse me flexing from your 138 00:07:58.279 --> 00:07:59.920 throughout this whole arc. Uh. 139 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.120 The art continues to get better and better, and a 140 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:06.199 lot of the sieges in this are exceptionally well drawn, 141 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:08.439 Like this isn't even a full spread, right, this is 142 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:10.920 just one panel at the top, and it is very 143 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:15.279 very well drawn. So again, right, we see Guts pulling 144 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:17.399 a tooth out. Obviously he's in bad shape, and we 145 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:22.759 skip forward to Guts training, right, training, as we find out, 146 00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:26.560 with real sorts, you know, even his his you know, 147 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:29.560 the other mercenaries are basically saying like, what are you doing? 148 00:08:29.720 --> 00:08:31.720 Like he's said, you know, you're a fucking psycho. Yeah 149 00:08:31.759 --> 00:08:33.720 that's a six year old. What are you? What are 150 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:34.240 you doing? 151 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:41.480 And it is not gentle training beating this poor kid? Yes, uh, 152 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:43.879 And again that idea that you know, he's got to 153 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:46.720 earn his keep and he is a mercenary and attitude 154 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:50.480 we will see you know, guts carry forward. So again 155 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:52.879 we're starting to see you know guts and this is 156 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:56.240 foreshadowing for later using an adult sized sword as a kid, 157 00:08:56.559 --> 00:08:59.600 the same proportions, right, that he will carry over the 158 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:03.879 rest of the career, that stubbornness and that that need 159 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:09.679 to prove himself absolutely, And again we see guts able 160 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:14.639 to mark Gambino, right, he's he's got heart to him 161 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:19.080 and so he you know, hits him on the chin and. 162 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:21.039 And this is the measure of Gambino as a human 163 00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:25.360 being right here. This is who he is. He is 164 00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:27.919 he's trying to see like like he gives he gives 165 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:31.279 this fucking bullshit, you know what I mean, like like 166 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:36.480 like a facade of I'm trying to train him. Nah 167 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:39.039 this this guy just likes hurting people, right, and he 168 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:42.000 likes feeling strong, and he likes uh and he and 169 00:09:42.039 --> 00:09:46.440 he cannot take being insulted or disrespected in any way right, 170 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:50.519 in a minor way, exactly as soon as this kid 171 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:54.360 lands something which even though it's drawing blood from you, bro, 172 00:09:54.440 --> 00:09:57.559 you're a mercenary, like what you can't take that? Are you? 173 00:09:57.639 --> 00:10:00.679 Kidding me, Right, even though he draws blood from from him, 174 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:03.360 this should be a moment of like, damn kid, you're 175 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:07.039 actually like, holy shit, right, but no, it's an immediate, 176 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:11.399 immediate censure. Right. And not only that he gives he 177 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:13.559 marks him for the rest of his life. And this, 178 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:16.679 this is this is Guts his iconic scar across the nose, right, 179 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:18.320 Like this is like part of his face. 180 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:18.960 Right. 181 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:22.799 This is where he gets it right here from his dad, 182 00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:25.600 quote unquote. Right, this is what this kid grew up with. 183 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:29.320 This is what he had to look forward to. Once 184 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:34.080 you see this, everything about black Stordesman starts to make 185 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:36.759 a little bit more sense. Right, You're like, oh, okay, 186 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:39.200 all right, this kid didn't really have much of a shot. 187 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:44.120 I'm surprised he's alive. Is basically how this goes at 188 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:46.320 this point, right, But yeah, this is a moment. This 189 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:49.480 is a really pivotal moment. Right here cuts the bridge 190 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:52.480 of his nose, gives him the scar, and he learns. 191 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:55.039 He learns in that moment, right, And I think, I 192 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.759 think if I if I'm correct, not long after that 193 00:10:57.879 --> 00:10:59.399 is when you see Guts go to sleep with the 194 00:10:59.799 --> 00:11:03.879 so or holding the blade, right, Because that's all he has. 195 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:07.120 It's the only thing in his life that won't that 196 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:10.039 that isn't betraying him, that doesn't hurt him for the 197 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:13.600 things that he does that doesn't that doesn't. And look, 198 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:16.240 anybody out there has that has undergone abuse from a 199 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:19.440 parent's right, I I am lucky enough that or you know, 200 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:23.039 I am. I had a sort of normal childhood, right uh, 201 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:25.000 And many of us out there did. But there are 202 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:29.600 people who had parents like this man that that were 203 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:32.960 that were essentially antagonists in their lives that did not 204 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:37.759 provide any form of real nurturing structure anything like that. 205 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.879 Imagine what kind of fucking piece of shit you have 206 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:43.960 to be to try to compete with your kid as 207 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:48.159 a child. Right, These people exist by the thousand. So 208 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:54.399 this shot, this right here is like this is so heartbreaking, right, 209 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:59.559 Like cold blade is the only thing that this kid 210 00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:03.000 has that is just brutal. Right, that's all he can trust, 211 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:05.559 That's all he can rely on. And that's the reason 212 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:07.399 that he is the way he is. Right. He learns 213 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:11.000 very very early, I don't have anybody but my ability 214 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:14.519 to see myself in the you know, safe in the world. 215 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:17.360 I can't rely on anybody else for that and that 216 00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:24.159 is yeah, very hard not not very far in the future. Yes, 217 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:27.960 and this is another another shot like this one right 218 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:30.960 here we will see repeated over and over again. Right. 219 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:34.240 Mirror is very good about doing callbacks to you know, 220 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:36.840 kind of these iconic moments. You will see Guts in 221 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:39.840 this pose again and again. I mean really even going 222 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:43.440 up to you know, issues that have come out in 223 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:48.080 the last year. Rh So, yeah, I just wanted to 224 00:12:48.120 --> 00:12:50.519 show that because that's that's sort of an iconic image. 225 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:54.879 Will keep seeing going forward a little bit, we see 226 00:12:55.120 --> 00:13:00.399 another sort of characterization of Guts, which is how he trs. 227 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:00.679 Right. 228 00:13:00.759 --> 00:13:04.000 This will be echoed actually in the same recording. You're 229 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:06.759 gonna be listening to you several issues ahead of this. 230 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:12.039 But we see that Guts is dedicated to training, right, 231 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:15.720 he is becoming you know, strong and disciplined with this 232 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:19.080 massive sword. Right, and we get a little bit of 233 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:21.360 an insight where he's thinking about it and he says, 234 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:23.559 when I'm swinging this sword, I don't have to think 235 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:24.320 about anything. 236 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:24.720 Right. 237 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:28.240 The idea he can throw himself into combat and not 238 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:31.919 have to you know, think about the you know, his 239 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:36.480 negative experience is something that the pain continue to do exactly. 240 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:42.799 Uh so Gambino shows up right basically, you know, yeah, 241 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:46.919 personally feels some fucking shame the first time that he 242 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:51.120 actually shows that he's not just purely a piece of garbage. 243 00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:54.120 There's some form of redeeming. But at the same time, 244 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:57.120 who knows, Like I personally, I feel like he was 245 00:13:57.159 --> 00:13:59.279 probably shamed into doing this by the other mercenaries, you 246 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:01.120 know what I mean, Like, I feel like he definitely 247 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:02.879 didn't want to do this, and that's why he doesn't 248 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:07.519 treat it with any form of kindness or warmth. He's 249 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:09.559 just like, take this shit, you know what I mean, 250 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:11.440 I be glad that I did it, you know what 251 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:14.559 I mean? Like, that's that's the way he responds to this, right. 252 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:18.240 He genuinely does not feel any obligation through this child whatsoever. 253 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:22.000 And we get kind of a touching moment where you 254 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.840 can see that Guts is like he's starts smiling, right, 255 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:28.240 It's one of the very few moments we see him smile. 256 00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:28.879 You know. 257 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:31.320 Is again something is as simple as being given a 258 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:34.480 little bit of medicine for you know, these wounds that 259 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:39.240 his father has given him. Back to another siege scene. Again, 260 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:42.399 the art is just so good right. This is an 261 00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:45.480 amazing panel of kind of like late medieval warfare. You 262 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:48.840 see the very crude cannons right as they're attacking this keep. 263 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:52.240 But right, this is a little bit further ahead. You 264 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:55.759 see you know, Gambino leaning his men into this kind 265 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:59.519 of breach in the wall, and somewhat later Guts, right, 266 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:05.480 he has joined the mercenary company. Uh, so basically they're 267 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:06.840 charging up into the gap. 268 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:07.200 Again. 269 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:10.159 Just great art if you're a nerd for you know, 270 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:13.360 medieval arms and armor. There's a lot to pick out here, right, 271 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:16.440 and even you know, very minor characters in the back 272 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:18.919 are drawn in a lot of detail. 273 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:23.840 Loving care, loving care on everything on screen or on pana. 274 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:27.600 And we see something that is is echoed later, right, 275 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:30.159 which is, you know, Guts sort of ability to fight 276 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:34.080 guys much larger than him. So he's fighting full grown 277 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:36.799 men in full armor instead of his kind of you know, 278 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:39.840 scrappy uh, you know, his kind of scrappy get up, 279 00:15:40.279 --> 00:15:45.559 and we see Guts kill his first man, right, and 280 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:50.519 shortly afterwards, right again recurring recurring bit, uh, after he 281 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:54.960 kills this guy a much bigger, a bigger guy yeah, 282 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:59.720 shows up and just starts beating him. And Gambido comes 283 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:03.600 to his rescue and we get a lesson, right, he says, 284 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:07.639 you know, this isn't practice. After you've killed someone, move on, 285 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:11.480 watch your back, right. So an interesting characterization moment there. 286 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:14.399 We see Guts disturbed by the fact that he is, 287 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:17.440 you know, he's killed someone, and not only is Gambino 288 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:19.320 telling him to tough it up, but that was not 289 00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:22.000 an honorable thing. He snuck up behind this guy and 290 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:24.720 stabbed him in the back. So getting more characterization of 291 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:25.720 Gambino as well. 292 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:32.399 Yeah, Gambino is the he is the archetypal practical cell sword. 293 00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:35.519 He's there to kill people for money. He doesn't care. 294 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:38.080 But he's on a knight's He's not you know, you know, 295 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:40.480 I mean honor and chivalry. None of that means anything 296 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:43.759 to him. He is there for the paycheck and the 297 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:47.000 and his work is killing people. It's as simple as that. 298 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:49.559 He doesn't care how he does it. The most important 299 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:52.919 thing to him is making sure that he survives and 300 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:54.840 killing whatever guy's in front of him so that he 301 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:57.039 can get paid. It's as simple as that, right, And 302 00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:00.919 he instills these kinds of values in as much as 303 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:03.720 he can. Like he he tries to make sure that 304 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:08.440 this kid. There is a sense in which Gambino is 305 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:11.759 like deep tough love. He's like this, you know, it's 306 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:14.279 it's by no means would you want a person to 307 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:17.400 treat you like this? Right, But it doesn't change the 308 00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:20.759 fact that Gambino is actually, to a degree, trying to 309 00:17:20.799 --> 00:17:24.000 prepare this child for the kind of life that he's 310 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:26.880 going to have to live. Listen, being a mercenary a 311 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:29.720 self sort is not an easy fucking life at all. 312 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:31.880 So he's like, why why the hell am I bringing 313 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:33.440 this kid into this? Like that was his whole point 314 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:36.119 to begin with with with uh with the woman which 315 00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:38.000 I I don't remember her name now, I think it's 316 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:38.480 Hi Shu. 317 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:42.279 I'm not miss if I'm not mistaken, so uh. 318 00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:44.240 Something like that. I think it's yeah, it's sort of 319 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:49.359 a sea or something, you know. Regardless she he is like, 320 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:50.880 why am I gonna have another mouse? Feed? 321 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:51.799 Like? 322 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:54.319 This is not a life for a child. Man, We're 323 00:17:54.359 --> 00:17:56.559 a mercenary, ban you're gonna bring a baby like what 324 00:17:56.559 --> 00:18:00.079 are you crazy? Right to and to a degree, he's right, right, 325 00:18:00.119 --> 00:18:02.039 And then she dies and he has to take care 326 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:04.319 of this kid, right, So he's like, I knew that 327 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:06.079 this was going to happen, and that's why he's so 328 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:08.759 resentful of Guts, That's why he treats him so poorly. Right, 329 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:12.880 you can understand this character right again, Mirror is very good. 330 00:18:13.079 --> 00:18:16.160 He doesn't like even when they seem like cartoon villains, 331 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:19.160 they're not right there. There's something going on under the 332 00:18:19.160 --> 00:18:22.319 hood there. So Gambino is interesting, but it doesn't change 333 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:24.119 the fact that he's effectively a piece of shit to 334 00:18:24.119 --> 00:18:27.559 this kid. Right, It makes no real difference to Guts' experience, 335 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:31.079 but that is what his concern is is, kid, you 336 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:34.720 have to be able to survive or else you're just meat. 337 00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:38.400 Like what's the point? Right, And you see it. You 338 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:40.000 see it in Guts. Look at look at his Look 339 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:45.480 at his demeanor, like that's ten year old. Look at 340 00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:50.200 the next Yeah, the next scene right is after the 341 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:51.920 battle will kill you. Yeah, yep. 342 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:55.839 The mercenaries are having their their plunder, you know, divide 343 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:58.319 it up. You know, we see obviously the mercenary is 344 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:03.519 sort of carrousing and drinking, and you know, Gambino shared 345 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:06.559 some of the spoils, right, basically says like all right, 346 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:08.839 like you're you're part of this and we see this. 347 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:12.839 You know he's he could a faint smile from Guts, right, 348 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:17.880 he obviously very proud of, you know, his reward. And 349 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:22.119 we get there looking is one of the most infamous 350 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:26.759 panels in the history of manga, is this guy. Yeah, 351 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:30.079 so we're gonna have to talk around this, right, Uh, 352 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:31.920 We're gonna have to talk around this. And in the 353 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:35.359 next part you hear us mentioning that that Guts does 354 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:37.200 not like to be touched. 355 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:38.559 Uh. 356 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:42.799 Basically what happens is, uh, while you know, Guts is 357 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:47.880 in his room, that figure Donovan uh comes in and 358 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:51.599 you know, forces himself upon you know, Guts as a child. 359 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:55.480 Right. It's uh. I don't want to say it's tastefully done, 360 00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:59.960 but it is horribly graphic. I think it's a taste 361 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.200 It is pretty much you can get depicting that, right. 362 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:07.519 A lot of people complain about the depictions of of 363 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:10.720 of Uh. I don't know what terms are best to 364 00:20:10.839 --> 00:20:15.720 use here. I'm gonna's sexual assault. Well, yes, sexual sexual assault. 365 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:20.319 Right that it's a lot of people and they're mostly women, 366 00:20:20.359 --> 00:20:25.240 and women are gay. It complain about the depictions of 367 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:29.519 sexual violence in Braserk. At no point in Berzerk does 368 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:32.480 he glorify these acts? Does he make them seem like 369 00:20:32.519 --> 00:20:34.480 they're a sick thing that you should want to do. 370 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:38.480 It is always pure victimization of innocence, right, especially this 371 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:41.759 main character, who is also a child by the way, 372 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:47.079 there he is, that's that right after that's yeah what happens. 373 00:20:47.079 --> 00:20:49.200 Had been meaning on that walk for a long time, 374 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:53.279 but yes, that's what happens. And not only that. The 375 00:20:53.319 --> 00:20:56.039 most important aspect of this not just that this happens 376 00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:01.240 to him. Donovan makes it. Donovan says explicit to Guts, 377 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:06.599 Gambino sold you, yeah, like for three means yeah, why you? 378 00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:09.640 Why are you fighting me? You? I paid for this? 379 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:17.559 Right that breaks this child. It's not the act, it's 380 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:21.000 the knowledge that it was sanctioned by the person that 381 00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:25.480 this kid relies upon and sees as a father. That 382 00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:30.559 is what breaks this kid. He he It takes a 383 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:33.720 long time for Guts to be able to be normal 384 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:37.279 after this. And I wouldn't even say that he's normal. 385 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:40.240 They would agree, right, yeah, I would say relatively fine, 386 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:43.960 Like he can accept people putting their hand on him, 387 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:46.359 you know what I mean? It takes him forever, But 388 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:47.920 this is why. 389 00:21:49.720 --> 00:21:52.839 So obviously you see again, you know guts after the 390 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:57.480 after the crime, you know, just completely you know, mentally broken. 391 00:21:58.079 --> 00:22:02.200 And it comes back to you know, Gambino, right, he 392 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:04.960 goes to confront him. He has his sword in hand, 393 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:11.240 looking at him, and apparently Gambino denies, like at least 394 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:14.799 plays dump right, kind of casting doubt on this, you know, 395 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:19.160 and he believes, at least for now, Gambino had no 396 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:22.000 knowledge of it, right, obviously upset, but seemingly he was 397 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:24.680 going to confront his father, you know, bring some kind 398 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:27.680 of justice. But at least for now, the assumption is 399 00:22:27.880 --> 00:22:32.119 that's not the case. So fast forward a little bit, right, 400 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:34.720 we see, you know, the mercenary company on the move 401 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:39.480 and you know, obviously Donovan over gots his shoulder kind 402 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:42.759 of you know, leering at him, and then you know, 403 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:44.880 the charge is off. Right, So there's sort of this 404 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:49.240 chaotic battle scene skipping through it again, very well illustrated. 405 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:52.240 But as they go to chase some uh, you know, 406 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:54.799 some of the stragglers, right, some people fleeing. You know, 407 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:58.400 Donovan is is just mashing these guys with the giant axe. 408 00:22:59.079 --> 00:23:01.359 All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he gets hit 409 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:05.160 with a crossbow and guts the standing behind him right, obviously, 410 00:23:05.160 --> 00:23:08.559 with just murder in his eyes, just looking for revenge. 411 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:14.559 He shoots him, puts him out right and as he's 412 00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:16.839 he's got, you know, a bolt in the guy's face, 413 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:20.640 he's dying, his sword over top of him. He basically says, 414 00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:22.799 like all rights, who sold me out? He got to 415 00:23:22.839 --> 00:23:27.680 tell me? And he kills right nothing, just cold blooded 416 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:31.200 again something we will see from Guts, you know, manys. 417 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:34.559 This is where the black Swordsman is born is in 418 00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:39.039 these moments. This is where this kid learns one. He 419 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:44.920 realizes what one. He can't do anything about what happened 420 00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:48.480 to him. All he can do is feel the pain 421 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:51.759 and the anger and the rage. Right, the the the 422 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:56.440 pressure that is built internally upon a person that has 423 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:58.799 this kind of saying happened to them? Right, You don't 424 00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:03.000 you can't keep that internal. It will break out, and 425 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:05.359 the way in which it manifests for this child is 426 00:24:05.400 --> 00:24:10.480 his rage and this stays with him. Right. The reason 427 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:12.680 that I love this arc so much is because this 428 00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:21.160 establishes how Guts responds to the world trying to destroy him. 429 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:25.160 It's one way. He picks up a sword and he 430 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:28.519 fights it. He goes for it, and he will kill you. 431 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:32.720 Like right here, he has shown if you have wronged me, 432 00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:38.400 there is no moral system, there's no laws, that none 433 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:40.359 of that is going to mean anything to me. I'm 434 00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:43.599 going to come for you. Right, Guts has already established it. 435 00:24:43.640 --> 00:24:48.559 He is willing to act outside of sociality. He is 436 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:53.400 willing to be outside of what is considered moral to 437 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:56.720 get the justice that he that he that he that 438 00:24:56.799 --> 00:25:00.960 he believes is correct, and any person would agree with him. Right, Like, 439 00:25:01.160 --> 00:25:04.400 nobody watches that and goes man, Donovan really should have 440 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:09.039 gone through a trial. Nobody, nobody cares. Right, but that 441 00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:12.799 that willingness to go outside of the rules, right, all 442 00:25:12.839 --> 00:25:15.759 of that, that, all of this is building into the 443 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:17.319 person that we see him as in the Black Sides 444 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:19.880 of an arc. Right, But there is yet more, there 445 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:24.400 is yet more to be inflicted upon this boy, because, 446 00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:28.799 as I've said many times, so many people, Guts had 447 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:31.319 a hard life. Right. 448 00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:36.400 So, moving slightly forward, the battle continues and Gambino is crippled. 449 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:40.200 He loses a leg I think due to an explosion 450 00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:42.559 or you know, the gate kind of falls over on him. 451 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:48.240 And there's an interesting moment where you know, Gambino is 452 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:50.759 you know, on his back in bed, you know, he's 453 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:56.480 missing a leg and looking over him, right, Guts is 454 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.599 seeing you know, this man who's you know, at one 455 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:02.880 time the most powerful figure in his life, now an invalid. Right, 456 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:07.000 he reflects on you know, Donovan beating him, giving him 457 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:10.480 the cut across the bridge of his nose. But he 458 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:14.880 sees that he's helpless, or he sees that he's delirious. 459 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:18.279 He's he's calling out for help, and he decides to 460 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:22.000 help him. So we skip, you know, two years forward, right, 461 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:24.559 we see now Guts has become a full fledged mercenary, 462 00:26:24.839 --> 00:26:27.920 you know, riding a horse still again, right, very young, 463 00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:32.599 but at this point he's an accomplished killer. And after 464 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:35.680 the battle he returns back to Gambino, who is you know, 465 00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:38.240 an invalid now, you know, back at camp. Sort of 466 00:26:38.359 --> 00:26:42.240 reversal of situations where now Gambino, right, is a dead 467 00:26:42.279 --> 00:26:43.200 weight on Guts. 468 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:48.960 Absolutely, he is fully transitioned to being deadbeat dad, even right, 469 00:26:49.160 --> 00:26:53.559 even with the dog, even with the dogs so brutal, 470 00:26:54.039 --> 00:26:57.400 it is so brutal, I killed the animal. Like, look 471 00:26:57.440 --> 00:27:00.240 at him, he's so earnest. He just wants his dad 472 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:05.160 to care, to feel like, wow, great job, you did something. 473 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:07.160 Be proud of me man, like, what the hell? Right? 474 00:27:07.160 --> 00:27:09.599 And you know that he wants that. He craves it 475 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:12.720 because you've seen the one time that that happened. Gambino 476 00:27:12.799 --> 00:27:15.880 like gave him a little compliment, right, Guts was excited. 477 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:19.440 He loves that vallet he Why would a child want 478 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:22.640 not want to feel validation? Right, it all tracks, it's 479 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:25.480 all perfectly. He's a kid, right, But this guy doesn't 480 00:27:25.480 --> 00:27:27.640 give a shit. He's in his own world now. He 481 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:30.319 is fully deadbeat, right, he is the Only thing that 482 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:33.279 matters to him is his own victimization, is his own 483 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:36.039 like now I can't be a strong man anymore. Now 484 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:38.400 I can't be the guy I used to be. That's 485 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:40.799 all that matters to Gambino. He doesn't care about Guts. 486 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:42.519 He doesn't care about what Guts us for him. He 487 00:27:42.519 --> 00:27:45.160 doesn't care about the fact that Guts is literally providing 488 00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:48.400 for him. To him, it's like that that's just what 489 00:27:48.440 --> 00:27:52.359 you should do. This guy is the biggest scumbag dad 490 00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:55.799 of all I think in all manga, this guy is 491 00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:59.079 the scumbag dad. I don't think it gets worse than him. Well, 492 00:27:59.079 --> 00:28:01.720 and we see him right even as an invalid using 493 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:05.119 his crutches to you know, slap Guts upside the head, 494 00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:13.240 turn wine quick enough, exactly get me drunk faster, right, right, 495 00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:17.079 So going forward, we see this interaction where he's kind 496 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:20.599 of Gambino is sort of sparring with the other mercenaries 497 00:28:20.920 --> 00:28:24.440 again trying to you know, sort of you know, re 498 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:30.079 establish his authority, and back in the the kind of 499 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:33.200 treasure room, right, we see Guts is furious he's been 500 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:36.359 given a large reward for killing the enemy general. Obviously 501 00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:39.039 he's mad that he's you know about the interaction with 502 00:28:39.079 --> 00:28:41.839 his father, so is he. He kind of spikes the 503 00:28:41.920 --> 00:28:45.599 you know, the the gold on the ground, buries his 504 00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:50.519 sword in the you know, in the support to the tent, 505 00:28:51.319 --> 00:28:53.240 and you know, that's the end of it. But it 506 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:57.440 goes back to his tent later kind of in it 507 00:28:57.519 --> 00:29:00.559 shot very similarly to both Guts falling sleep with the 508 00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:07.400 sword earlier and also the scene with Donovan and towering 509 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:09.400 over top of him in the middle of the night. 510 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:15.319 After this interaction, we see Gambino right with his sword out, 511 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:20.400 You're seemingly going to kill his dutiful adopted son. So 512 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:24.359 he just right look at again, you're well said, right, 513 00:29:24.440 --> 00:29:28.440 sharp teeth, blank eyes, you know, this sort of just 514 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:32.559 motivated by murderous rage, and almost without saying anything, he 515 00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:36.240 swings for right. He's just going for it. Guts is 516 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:41.799 obviously disturbed by this. His first thought is he's drunk, 517 00:29:42.880 --> 00:29:45.880 and oh, yeah, She'shu. That is the name I had 518 00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:50.960 that correct, And he's furious with him, you know, basically saying, like. 519 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:55.079 You you cursed me. You know you were you know, unlucky. Right, 520 00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:58.000 That idea of being cursed something that will carry through 521 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:01.359 with him. He tells him, you know, on that day 522 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:05.079 eleven years ago, you should have died, like over and 523 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:08.359 over again. Still seemingly this was just a ruse because 524 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:11.319 you know, while Guts is looking, you know, desponded, gamp 525 00:30:11.319 --> 00:30:14.839 Beato just swings for him, and finally Guts decides to 526 00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:15.359 fight back. 527 00:30:15.480 --> 00:30:15.599 Right. 528 00:30:15.640 --> 00:30:19.880 He pulls out a sword and starts defending himself, and 529 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:24.920 we get the final confirmation. Right, Gambino admits he sold 530 00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:28.440 him for three silver coins. Right again, this is a 531 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:31.920 very disturbing moment, and he says, I was sick of you. 532 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:34.880 I wanted wanted rid of you, I wanted you gone. 533 00:30:35.640 --> 00:30:39.079 You killed, he says, you killed she. He blames this 534 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:43.319 kid for everything, like this is any I feel like 535 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:46.759 anyone who had an alcoholic dad or something, right Like, 536 00:30:46.839 --> 00:30:48.319 I was fortunate enough I didn't have to deal with 537 00:30:48.359 --> 00:30:50.480 that kind of thing. But that was a pretty normal guy. 538 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:53.319 But I have heard absolute horror stor some people that 539 00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:55.680 I know very well, right that this is exactly the 540 00:30:55.759 --> 00:30:59.279 kind of thing that would happen. Guy barges into your 541 00:30:59.319 --> 00:31:01.519 room in the middle of the nights, he's fucked up, 542 00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:04.960 and he just starts dumping all of his problems on 543 00:31:05.079 --> 00:31:07.960 you and saying they're because of you. Things like this 544 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:11.880 are hyper common in these kinds of relationships with with 545 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:14.519 extremely dysfunctional people like this, right, Like, this is a 546 00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:17.880 you know, despite this being in a in a fantasy 547 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:21.279 you know, uh manga that takes place in medieval times, 548 00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:25.079 these are real interactions between people. This is these are 549 00:31:25.160 --> 00:31:30.119 real interpersonal relationships that children have been hurt like this 550 00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:35.000 so many times. Right, this is why Berserk has this reputation. 551 00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:37.720 The people that have read it, that have given it 552 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:40.200 the time, that have that have not just looked at 553 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:42.039 it as some sort of like torture porn, like a 554 00:31:42.200 --> 00:31:45.640 like in the most shallow sense that can look at 555 00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:48.480 these He's doing so much in these panels. There's so 556 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:51.480 much to all the reactions, to the to the to 557 00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:55.039 the to the facial you know, responses, this is this, 558 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:57.880 these are he writes them like the real humans, right, 559 00:31:57.920 --> 00:32:00.880 And that's the mark of a good author, right, and 560 00:32:00.920 --> 00:32:05.920 a mark of a good storyteller. This scene, it's so devastating, 561 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:11.240 like all of this kid's worst anxieties are being confirmed 562 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:13.640 by the only person that he didn't want them to 563 00:32:13.640 --> 00:32:17.240 be confirmed by while he's trying to kill him. And 564 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:22.119 it's like he can't be more candid. He's drunk, you 565 00:32:22.119 --> 00:32:24.920 know what I mean. It's not like he's lying. He's 566 00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:27.720 saying exactly what he feels, right, And it's the first 567 00:32:27.720 --> 00:32:30.799 time that Gambino's really being honest with this kid, and 568 00:32:30.839 --> 00:32:35.000 he just uses it to destroy him emotionally so he 569 00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:37.319 can kill him. And the result is. 570 00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:44.519 The result is guts kills Gambino. Again, the high contrast 571 00:32:44.559 --> 00:32:47.119 style we see you know at these sort of moments, right, 572 00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:49.880 the black background, the white foreground, you know, all the 573 00:32:49.920 --> 00:32:56.359 shading in between, just excellently illustrated. But he is, you know, 574 00:32:56.599 --> 00:33:02.279 he's a patricide. He has killed his father despite everything else. Again, 575 00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:04.920 very very dramatic scene. Way to end. 576 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:10.720 Uh you know that volume. Uh the action picks up 577 00:33:10.839 --> 00:33:17.400 almost immediately afterwards. Uh, Guts is forced to beat a retreat. Right, 578 00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:22.680 He's obviously, you know, horrified as the band, the mercenary band, 579 00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:25.640 turns on him. They assume that he murdered him and 580 00:33:25.720 --> 00:33:29.720 he has to just run. And again, any person, and 581 00:33:29.839 --> 00:33:33.119 especially any man, you know, like this. You know women, 582 00:33:33.240 --> 00:33:37.799 women do enjoy berserk, but I berserk is like it 583 00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:42.359 is a story for males. This is about in many ways, 584 00:33:43.240 --> 00:33:45.039 so much of what makes it what it is about 585 00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:47.160 what it is to be male, you know what I mean, 586 00:33:47.240 --> 00:33:51.200 And and how our position in the world is sort 587 00:33:51.200 --> 00:33:54.640 of dictated and for us right in many ways, and 588 00:33:54.680 --> 00:33:57.519 for much of the history of man. Right now, everybody 589 00:33:57.559 --> 00:33:59.559 is a soldier, right, I'm not trying to imply that 590 00:33:59.559 --> 00:34:02.640 all males soldiers and that's how it worked. But at 591 00:34:02.640 --> 00:34:05.359 the drop of the hat, you would be expected to 592 00:34:05.480 --> 00:34:07.319 be do you know what I'm saying? Like that is 593 00:34:07.359 --> 00:34:10.800 our role, that is our job is to potentially die 594 00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:17.880 for the greater hole. So this the nature of these things, 595 00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:20.840 how Guts respond to them, and not just him, but 596 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:24.000 many of the other characters. Right, there's a reason that 597 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:28.360 this story is so it touches so close to so 598 00:34:28.519 --> 00:34:31.199 many guys that read this, right, they feel it. They 599 00:34:31.239 --> 00:34:34.119 imagine being this kid. Man, they put themselves in the 600 00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:36.880 position of that show. They remember what they were as children, 601 00:34:36.960 --> 00:34:38.880 and they look at this and imagine themselves in this position. Man, 602 00:34:38.920 --> 00:34:40.639 imagine being hunted by a bunch of dudes, you know, 603 00:34:42.079 --> 00:34:45.199 for a thing you didn't even your dad's trying to 604 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:48.000 kill you. You defend yourself and then these guys are trying 605 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:49.519 to murder you on top of that. Like, this is 606 00:34:49.920 --> 00:34:53.000 just horror, horror, horror story. This whole kid's this kid's 607 00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:54.599 whole life. It's just like. 608 00:34:56.280 --> 00:34:56.360 That. 609 00:34:56.559 --> 00:34:59.480 I remember that series of series of unfortunate events. They 610 00:34:59.480 --> 00:35:01.280 could have could have been that could have been the 611 00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:04.559 English title of Bersers, genuinely, because that is life gets 612 00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:07.159 his life, right, It's just it's just one bad thing 613 00:35:07.480 --> 00:35:10.880 into another, right, and this kid just surviving it, surviving 614 00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:15.119 it as best he can. Yeah, certainly. 615 00:35:15.159 --> 00:35:17.079 So he's on the run again. We see that that, 616 00:35:17.840 --> 00:35:21.559 you know, repetition, the idea that he is cursed. So 617 00:35:21.639 --> 00:35:25.400 the Mercenary band catches up to him, right, he's unable 618 00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:28.400 to escape. They shoot him, and you know, in very 619 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:33.199 theatric form, he tumbles into a river. Right when he 620 00:35:33.239 --> 00:35:37.599 regains consciousness, we get just a very beautiful shot right 621 00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:39.960 of him laying on his back, an arrow, you know, 622 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.719 poking up through his chest that oh yeah, there it is. Yeah, yeah, 623 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:48.880 the stars you know, over top of him. But right, 624 00:35:48.960 --> 00:35:53.079 the piece doesn't last, right. He he gets up, obviously, 625 00:35:53.119 --> 00:35:57.199 he sees the you know, the beautiful sky and as 626 00:35:57.199 --> 00:36:00.559 he's sort of stumbling along with this sword again, uh, 627 00:36:00.679 --> 00:36:04.840 something we will see often repeated. He's sort of wondering, 628 00:36:05.800 --> 00:36:08.800 what's the point of even living anymore? Right, what's the 629 00:36:08.800 --> 00:36:11.440 point of living in a world where there's only bad things? 630 00:36:12.039 --> 00:36:15.159 But despite that, right, despite the fact that he lives, 631 00:36:15.519 --> 00:36:18.039 you know, a horrible life. He's no nothing but kind 632 00:36:18.079 --> 00:36:21.880 of violence and betrayal. When the wolves come around, he 633 00:36:21.960 --> 00:36:25.440 can't stop fighting, right, despite the fact that his life 634 00:36:25.519 --> 00:36:26.119 is horrible. 635 00:36:26.760 --> 00:36:30.719 He literally says it's over, and he's he's and he 636 00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:35.159 just automatically reacts. Right. I love this. I love this. 637 00:36:35.159 --> 00:36:38.239 This is that you know, indomitable human spirit meme. This 638 00:36:38.320 --> 00:36:41.920 is But Gutsy is that character he he can't just 639 00:36:41.960 --> 00:36:43.559 go down, you know what I mean? He had there's 640 00:36:43.599 --> 00:36:47.119 something in him that goes nah, not fuck that. 641 00:36:47.320 --> 00:36:50.039 Well and tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty 642 00:36:50.039 --> 00:36:55.280 sure this section is heavily referenced in gene Row, Like 643 00:36:55.320 --> 00:36:56.840 the visuals are very similar. 644 00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:02.559 Well forgot, I think so. I think so. It's been 645 00:37:02.599 --> 00:37:04.159 such a long time since I watched in Row that 646 00:37:04.199 --> 00:37:06.159 I can't remember. Who knows if he even was deliberate 647 00:37:06.239 --> 00:37:09.440 or not, but these are very similar since Yeah, super 648 00:37:09.440 --> 00:37:12.599 influential in the right time too, exactly. Yeah, by the way, 649 00:37:12.639 --> 00:37:15.079 everybody out there, if you haven't seen General the Wolf Frigid, 650 00:37:15.239 --> 00:37:17.440 go watch General the Wolf brigad. It is fucking sick. 651 00:37:17.920 --> 00:37:21.159 In three years, renis when we're done with this, I 652 00:37:21.199 --> 00:37:22.880 want to bring you on to do a review of that. 653 00:37:24.159 --> 00:37:27.159 I love that, and almost no one else will talk 654 00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:29.320 to me about it. It's actually yeah, no gedious version 655 00:37:29.360 --> 00:37:30.559 of my podcast intro. 656 00:37:30.679 --> 00:37:35.480 It pulled a lot from Genro Fucking Rules, General fucking Rules. 657 00:37:35.480 --> 00:37:38.440 It is absolutely amazing. Beautiful work again, beautiful work. A 658 00:37:38.480 --> 00:37:40.840 lot of the stuff that was coming out late eighties 659 00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:44.440 early nineties of Japan was just fucking fantastic. They really 660 00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:49.039 really cared. A lot of love soul went into that stuff, 661 00:37:49.079 --> 00:37:53.440 both from animation, storytelling, you know, the manga themselves. Right, 662 00:37:53.480 --> 00:37:56.639 the drawings, the drafts, work, all of it is. These 663 00:37:56.639 --> 00:37:59.079 are all monumental works. In my opinion, this is like 664 00:37:59.280 --> 00:38:03.360 a true a movement A time friend, I was like 665 00:38:03.400 --> 00:38:08.119 a It laid up such a powerful foundation for what 666 00:38:08.119 --> 00:38:10.800 we're in now. Think about the amount of big sword guys, right, Like, 667 00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:13.360 think about all of that. Right, we live in a 668 00:38:13.440 --> 00:38:16.880 world that was in many ways, like the the flavor 669 00:38:16.880 --> 00:38:19.920 of the water was helped to be created by these stories, right, 670 00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.880 these aesthetic languages. Four years later, what a beautiful times good. 671 00:38:26.280 --> 00:38:29.679 It's such a spread, bro. I know, I know, I 672 00:38:29.679 --> 00:38:32.960 should stop doing this because it's it's probably repetitive to hear, 673 00:38:33.360 --> 00:38:35.559 you know, two guys on a podcast say this art's 674 00:38:35.599 --> 00:38:38.079 really good. But man, the art's really good. Like, what 675 00:38:38.119 --> 00:38:41.440 do you say? Uh, that's part of the story of 676 00:38:41.440 --> 00:38:45.440 what Berserk is. It's mirror's drawings. He is like, if 677 00:38:45.480 --> 00:38:50.480 Berserk was drawn and written by a lesser artist, I 678 00:38:50.480 --> 00:38:52.800 don't think it would have that same cultural impact that 679 00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:56.960 it does. It was the esthetic sensibilities of Kantaro Mura 680 00:38:57.519 --> 00:39:01.480 that led it to where it was. It's not just 681 00:39:01.920 --> 00:39:04.320 the choices that he made, it's the it's the the 682 00:39:04.320 --> 00:39:07.079 fidelity with which he can, he can realize these things. 683 00:39:07.119 --> 00:39:10.239 It's the way he frames, it's the way he panels. 684 00:39:10.599 --> 00:39:13.239 That is part of the the The entire Monk is 685 00:39:13.280 --> 00:39:17.360 a visual feast. You can literally spend more time just 686 00:39:17.599 --> 00:39:21.599 looking at the images than reading the dialogue and the plot. 687 00:39:21.920 --> 00:39:24.519 It's there's that much packed in and that's part of 688 00:39:24.519 --> 00:39:26.360 the reason. Also why there was this This mouk was 689 00:39:26.400 --> 00:39:28.599 done monthly, and part of the reason why it took 690 00:39:28.679 --> 00:39:31.559 so long in some places to get finished is because 691 00:39:32.000 --> 00:39:34.880 he's doing this ship, you know what I mean. It's yeah, 692 00:39:34.960 --> 00:39:37.559 it's like, yeah, if this took three months to make, 693 00:39:37.599 --> 00:39:39.920 I wouldn't be surprised. But he was putting these out monthly, 694 00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:42.480 so yeah, that tells you also what the workload must 695 00:39:42.519 --> 00:39:43.440 be like O. 696 00:39:43.440 --> 00:39:46.599 Well, and it's like obviously it's it's grim, but he 697 00:39:46.639 --> 00:39:48.320 did actually work himself to death. 698 00:39:48.400 --> 00:39:51.079 Yeah. He literally died at his at his desk, his 699 00:39:51.079 --> 00:39:55.880 his his aortic uh uh artery, so one of the 700 00:39:55.920 --> 00:40:01.119 main arteries into the heart, it's it split bin and 701 00:40:01.159 --> 00:40:04.559 he bled out and died. That's that's how that's how 702 00:40:04.679 --> 00:40:09.239 my boy died. Absolutely brutal, can't stand it, really really 703 00:40:09.239 --> 00:40:11.199 heartbreaking man, And he died he also died like a 704 00:40:11.239 --> 00:40:13.079 few days before. My birthday was really brutal for me. 705 00:40:13.119 --> 00:40:15.400 I was, I was so upset. Holy shit. 706 00:40:16.440 --> 00:40:20.639 Let's continue though, returning to the narrative, he's able to 707 00:40:20.719 --> 00:40:23.679 fend off the wolves. Right, He's he's injured, he's already 708 00:40:23.719 --> 00:40:27.599 been shot, passes out and is picked up by another 709 00:40:27.679 --> 00:40:32.400 one of these traveling mercenary bands. So four years later, right, 710 00:40:32.440 --> 00:40:35.760 we see this this siege again. Man, even the background 711 00:40:35.840 --> 00:40:38.480 characters are just so well done. And as you know, 712 00:40:38.519 --> 00:40:42.039 the gate busts down, right, this this army is surging in. 713 00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:47.199 We see we got a classic berserk moment. Just a 714 00:40:47.280 --> 00:40:50.920 big ass guy, big ass guy shows up. 715 00:40:51.360 --> 00:40:54.840 It's just a goon, right, And as he's standing in 716 00:40:54.880 --> 00:40:58.400 the line, right, the leader, the sort of noble it was, 717 00:40:58.519 --> 00:40:59.519 ordering his men forward. 718 00:40:59.559 --> 00:41:01.599 They won't do it, and he. 719 00:41:01.559 --> 00:41:03.320 Basically calls it to the crowd. It's like, all right, 720 00:41:03.320 --> 00:41:05.800 who's gonna who's gonna take care of this? They have 721 00:41:05.920 --> 00:41:10.199 anoy a Troy moment, right, like, call forth your champion, right, yeah, 722 00:41:10.239 --> 00:41:13.239 Guts doesn't even say nothing, he just shrides forward. And 723 00:41:13.280 --> 00:41:16.880 he's obviously young. He is still a young person. He's 724 00:41:16.920 --> 00:41:19.480 not a kid anymore. Let's keep in mind everything up 725 00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:23.280 to this point. He was eleven, right, he was eleven 726 00:41:23.360 --> 00:41:26.079 years old when he killed Gambino and have to run away. 727 00:41:27.719 --> 00:41:32.320 He's so he's fifteen here, yeah, plus or minus? Yeah, yeah, 728 00:41:32.480 --> 00:41:36.760 that is insane. Right, And this kid is obviously, like 729 00:41:38.719 --> 00:41:41.800 just to look at him, right, this is a hard person. 730 00:41:42.039 --> 00:41:44.440 This is a this is and this kid is ruthless. 731 00:41:44.480 --> 00:41:48.519 There's no mercy in the eyes, there's no hesitation. He 732 00:41:48.559 --> 00:41:52.239 looks like he knows exactly what he is doing. Everybody 733 00:41:52.280 --> 00:41:54.920 counts him out right, he's I love this when he 734 00:41:54.960 --> 00:42:01.639 goes when he starts negotiating the price, yes, guy, oh 735 00:42:01.719 --> 00:42:03.079 my god, so disrespectful. 736 00:42:04.320 --> 00:42:06.800 Well, and and this is a you know, again the 737 00:42:06.920 --> 00:42:10.039 sort of great line art we see. But he, you know, 738 00:42:10.119 --> 00:42:13.599 is successfully able to kill this man. I actually think 739 00:42:13.639 --> 00:42:16.800 that the transition between the last volume and this one 740 00:42:17.079 --> 00:42:22.440 is significant the improvement in the artwork. And the artwork 741 00:42:22.519 --> 00:42:26.840 was already really really good. But he even this sequence 742 00:42:26.960 --> 00:42:30.880 just here is already better than every combat sequence that 743 00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:34.760 he's done previous to this. Right, The the implication of 744 00:42:34.840 --> 00:42:37.079 speed and power that he's putting here. 745 00:42:37.760 --> 00:42:40.360 There are a couple of uh, just briefly there there 746 00:42:40.360 --> 00:42:43.719 are they made three berserk movies. All right, most of 747 00:42:43.760 --> 00:42:49.400 the animated berserk stuff is passable or terrible. Everything made 748 00:42:49.679 --> 00:42:54.639 recently is genuinely so bad that do not watch it. 749 00:42:54.639 --> 00:42:58.599 It actually ruins it in many ways. The twenty sixteen 750 00:42:58.599 --> 00:43:03.360 stuff's awful, Yeah, absolutely terrible, absolutely terrible. But there were 751 00:43:03.400 --> 00:43:07.119 three films that were made. They're based on this arc 752 00:43:07.159 --> 00:43:09.280 of the Golden Age. Right. They don't show the I 753 00:43:09.760 --> 00:43:11.800 don't think they show the like the stuff when he's 754 00:43:11.840 --> 00:43:14.400 a little kid, but it starts basically from here, right, 755 00:43:14.599 --> 00:43:17.159 This fight and the whole band of the Hawk, all 756 00:43:17.199 --> 00:43:20.400 of that. They're pretty great in some ways. There are 757 00:43:20.400 --> 00:43:22.840 problems with them, obviously, but they're pretty great in some ways. 758 00:43:22.840 --> 00:43:24.960 And one of the ways that I really really enjoyed 759 00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:27.840 that film is the way in which they depict this fight, 760 00:43:28.199 --> 00:43:32.199 because they make Guts seem completely psychotic. If you were, like, 761 00:43:32.280 --> 00:43:34.400 if you were to fight somebody who could move like 762 00:43:34.480 --> 00:43:37.760 that with that kind of weapons, He's putting you into 763 00:43:37.800 --> 00:43:40.559 pieces in seconds. Like it's like, as I've said before, 764 00:43:40.559 --> 00:43:44.119 it's like fighting an industrial machine rather than a person. 765 00:43:44.519 --> 00:43:46.840 He's hitting you harder than you think he should be 766 00:43:46.880 --> 00:43:49.199 able to hit you, and he's doing it too many times. 767 00:43:49.280 --> 00:43:51.440 Look at this guy. This guy's massive, and he's like, 768 00:43:51.519 --> 00:43:53.199 what is going on? This is a this is a 769 00:43:53.239 --> 00:43:56.000 fifteen year old He outweighs him, probably by two hundred pounds, 770 00:43:56.440 --> 00:44:00.000 and he's getting pushed back. Right, this kid is nassy. 771 00:44:00.400 --> 00:44:04.559 He is insanely strong, and he's very very good at swordsmanship. 772 00:44:04.760 --> 00:44:08.320 He's not just swinging around a big sword, a big 773 00:44:08.360 --> 00:44:11.239 heavy sword and hitting people hard. He can swing it 774 00:44:11.679 --> 00:44:15.039 with the speed of a lesser weapon. He is not 775 00:44:15.239 --> 00:44:21.199 just good, he's excellent. Right, he is extremely dangerous already, 776 00:44:21.199 --> 00:44:24.280 and he's fifteen years old. Right. Yeah, so he works 777 00:44:24.280 --> 00:44:26.159 this dude, and there it is. 778 00:44:27.360 --> 00:44:30.239 Yeah, that's an iconic absolustration. 779 00:44:30.599 --> 00:44:32.960 Right. They already sort of foreshadowing the eye, right, though 780 00:44:33.039 --> 00:44:34.280 only the one eye right. 781 00:44:35.199 --> 00:44:39.239 One hundred percent. So the battle continues, right, he he 782 00:44:39.320 --> 00:44:40.440 kills this champion. 783 00:44:41.119 --> 00:44:41.239 Uh. 784 00:44:41.719 --> 00:44:46.039 Then afterwards we see an interesting again continuing the kind 785 00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:49.519 of mirror between you know, Griffith and Guts that's sort 786 00:44:49.519 --> 00:44:53.599 of at the beginning of this. After the battle is over, right, 787 00:44:53.679 --> 00:44:57.239 this this nobleman who offered him the money, right, basically 788 00:44:57.280 --> 00:45:00.400 comes back afterwards and says like, all right, like you 789 00:45:00.480 --> 00:45:03.119 did a really good job. Not only are you getting 790 00:45:03.119 --> 00:45:06.480 a cash reward, but if you want, I'll promote you 791 00:45:06.519 --> 00:45:10.360 to a squire, right, offer you a chance at minor nobility, 792 00:45:11.039 --> 00:45:17.639 and Gus just leaves. Right, He's just completely uninterested. Basically 793 00:45:17.960 --> 00:45:20.679 sounds gay pretty much. 794 00:45:21.559 --> 00:45:22.079 Uh. 795 00:45:22.519 --> 00:45:25.639 We see we actually see him strike this noble when 796 00:45:25.679 --> 00:45:28.960 he puts his hand on him for absolutely obvious reasons. 797 00:45:29.360 --> 00:45:33.440 But nonetheless, you know, he leaves. There's a shot where 798 00:45:33.480 --> 00:45:36.239 we see during the battle, right, Griffith is there too, 799 00:45:36.719 --> 00:45:39.400 and he's noticed Gut. Ye he watches the fight. He 800 00:45:39.440 --> 00:45:43.920 watches the fight between Guts and bus Buzz. Yeah, I 801 00:45:44.320 --> 00:45:47.440 for those wondering, much like you know, dark soils or 802 00:45:47.480 --> 00:45:50.880 any other you know, Japanese property with Western tones. Uh, 803 00:45:51.480 --> 00:45:54.679 there's a whole lot of fake words that sound like 804 00:45:54.760 --> 00:45:57.559 English words to Japanese people. So I'm just gonna have 805 00:45:57.599 --> 00:46:00.360 to get used to it, especially hundred. 806 00:46:00.920 --> 00:46:04.920 Just embrace, just embrace the names. Allow it, allow it. 807 00:46:06.679 --> 00:46:10.239 So next we see Guts, you know, walking away by 808 00:46:10.320 --> 00:46:16.440 himself and Griffin's Griffith's band notices him. Right, Griffith is 809 00:46:16.519 --> 00:46:19.079 just passed out. A couple of the guys race. 810 00:46:19.360 --> 00:46:21.719 He usually laying in the grass like a like a 811 00:46:21.760 --> 00:46:23.960 little cool guy, you know, what I mean, just hanging 812 00:46:24.000 --> 00:46:27.679 out right, and and we're a couple. He's hippie maxing, 813 00:46:27.719 --> 00:46:28.679 you know what I mean, he's just chilling. 814 00:46:29.159 --> 00:46:30.199 Yeah, he's grounding. 815 00:46:30.679 --> 00:46:32.079 Uh. 816 00:46:32.320 --> 00:46:34.920 But basically a couple of the mercenaries decide to go 817 00:46:35.000 --> 00:46:36.880 after right, like, oh, he's probably got a bunch of 818 00:46:36.880 --> 00:46:40.920 money on him, so you armed men bear down on him, 819 00:46:41.159 --> 00:46:45.519 gus horsemen without on horseback, without skipping a beat, he 820 00:46:45.719 --> 00:46:49.679 just cuts the first guy down right just again, yeah, 821 00:46:49.840 --> 00:46:54.000 just completely Bisex one of the first unnamed goons. Again 822 00:46:54.039 --> 00:46:58.480 another another great panel here, and obviously, you know, the 823 00:46:58.519 --> 00:47:01.800 men start to surround him, right, he's fending them off. 824 00:47:01.800 --> 00:47:05.920 He cuts another guy's arm off, but they call back 825 00:47:05.960 --> 00:47:10.440 for help right too. Cosca, who will become a character, 826 00:47:10.519 --> 00:47:14.320 will see much more from her. But basically, these couple 827 00:47:14.400 --> 00:47:17.039 guys have gotten into a situation where they can't handle it, 828 00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:19.760 so they're calling for more help. So she, you know, 829 00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:22.920 armors up, goes in guts is still you know, staring 830 00:47:23.000 --> 00:47:26.519 down you know the rest of the guys, but Costca 831 00:47:26.559 --> 00:47:32.039 shoots him just out of a crossbow bull to Yeah, yeah. 832 00:47:31.280 --> 00:47:33.320 Which is you know, it's sort of dirty pool. But 833 00:47:33.480 --> 00:47:34.400 neither here nor there. 834 00:47:34.920 --> 00:47:37.960 The point is you know that the fight continues. Guts 835 00:47:38.039 --> 00:47:40.679 Is is you know, wounded but still going, and him 836 00:47:40.719 --> 00:47:43.519 and Costca go at it. She's on horseback, he's not. 837 00:47:43.960 --> 00:47:48.119 They're trading blows again. Art Is is very very good here, 838 00:47:48.840 --> 00:47:51.320 and you know, he knocks her helmet off. He gets 839 00:47:51.320 --> 00:47:51.920 the advantage. 840 00:47:52.320 --> 00:47:55.800 And you can tell she's good because she can she 841 00:47:55.880 --> 00:47:59.840 can actually perry him, right, she can't. She immediately know 842 00:48:00.159 --> 00:48:02.159 that he's way stronger than she thought he would be, 843 00:48:02.199 --> 00:48:05.760 and she's like, what holy shit, But she can still 844 00:48:05.920 --> 00:48:09.480 keep him from just destroying her, right, So she has 845 00:48:09.519 --> 00:48:11.280 that skill. And then he gets surprised that the fact 846 00:48:11.320 --> 00:48:13.079 that she's a girl. He's like, what the hell? Right, 847 00:48:13.079 --> 00:48:15.920 she's a woman. I would have never expected that, right 848 00:48:16.519 --> 00:48:19.440 and right? Yeah, which you know something, you know people 849 00:48:19.480 --> 00:48:22.880 like to do the whole irm coscas a girl? How come? 850 00:48:23.000 --> 00:48:23.199 Right? 851 00:48:23.719 --> 00:48:28.639 And it's like, guy, listen, blades are blades. They are 852 00:48:28.719 --> 00:48:33.039 force equalizers. Right. If you know how to use a 853 00:48:33.079 --> 00:48:37.719 sword and fight with the sword, you being thirty percent 854 00:48:37.800 --> 00:48:41.880 stronger whatever really isn't that big of a deal. And 855 00:48:42.079 --> 00:48:47.440 the way swords fighting works, you can block a heavier, 856 00:48:47.519 --> 00:48:51.920 stronger blow relatively easily because it's It's about physical structure. 857 00:48:51.920 --> 00:48:54.199 It's physics. It's not a like, oh I hold my 858 00:48:54.320 --> 00:48:55.920 arm out out there and if I'm strong enough, I 859 00:48:55.920 --> 00:48:58.760 can block your blow. It's you're trying to push through 860 00:48:58.760 --> 00:49:01.039 my entire body. It's a grap you know what I mean? 861 00:49:01.039 --> 00:49:04.039 If you know how to do it, somebody being strong 862 00:49:04.079 --> 00:49:07.400 doesn't make a difference. It's about technique, right, So she can, 863 00:49:08.719 --> 00:49:12.599 you know, to a degree? She she like, it's not 864 00:49:12.880 --> 00:49:15.000 insane to imagine that a woman would be able to 865 00:49:15.039 --> 00:49:16.880 kill people with a fucking weapon, right, It's not. It's 866 00:49:16.880 --> 00:49:22.599 not impossible. Well, and to be fair, she is exceptional, Like, yes, exactly, 867 00:49:22.679 --> 00:49:25.920 she's not. This isn't considered like normal. Coska is a 868 00:49:26.039 --> 00:49:28.480 exceptional person by every means that there's no other women 869 00:49:29.119 --> 00:49:32.400 fighters in the band. Right, obviously put her there because 870 00:49:32.679 --> 00:49:34.079 it was cool to have a woman in the story. 871 00:49:34.079 --> 00:49:36.840 But I like Casca. I like Coska as a character. 872 00:49:36.880 --> 00:49:38.760 I think she's interesting in her own right. Her own 873 00:49:38.760 --> 00:49:41.360 little conflict that's going on in her head is interesting. 874 00:49:41.480 --> 00:49:45.199 Her dynamic with Griffith and Guts is interesting. And her 875 00:49:45.239 --> 00:49:47.639 position in the band I also think is interesting because 876 00:49:47.639 --> 00:49:50.679 she's sort of like a manager administrator, right, She's the 877 00:49:50.760 --> 00:49:55.239 one who is She's like the disciplinarian where Griffiths runs 878 00:49:55.320 --> 00:49:58.840 the show, right, she Costka is always the person who's 879 00:49:59.239 --> 00:50:03.079 reprimanding people. Right, She's the one telling Corcus not to 880 00:50:03.119 --> 00:50:05.199 go after Guts in the first place. She's the one 881 00:50:05.239 --> 00:50:07.679 who is like, he's gonna do something to you, and 882 00:50:07.719 --> 00:50:09.519 then it happens. She's the one that comes to bail 883 00:50:09.599 --> 00:50:14.880 them out. She's like mom, right, and so yeah, you're 884 00:50:14.920 --> 00:50:17.519 completely correct. But as as the you know, the fight 885 00:50:17.679 --> 00:50:21.159 wraps up, Griffith basically throws a spear into it. He 886 00:50:21.239 --> 00:50:24.320 breaks up the fight again. Just a super cool image, 887 00:50:24.679 --> 00:50:30.039 very very ominous. Yes, his his design is so masterful. 888 00:50:30.079 --> 00:50:33.159 I love his Like the helmet is stull iconic. Right, 889 00:50:33.239 --> 00:50:37.360 this is such a perfectly rendered character. And then I 890 00:50:37.400 --> 00:50:41.079 think right after that, right, he takes a helmet off 891 00:50:41.079 --> 00:50:44.639 and issue he reveals his luscious locks in his full 892 00:50:44.719 --> 00:50:48.039 mane of He basically like you know what I mean? 893 00:50:48.440 --> 00:50:51.840 Right yet, because the two of them fight first, Right, 894 00:50:51.880 --> 00:50:55.960 he enters the fight and he actually wounds Guts, right. 895 00:50:55.960 --> 00:50:58.400 Yeah, because Gut swings at him hard and he just 896 00:50:58.480 --> 00:51:02.239 catches it in a great moment. Right, He's just like, yep, 897 00:51:02.840 --> 00:51:07.519 you're not bigger kid, stimmer down. You know what I mean, kids, 898 00:51:07.519 --> 00:51:10.480 slimmer down. There's there's other people who are strong out there. Guy, 899 00:51:10.840 --> 00:51:13.119 you know what, I'm a great moment. 900 00:51:13.679 --> 00:51:17.119 Another great moment. Right, Guts is wounded, but he uses 901 00:51:17.159 --> 00:51:18.960 his sword to pick back up. 902 00:51:19.599 --> 00:51:19.760 Right. 903 00:51:19.880 --> 00:51:23.000 He's again this is an image or oppose. We see 904 00:51:23.000 --> 00:51:25.880 Guts and often right using his sword to kind of 905 00:51:25.920 --> 00:51:31.239 pull himself off as he's wounded. Uh So Griffith is 906 00:51:31.320 --> 00:51:38.320 obviously impressed right by you know, Guts his abilities and 907 00:51:38.360 --> 00:51:41.880 as as Gut's basically leans back to swing for him, 908 00:51:42.280 --> 00:51:45.960 he passes out right. And then that is that moment 909 00:51:46.280 --> 00:51:49.840 where we see Griffith take off his helmet and he's 910 00:51:49.840 --> 00:51:52.840 this sort of legalist like angelic figure. Right, he's a 911 00:51:52.840 --> 00:51:53.719 white chrbic. 912 00:51:53.840 --> 00:51:56.840 Yes, he's cherubic. He's he's he's like almost like like 913 00:51:57.280 --> 00:51:59.079 in a like a beauty in the sense that a 914 00:51:59.159 --> 00:52:02.400 child is beautiful, right, not in like a lustful or 915 00:52:02.519 --> 00:52:08.239 like desirous way. It's just a purely in no way sensual. Yeah, 916 00:52:08.639 --> 00:52:10.880 exactly right. He's like like a like a like in 917 00:52:11.000 --> 00:52:15.280 ethereal beauty, a thing that is beautiful regardless of all 918 00:52:15.400 --> 00:52:18.000 the context that it's in it simply is beautiful, like 919 00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:19.840 a like a like a flower or something like that, 920 00:52:20.119 --> 00:52:23.440 which is so the opposite of Yes, you know what 921 00:52:23.519 --> 00:52:26.920 I'm saying. They are, They are. They couldn't be more different. 922 00:52:27.000 --> 00:52:31.480 Guts is, Guts is grunting and and grit and pain 923 00:52:31.599 --> 00:52:38.760 and bleeding and fucking scars, and Griffith is untouched, completely calm, 924 00:52:39.079 --> 00:52:45.639 all white, never even fucking says anything, just pure like cold, 925 00:52:45.920 --> 00:52:51.480 rational serenity. Right, Like he's like Galadrial, you know, he 926 00:52:51.599 --> 00:52:57.119 has this distance that gives him a sense of no 927 00:52:57.360 --> 00:53:01.039 almost like regions, like like like he feels he feels real, 928 00:53:01.199 --> 00:53:04.800 he feels above them. Yeah, and there's the. 929 00:53:04.800 --> 00:53:10.639 Dream, right, So Guts is he's unconscious, right, and this 930 00:53:10.679 --> 00:53:14.039 is this is fever dream, right, having this nightmare of 931 00:53:14.079 --> 00:53:17.119 a figure chasing a you know, a naked, younger version 932 00:53:17.159 --> 00:53:20.079 of himself. You don't have to be a rocket scientist 933 00:53:20.079 --> 00:53:24.159 to figure out what's going on there. And what we 934 00:53:24.239 --> 00:53:27.360 see is, you know, he's swinging at this figure. You know, 935 00:53:27.400 --> 00:53:30.559 his sword is is cutting through him. And you know, 936 00:53:30.599 --> 00:53:33.679 as this happens, he sees Gambino over his shoulder on 937 00:53:33.719 --> 00:53:36.679 this pile of bones, and he's you know, asking like, Gambino, 938 00:53:36.840 --> 00:53:42.679 save me. The sword isn't working, and he tells him 939 00:53:42.719 --> 00:53:45.719 to look at the sword and it's transformed into his 940 00:53:45.800 --> 00:53:50.159 severed leg and he says, you know, I'm dead. You 941 00:53:50.320 --> 00:53:52.800 killed me and it hurt. And there's this sort of 942 00:53:53.320 --> 00:53:57.039 very grim image of Gambino with his his still talking 943 00:53:57.079 --> 00:54:00.639 with his neck. Halfway through uh again, we see more 944 00:54:00.679 --> 00:54:02.480 and more of this kind of surreal element. You know, 945 00:54:02.519 --> 00:54:05.760 the dog is transformed into the plague stricken vision of 946 00:54:05.760 --> 00:54:09.400 his adopted mother and you know, as the the monster 947 00:54:09.519 --> 00:54:11.840 bears down on him, right with the face of Donovan, 948 00:54:12.360 --> 00:54:17.000 he sees, you know, Gambido and his adopted mother skeletons 949 00:54:17.519 --> 00:54:21.480 right saying over and over again, you should have died. So, 950 00:54:22.119 --> 00:54:24.519 you know, just again a very grim scene. 951 00:54:24.800 --> 00:54:28.960 Man, it's so heartbreaking how much guilt he carries for this. 952 00:54:29.280 --> 00:54:34.360 He imagine, feeling guilty for killing fucking Gambino. Bro right, 953 00:54:34.440 --> 00:54:38.960 Like that is the like I something I think is 954 00:54:39.000 --> 00:54:41.960 so important about Guts, right, something to keep in mind. 955 00:54:42.599 --> 00:54:47.760 Guts is a deeply empathetic and sensitive person. He know, 956 00:54:48.079 --> 00:54:53.400 like he's not just because he is hard on the outside, right, 957 00:54:53.480 --> 00:54:56.039 because he because he understands I have to shield myself 958 00:54:56.039 --> 00:54:59.599 from the world right, his truth, the core of him 959 00:54:59.719 --> 00:55:02.079 is the one that feels guilty for killing a man 960 00:55:02.119 --> 00:55:08.159 who could not have abused him. More, he feels guilt 961 00:55:08.559 --> 00:55:11.480 for the fact that this woman they took him in 962 00:55:11.519 --> 00:55:13.360 and then died, even though he had nothing to do 963 00:55:13.440 --> 00:55:17.039 with him. He feels guilty for being this cursed child, 964 00:55:17.159 --> 00:55:20.239 despite the fact that there's no real evidence that's the case. 965 00:55:20.559 --> 00:55:24.079 It's just the hearsay, the happenstance, the way of the world, 966 00:55:24.159 --> 00:55:25.960 and the way people will see him as a result. Right, 967 00:55:25.960 --> 00:55:28.000 It's like how being a bastard was or being a 968 00:55:28.039 --> 00:55:30.599 fucking albinos In some parts of the world, you know 969 00:55:30.639 --> 00:55:33.519 what I mean, they're like, ah, that's fucked up and weird, right, 970 00:55:33.559 --> 00:55:35.440 And now all of a sudden, you have a terrible 971 00:55:35.480 --> 00:55:38.320 life as a result of something you have no control over, 972 00:55:38.599 --> 00:55:40.960 a complete coin flip. You had nothing to do with it, 973 00:55:41.119 --> 00:55:42.920 nothing to do with your personality or who you are. 974 00:55:43.119 --> 00:55:45.960 It's just that makes me fucking feel fucked up. So 975 00:55:46.280 --> 00:55:49.400 that's the way it is now, right, this kid has 976 00:55:49.440 --> 00:55:52.960 to bear that burden, right, And you see, despite his 977 00:55:53.519 --> 00:55:56.079 facade or sort of demeanor, the way he carries himself, 978 00:55:57.079 --> 00:56:00.679 this still weighs very heavily upon him. He feels it 979 00:56:01.039 --> 00:56:04.239 right every second, seemingly there's a reason that he doesn't 980 00:56:04.280 --> 00:56:07.519 let people touch him. So yeah, this is the you know, 981 00:56:08.039 --> 00:56:11.320 and again Mirror is not He's not like Miri is 982 00:56:11.679 --> 00:56:15.280 is and Berserk is full of subtlety, right, but he's 983 00:56:15.320 --> 00:56:19.039 not always relying upon that, sometimes just showing you obviously 984 00:56:19.239 --> 00:56:21.519 this is the case. And to be fair, also this 985 00:56:21.679 --> 00:56:24.559 was written in like the early nineties, so this was 986 00:56:24.599 --> 00:56:27.519 subtle for them, you know what I mean now by 987 00:56:27.559 --> 00:56:31.960 the standards of the medium, especially right exactly the medium 988 00:56:32.000 --> 00:56:34.239 and the time, you know, this is this is like, 989 00:56:34.719 --> 00:56:37.239 this is like you know, this is this is the 990 00:56:37.280 --> 00:56:41.559 most progressive, you know, like it's very like, wow, he's 991 00:56:41.599 --> 00:56:45.079 really showing it, you know. But yeah, no, nowadays, right, 992 00:56:45.079 --> 00:56:46.960 we look at this and it's like, yeah, no, it's 993 00:56:47.000 --> 00:56:51.559 clear what is happening here? Right, So guts after, you know, 994 00:56:51.599 --> 00:56:54.519 we see this vision, uh, we see these sort of 995 00:56:54.639 --> 00:56:57.880 vague images of him in bed with a woman, don't 996 00:56:57.880 --> 00:57:00.440 know quite who. He wakes up, he is in the 997 00:57:00.480 --> 00:57:04.440 Mercenary band. He sees, you know, Griffith, which he obviously remembers, 998 00:57:05.320 --> 00:57:08.840 and then Cosca talking and Cosca just walks up to 999 00:57:08.920 --> 00:57:13.239 him and smacks him right, says, you know, I wish 1000 00:57:13.280 --> 00:57:17.960 you die. He's obviously in a lot of pain, and 1001 00:57:18.000 --> 00:57:21.119 it's confirmed that, you know, Griffith told Costa like, hey, 1002 00:57:21.239 --> 00:57:23.679 hop in bed with Guts. He's lost a lot of blood. 1003 00:57:24.000 --> 00:57:28.880 You need to keep him alive, so, you know, insinuating 1004 00:57:28.920 --> 00:57:30.840 why she's a little mad at him, and also sort 1005 00:57:30.840 --> 00:57:34.960 of laying the grounds for their romance later. But as 1006 00:57:35.119 --> 00:57:38.199 you know, he walks up to Griffith, Griffith hands him 1007 00:57:38.239 --> 00:57:40.199 his sword, you know, saying like, oh wow, this is 1008 00:57:40.280 --> 00:57:43.199 really incredible. Two of them start talking. You know, we 1009 00:57:43.239 --> 00:57:46.119 get some more characterization of the other kind of members 1010 00:57:46.320 --> 00:57:49.320 of this crew. Right, I'm skipping over for the sake 1011 00:57:49.360 --> 00:57:54.280 of time. This is interesting. But basically he says, you know, 1012 00:57:54.679 --> 00:57:58.480 like we were in the same battle together. And the 1013 00:57:58.519 --> 00:58:01.400 two of them stand on top of the hill and 1014 00:58:01.599 --> 00:58:03.480 you know, griff that ask him like, well, why didn't 1015 00:58:03.480 --> 00:58:06.639 you kill me? And Griffith says something we will hear 1016 00:58:06.719 --> 00:58:10.159 him say many times, because I want you. Of course, 1017 00:58:10.360 --> 00:58:15.639 Guts is like, dude, that's pretty gay. Yeah, it is. 1018 00:58:15.639 --> 00:58:19.440 Kind of funny, right, but Griffith decides, no, like I 1019 00:58:19.480 --> 00:58:22.360 saw you know how you fight. I saw that, you know, 1020 00:58:22.400 --> 00:58:24.920 the way that you sort of deliberately gamble on your 1021 00:58:24.920 --> 00:58:27.639 own life, and it's like, oh, that's really impressive. 1022 00:58:28.199 --> 00:58:31.719 I love that. I love this aspect Griffith. He understands 1023 00:58:31.760 --> 00:58:36.239 who he's looking at so well, and it really shows 1024 00:58:36.320 --> 00:58:38.840 who this kind of who this guy really is. He's 1025 00:58:38.880 --> 00:58:42.960 a person who understands other human beings. And not only that, 1026 00:58:43.320 --> 00:58:46.360 but he has a respect for a certain type of 1027 00:58:46.440 --> 00:58:49.840 human beings. He's Nietzsche in this way, right. He respects 1028 00:58:49.880 --> 00:58:54.639 the will, He respects a person who will walk the 1029 00:58:54.719 --> 00:58:58.119 tightrope because that is the kind of life that he 1030 00:58:58.239 --> 00:59:00.480 lives and the kind of life that he wants to 1031 00:59:00.519 --> 00:59:01.400 continue to live. 1032 00:59:02.000 --> 00:59:02.679 Uh uh. 1033 00:59:02.800 --> 00:59:06.440 And not just that, but Griffith is also a pragmatic person. 1034 00:59:06.960 --> 00:59:09.519 Why does he want guts Because guts is fucking useful, 1035 00:59:09.800 --> 00:59:13.880 That's why. Because he can use guts and both in 1036 00:59:14.079 --> 00:59:19.280 a possessive way and in a in a in a 1037 00:59:19.360 --> 00:59:23.039 sort of let more more familiar way. Because I don't 1038 00:59:23.039 --> 00:59:27.920 think Griffith, especially in the in the early parts of this, 1039 00:59:28.039 --> 00:59:32.880 I don't think Griffith is just a manipulative psycho. That's 1040 00:59:32.920 --> 00:59:37.000 not as simple as that. Griffith is a very interesting character. 1041 00:59:37.960 --> 00:59:40.800 There's a reason that so many people identify with Griffith 1042 00:59:41.239 --> 00:59:44.760 and Guts, right, but Griffith in particular, because Griffith has 1043 00:59:44.800 --> 00:59:47.079 a like. Griffith has a dream. We all have that, right, 1044 00:59:47.440 --> 00:59:49.199 I think. I think any one of us that isn't 1045 00:59:49.320 --> 00:59:53.079 just you know, some sort of like Shudra like fucking Highlich. 1046 00:59:53.679 --> 00:59:57.320 We all have dreams. We all have uh an ambition 1047 00:59:57.440 --> 00:59:59.519 or desire that we that we that we want to 1048 00:59:59.519 --> 01:00:05.039 strive for. And Griffith exemplifies that extremely well, and he 1049 01:00:05.159 --> 01:00:09.639 is willing to cooperate with other people to make that happen. 1050 01:00:09.679 --> 01:00:12.760 He understands that he can't necessarily do it alone, and 1051 01:00:12.800 --> 01:00:15.400 he will stand on the shoulders of others to do it, 1052 01:00:15.639 --> 01:00:19.480 but he will do it right. And once he sees guns, 1053 01:00:19.960 --> 01:00:24.079 he realizes that this guy, this guy is going to 1054 01:00:24.159 --> 01:00:26.559 be a pivotal part of this. He has this like 1055 01:00:26.679 --> 01:00:29.800 foresight to understand what he's looking at. So Griffith is 1056 01:00:29.840 --> 01:00:32.400 a deeply ambitious person. He's a deeply he's a person 1057 01:00:32.440 --> 01:00:35.280 who looks to the future. And he's young. Clearly, they're 1058 01:00:35.320 --> 01:00:38.679 all like the same age ish, right, they're all young people. 1059 01:00:40.039 --> 01:00:41.880 But Griffith is not like the rest of them, and 1060 01:00:41.920 --> 01:00:44.800 that's why he runs the show. That's why he's the hawk, right. 1061 01:00:44.800 --> 01:00:49.400 He has a mind that is operating at another level 1062 01:00:49.400 --> 01:00:51.920 compared to the people around him. And not just that 1063 01:00:52.519 --> 01:00:54.880 he is ambitious and all of that stuff, but he's 1064 01:00:54.920 --> 01:00:59.199 also skilled. He has the ability to back up his will. 1065 01:00:59.239 --> 01:01:01.360 He's not just guy who has a lot of talk. 1066 01:01:01.920 --> 01:01:05.159 He will walk the walk as well. And that is 1067 01:01:05.199 --> 01:01:09.400 what this last little duel is. It is the solidification 1068 01:01:09.639 --> 01:01:14.440 that Griffith is not just words. Griffith is for real 1069 01:01:15.559 --> 01:01:19.639 and Guts learns that as well. Right, he is willing. 1070 01:01:20.840 --> 01:01:24.039 This fight is fantastic. I love it, right, the saber 1071 01:01:24.119 --> 01:01:27.000 versus the big sword. Right, it's sick. You're muted, you're muted. 1072 01:01:28.239 --> 01:01:35.039 Incredibly professionally professional podcaster. You're correct. This is very well drawn. 1073 01:01:35.440 --> 01:01:39.280 We see obviously the visual contrast, also the fighting style contrast. 1074 01:01:39.519 --> 01:01:44.039 You know, gust is using these huge aggressive swings where 1075 01:01:44.079 --> 01:01:48.719 Griffith with his sabers very deftly parrying, you know. And 1076 01:01:49.320 --> 01:01:51.320 Griffith makes him an offer, basically says like, hey, do 1077 01:01:51.360 --> 01:01:52.920 you do you want to be one of my guys 1078 01:01:52.920 --> 01:01:55.840 and gout says no, right, very similar to the offer 1079 01:01:55.920 --> 01:01:59.840 given him by the nobleman. Uh so the two of them, 1080 01:02:00.079 --> 01:02:05.280 you fight it out. Right, Guts essentially says, if. 1081 01:02:05.159 --> 01:02:07.960 You beat me, I'll do whatever you want. I don't 1082 01:02:07.960 --> 01:02:11.400 really care, right, and then he gets absolutely styled. 1083 01:02:11.079 --> 01:02:15.960 On in an iconic moment. Right, and this is something 1084 01:02:15.960 --> 01:02:19.480 that will be again. You'll see this image repeated again 1085 01:02:19.519 --> 01:02:23.920 and again. He makes a crazy aggressive swing and Griffith 1086 01:02:23.960 --> 01:02:26.159 jumps on top of the sword, right, pinning it down, 1087 01:02:26.679 --> 01:02:31.000 and he's completely at his mercy. Right, sword at the 1088 01:02:31.039 --> 01:02:35.599 throat basically says like, yeah, you'll do anything to win, 1089 01:02:35.639 --> 01:02:38.599 even sacrifice, you know, your own life. I really like that. 1090 01:02:39.280 --> 01:02:44.239 But guess what I got you? And what Gods does 1091 01:02:44.760 --> 01:02:46.920 is he bites down on the sword. 1092 01:02:47.760 --> 01:02:47.920 Right. 1093 01:02:47.960 --> 01:02:50.800 He's again willing to sacrifice his own body to a 1094 01:02:50.840 --> 01:02:56.320 truly psychotic degree to win. And what he does is, 1095 01:02:56.440 --> 01:02:59.000 you know, he basically uses the sword trapped in his 1096 01:02:59.079 --> 01:03:02.800 teeth the other one to like launch Griffith over. 1097 01:03:04.119 --> 01:03:04.320 Yeah. 1098 01:03:04.519 --> 01:03:07.480 Yeah, and now it's a fistfight, right, it's ugly. 1099 01:03:07.519 --> 01:03:09.519 Yeah. Then he makes it dirty. Yeah, he makes it, 1100 01:03:09.719 --> 01:03:11.960 which is great, Right, it's great. It's the emblematic of, again, 1101 01:03:12.239 --> 01:03:14.719 the kind of person that Guts is. If I can't 1102 01:03:14.719 --> 01:03:18.280 beat you, fuck that I'm gonna beat you. I don't care. Right, 1103 01:03:18.360 --> 01:03:20.639 I will make it happen. I will figure it out. 1104 01:03:20.639 --> 01:03:24.960 I will turn it into a different thing. Right and again, 1105 01:03:25.559 --> 01:03:29.840 beautiful characterization. Right you expect. Oh, Griffith doesn't have it, 1106 01:03:30.119 --> 01:03:33.079 have it? Right? He now? Now he's on the back foot. 1107 01:03:33.119 --> 01:03:35.039 Now guts has got him because he made it ugly. 1108 01:03:35.079 --> 01:03:37.639 This pretty boy doesn't have it. And that is not 1109 01:03:37.719 --> 01:03:41.719 the case. That is not that spits his own blood 1110 01:03:41.719 --> 01:03:48.039 in his face. Right, Griffith picks up, and then we 1111 01:03:48.079 --> 01:03:52.079 get this, We get this first glimpse. We get this 1112 01:03:52.119 --> 01:03:58.639 first glimpse. Look at his face. That is rapture. That 1113 01:03:58.760 --> 01:04:05.559 is like like nirvonic joy. And why because Griffith in 1114 01:04:05.639 --> 01:04:08.800 that moment, it's not a oh, it's a reveal of 1115 01:04:08.840 --> 01:04:12.559 Griffith's evil. It's not so simple. That is what Griffith 1116 01:04:12.639 --> 01:04:16.559 looks like when he knows he is going to win, 1117 01:04:17.440 --> 01:04:21.079 when he knows he's going to get what he wants. 1118 01:04:21.519 --> 01:04:24.960 That's the face he makes because he knows that it's checkmate. 1119 01:04:25.159 --> 01:04:28.360 As soon as this happens, it initiates the sequence of 1120 01:04:28.400 --> 01:04:32.519 grappling that leads to the the yeah, he dislocates in 1121 01:04:32.519 --> 01:04:36.760 the arm. Right, gets him perfect, and it's like the 1122 01:04:37.000 --> 01:04:41.599 Griffith has this moment of like ecstasy, like yes, yes, 1123 01:04:42.360 --> 01:04:45.960 I get it. And that really what it shows is 1124 01:04:46.320 --> 01:04:49.559 the only time that Griffiths will like like crack the 1125 01:04:49.599 --> 01:04:52.800 perfect facade is when he's getting what he wants. And 1126 01:04:52.840 --> 01:04:55.760 he shows that like that like glee, almost like childlike 1127 01:04:55.800 --> 01:04:59.599 glee of like yes, I'm getting what I desire right now. 1128 01:05:00.760 --> 01:05:02.800 And in a moment that's a little more sinister, right, 1129 01:05:02.880 --> 01:05:06.559 we see that kind of angelic visage, slightly twisted. Right, 1130 01:05:06.599 --> 01:05:08.119 he looks him dead in the eye and says like 1131 01:05:08.440 --> 01:05:11.519 you're mine now, like you're you're one of my band. 1132 01:05:11.960 --> 01:05:13.280 Uh. And so. 1133 01:05:15.119 --> 01:05:18.880 Time sort of continues on. Right, guts Is is injured. 1134 01:05:18.920 --> 01:05:22.760 Obviously he's had his uh you know, his arm completely 1135 01:05:22.800 --> 01:05:26.159 and totally uh you know, dislocated. We get some more 1136 01:05:26.239 --> 01:05:29.079 kind of commentary, you know, where the other members of 1137 01:05:29.119 --> 01:05:30.840 the Band of the Hawk are kind of going back 1138 01:05:30.880 --> 01:05:35.159 and forth. We also see that at least currently, Costca 1139 01:05:35.159 --> 01:05:40.079 and Guts do not get along at all, but nonetheless, right, 1140 01:05:40.119 --> 01:05:43.559 they're prepared for a battle. Uh you know, everyone is 1141 01:05:43.679 --> 01:05:48.480 you know on side, right, Guts and Costa everyone, Uh, 1142 01:05:48.559 --> 01:05:50.119 I'm skipping over a little bit because we have a 1143 01:05:50.119 --> 01:05:52.960 little bit of a time constraint, but this is still 1144 01:05:53.159 --> 01:05:54.920 very you know, good characterization. 1145 01:05:55.719 --> 01:05:59.119 And ultimately what we're doing here is we're moving through it. Right. 1146 01:05:59.159 --> 01:06:03.000 But everyone, you must read this, if you have any 1147 01:06:03.320 --> 01:06:06.559 right interest or desire, you must read these things, all 1148 01:06:06.639 --> 01:06:09.199 of the subtle moments, all the little things that the 1149 01:06:09.239 --> 01:06:12.559 interpersonal relationships between the band members, all of that stuff 1150 01:06:12.599 --> 01:06:15.440 is deeply pivotal because these are the relationships that are 1151 01:06:15.440 --> 01:06:19.760 going to define the rest of Guts's life. These are 1152 01:06:19.800 --> 01:06:23.079 the people that he will come to know as friends 1153 01:06:23.159 --> 01:06:26.000 and comrades. These are the people that he will be 1154 01:06:26.159 --> 01:06:31.880 willing to for the first time, put his life on 1155 01:06:31.920 --> 01:06:35.079 the line for because every other time in guts his life, 1156 01:06:35.119 --> 01:06:37.800 the only time that he really risked his life was 1157 01:06:37.840 --> 01:06:40.199 for his own sake, right, for his own life or 1158 01:06:40.199 --> 01:06:45.480 of his own survival. But these people, these are true comrades. Right. 1159 01:06:45.519 --> 01:06:49.679 In Japanese, there's friend, the word friend tomodachi, right, which 1160 01:06:49.719 --> 01:06:52.360 is like a friend or acquaintance person that you know, right. 1161 01:06:52.400 --> 01:06:57.239 But na kama is like comrade, it's like brother. It 1162 01:06:57.400 --> 01:07:00.920 means a close bond of true life, like this is 1163 01:07:00.920 --> 01:07:04.920 a this is a this is we are we are brothers. 1164 01:07:04.920 --> 01:07:06.159 You know what I'm saying, Like this, we we we 1165 01:07:06.679 --> 01:07:09.320 we have the same goals, we have the same enemies, 1166 01:07:09.360 --> 01:07:14.199 we have the same uh uh uh uh loves and hate. 1167 01:07:14.239 --> 01:07:18.840 We are we are, we are as one line. Right, 1168 01:07:19.000 --> 01:07:22.079 that is what that word means. And that's why when 1169 01:07:22.119 --> 01:07:26.559 he finally attributes that to these people, to the Band 1170 01:07:26.559 --> 01:07:29.800 of the Hawk, right, this is a completely different world 1171 01:07:30.079 --> 01:07:31.760 from the world he grew up in, a world where 1172 01:07:31.800 --> 01:07:35.079 he was it was essentially dog eat dog and at 1173 01:07:35.119 --> 01:07:38.800 his most vulnerable right now, when he finally has the 1174 01:07:38.880 --> 01:07:45.599 strength to be on his own, he learns two I 1175 01:07:45.599 --> 01:07:47.519 guess the best way to put it is like he 1176 01:07:47.639 --> 01:07:49.760 learns once it's like it's like the Band of the 1177 01:07:49.800 --> 01:07:52.480 Hawk teachers. And once he has the strength to live 1178 01:07:52.519 --> 01:07:54.880 on his own, to survive on his own, he learns 1179 01:07:54.880 --> 01:07:57.960 that he doesn't have to do you know what I'm saying. 1180 01:07:57.960 --> 01:08:00.239 He learns that you don't have to go to sleep 1181 01:08:00.639 --> 01:08:02.880 expecting people are gonna come kill you, you don't have 1182 01:08:03.000 --> 01:08:05.000 to sleep with a blade, you don't have to do 1183 01:08:05.039 --> 01:08:07.360 these things. You can live a life in which the 1184 01:08:07.400 --> 01:08:10.199 people around you are your are people that you can 1185 01:08:10.239 --> 01:08:13.559 trust to have your back. And that's what he learns 1186 01:08:13.679 --> 01:08:16.359 with the band. Right. That's why this, this part of 1187 01:08:17.039 --> 01:08:20.199 the story is so so so important to this guy 1188 01:08:20.239 --> 01:08:24.079 because before his life was nothing but suffering. His life 1189 01:08:24.119 --> 01:08:27.479 was nothing but pain. His life was nothing but hoping 1190 01:08:27.479 --> 01:08:29.439 that the people around you aren't going to betray you 1191 01:08:29.560 --> 01:08:32.159 or kill you or try to fucking uh you know, 1192 01:08:32.199 --> 01:08:37.920 send the Donovan after you. Right, this is the is 1193 01:08:37.920 --> 01:08:40.760 the other side. It's the it's the it's the heel, right, 1194 01:08:40.760 --> 01:08:42.920 it's the it's the moment in which a person can 1195 01:08:43.039 --> 01:08:47.279 heal finally from from their wounds. And that's why this 1196 01:08:47.319 --> 01:08:48.560 is so important. That's why I love it so much. 1197 01:08:48.560 --> 01:08:50.680 It's why everyone loves the Golden Age so much, because 1198 01:08:50.720 --> 01:08:53.119 you get to see your boy having a nice life 1199 01:08:53.119 --> 01:08:54.479 for a little bit, you know. 1200 01:08:56.520 --> 01:08:59.399 Well, and you're completely correct, And we're also in this 1201 01:08:59.520 --> 01:09:02.760 next scene getting some characterization Griffith. 1202 01:09:03.359 --> 01:09:03.560 Right. 1203 01:09:04.840 --> 01:09:07.880 Effectively, we learned that he is a very capable commander. Right, 1204 01:09:07.880 --> 01:09:12.399 he launches this audacious surprise attack, right, taking these horses 1205 01:09:12.840 --> 01:09:17.319 up a river, and it's just full route right again, 1206 01:09:17.720 --> 01:09:20.840 very well drawn. Right, this is one of many kind 1207 01:09:20.880 --> 01:09:24.279 of iconic cavalry charges. But nonetheless, right, the bend of 1208 01:09:24.279 --> 01:09:26.920 the hawk is just you know, laying waste to them 1209 01:09:27.439 --> 01:09:28.279 and to me. 1210 01:09:28.520 --> 01:09:31.960 Griffith is like he's like Alexander, you know what I mean. 1211 01:09:31.960 --> 01:09:35.920 He has that same aura, that same everyone gets swept 1212 01:09:36.000 --> 01:09:38.039 up in it, right, and and the and the acumen, 1213 01:09:38.079 --> 01:09:40.560 the ability. It's not just that he has a legend. 1214 01:09:41.079 --> 01:09:45.000 He actually is that guy. You know. Yeah, that's what 1215 01:09:45.079 --> 01:09:48.560 I think. That's the best real world parallel for the 1216 01:09:48.680 --> 01:09:52.359 characterization of Griffin Griffith at this point. Well, and you know, 1217 01:09:52.399 --> 01:09:56.079 as the the volume concludes, this will lead us into 1218 01:09:56.119 --> 01:10:00.840 our last discussion. Uh we see there's a counter attack 1219 01:10:01.439 --> 01:10:04.239 right this the siege has started, you know, the general 1220 01:10:04.239 --> 01:10:07.479 has launched out, you know, some cavalry to uh you know, 1221 01:10:07.560 --> 01:10:12.479 to to route this uh surprise attack. And uh yeah, 1222 01:10:12.560 --> 01:10:14.439 that's where we pick up at our next discussion. 1223 01:10:15.520 --> 01:10:19.439 Yeah, all right, Rinus, welcome to Jay Burns Show. 1224 01:10:19.479 --> 01:10:22.079 How you doing that? Not bad? You know, I've been 1225 01:10:22.159 --> 01:10:25.079 u I've been anticipating this one. This is an exciting 1226 01:10:25.079 --> 01:10:26.279 one for me. I love this ship, you know what 1227 01:10:26.279 --> 01:10:28.399 I mean, Big. 1228 01:10:28.279 --> 01:10:32.520 Sword Guys, I've been anticipating. This is a nice way 1229 01:10:32.560 --> 01:10:35.159 to say your ship it scheduling and we should have 1230 01:10:35.199 --> 01:10:38.319 done this a month and a half ago, yet made 1231 01:10:38.319 --> 01:10:38.760 it that way. 1232 01:10:38.880 --> 01:10:44.159 But but but I've I've definitely like it's not even that. 1233 01:10:44.199 --> 01:10:46.279 It's like it's like, you know, we got together to 1234 01:10:46.359 --> 01:10:50.600 do this, right, we were recommended, uh sort of uh 1235 01:10:50.920 --> 01:10:54.960 to to link up, right, because I've wanted to talk 1236 01:10:55.000 --> 01:10:58.479 about this, this one for for forever, right, Like I 1237 01:10:58.479 --> 01:11:02.760 think they're you know, everybody knows. Everybody knows this by now, 1238 01:11:02.800 --> 01:11:06.079 I think, right, I think I think berserk is it 1239 01:11:06.119 --> 01:11:09.720 has sort of reached a level of cultural saturation all anime. Right, 1240 01:11:09.800 --> 01:11:12.800 There's been a huge wave of this. It's been kind 1241 01:11:12.840 --> 01:11:18.199 of very interesting to see the rise of this medium 1242 01:11:18.960 --> 01:11:22.000 in the West as as a kid who like, man, 1243 01:11:22.479 --> 01:11:25.359 you know, I was there was a time frame where 1244 01:11:25.399 --> 01:11:27.920 you would be made fun of if you watch Japanese 1245 01:11:28.000 --> 01:11:31.079 cartoons even though everybody was still children, you know what 1246 01:11:31.119 --> 01:11:32.880 I mean, it didn't even make sense. It was like 1247 01:11:33.199 --> 01:11:37.960 that's childish. It's like, dude, we're eleven years old, what 1248 01:11:38.000 --> 01:11:42.079 are you? What are you talking about? Right? So, you know, 1249 01:11:42.119 --> 01:11:44.479 I was a DBZ watcher and even like Sailor Moon 1250 01:11:44.600 --> 01:11:47.520 back in the day, right, So to watch the rise 1251 01:11:47.520 --> 01:11:51.239 of it, to watch become sort of like a firmly 1252 01:11:51.239 --> 01:11:55.800 implanted within the cultural zeitgeist and become almost like overburnt, 1253 01:11:55.920 --> 01:12:01.359 Like oversaturated is crazy, right, but berserk is is something 1254 01:12:01.399 --> 01:12:04.079 that I think is kind of like a It's like 1255 01:12:04.119 --> 01:12:08.760 an old weathered rock that things you know, like orbit 1256 01:12:08.840 --> 01:12:12.119 run or slash around. Right, the water's rise and fall, 1257 01:12:12.199 --> 01:12:15.800 but this thing stays there, and it's been there for 1258 01:12:15.840 --> 01:12:18.239 a reason. And I think this arc, in particular, the 1259 01:12:18.279 --> 01:12:21.960 Golden Age is is the foundation of that mountain, right 1260 01:12:22.079 --> 01:12:27.680 Like this, this, this is where Mirror shows that he 1261 01:12:27.880 --> 01:12:33.840 isn't just writing something that is essentially a kind of 1262 01:12:33.880 --> 01:12:36.960 like a rip off of Fists of the North Star, 1263 01:12:37.439 --> 01:12:41.760 you know, and instead we're making something that's really considered 1264 01:12:41.840 --> 01:12:46.039 and willing to go places that most of these things 1265 01:12:46.039 --> 01:12:49.840 are not are not willing to go. Yeah. 1266 01:12:49.880 --> 01:12:52.079 Well, I mean I think I come at this slightly 1267 01:12:52.119 --> 01:12:55.600 differently because you know, I when I was growing up, 1268 01:12:55.720 --> 01:13:00.199 anime was sort of starting it like cultural ascendency, like 1269 01:13:00.399 --> 01:13:02.039 it had very much become. 1270 01:13:02.079 --> 01:13:07.920 Something Okay, Okay, yeah, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like 1271 01:13:08.199 --> 01:13:11.680 a decade older than you, right, so just slightly but 1272 01:13:12.199 --> 01:13:15.439 same same for me, it was even even less than 1273 01:13:15.439 --> 01:13:17.680 what you're saying, right, Yeah, I know what you're talking about. 1274 01:13:17.640 --> 01:13:21.359 It was a it was a rise, but it at 1275 01:13:21.399 --> 01:13:24.640 our time, it was like almost nobody, almost nobody watched this, 1276 01:13:24.840 --> 01:13:27.760 like only little kids watch this shit. Other than that, 1277 01:13:27.800 --> 01:13:30.800 it was like considered like very you know what I mean, 1278 01:13:32.000 --> 01:13:34.359 but sorry, go ahead, go ahead, no no. 1279 01:13:34.479 --> 01:13:36.800 And so it was interesting because when I grew up, 1280 01:13:36.840 --> 01:13:39.600 it was it was sort of part of the like 1281 01:13:39.800 --> 01:13:43.800 mainstream alt identity, you know, where you were like just 1282 01:13:43.840 --> 01:13:47.000 a little bit out of you know, mainstream culture for 1283 01:13:47.039 --> 01:13:49.800 whatever that works, but still very much an acceptable normal 1284 01:13:49.840 --> 01:13:52.640 thing to do, right, safe edgy, as the kids would say. 1285 01:13:52.920 --> 01:13:53.239 Yes. 1286 01:13:53.319 --> 01:13:57.000 And what's interesting is that certain aspects of you know, 1287 01:13:57.079 --> 01:14:00.800 Japanese culture can or cannot be a similar into that. 1288 01:14:01.279 --> 01:14:03.239 You know, for instance, like on the video game side, 1289 01:14:03.239 --> 01:14:05.640 you see things like dead or Alive, which is just 1290 01:14:05.720 --> 01:14:08.800 like absolutely hated by the kind of like Reddit mod 1291 01:14:08.880 --> 01:14:13.840 crowd because bio squarely and except normans, normies cannot stand 1292 01:14:13.840 --> 01:14:18.960 the kino. Yeah, and and Berserkers. Berserk is in sort 1293 01:14:18.960 --> 01:14:21.520 of a similar position. And so you'll you'll see this 1294 01:14:22.159 --> 01:14:25.640 dialogue come up from time to time talking about the 1295 01:14:25.640 --> 01:14:28.920 prevalence of you know, there's a lot of adult material 1296 01:14:28.960 --> 01:14:30.880 in this right, there's a lot of sexual assault, there's 1297 01:14:30.880 --> 01:14:34.680 a lot of you know violence, there's a death, yeah, 1298 01:14:34.720 --> 01:14:37.760 one hundred percent, Like that's to be perfectly blunt about it. Yes, 1299 01:14:38.319 --> 01:14:42.000 and look like this isn't like a if you even 1300 01:14:42.039 --> 01:14:43.920 have to say it, it's not like a pro thing. 1301 01:14:44.319 --> 01:14:47.720 But no, it handles it horrifically. It's like it's like 1302 01:14:48.039 --> 01:14:51.880 it's like, I don't think anything handles as well as berserk. 1303 01:14:52.279 --> 01:14:55.840 And that's crazy because of the way that I understand 1304 01:14:55.880 --> 01:14:58.000 exactly what you're talking. There's a discourse and a perception 1305 01:14:58.359 --> 01:15:02.720 around berserk that it's essentially like like it's like it 1306 01:15:02.880 --> 01:15:06.439 revels in degrading and destroying the female characters, and it 1307 01:15:06.560 --> 01:15:12.079 revels in especially Cosca. You know what I mean, I don't. 1308 01:15:12.079 --> 01:15:15.479 I don't agree with that even upon reread write as 1309 01:15:15.520 --> 01:15:17.239 a as Like when I first read this, I was 1310 01:15:17.239 --> 01:15:20.960 like nineteen right, or actually I was probably seventeen right. 1311 01:15:21.760 --> 01:15:24.319 You know, at the time, I was into anime. I 1312 01:15:24.399 --> 01:15:26.600 liked anime a lot, right like I and I was 1313 01:15:26.640 --> 01:15:30.399 more into manga even because I early on I read 1314 01:15:30.479 --> 01:15:34.239 like the some kid at my school brought a shown 1315 01:15:34.279 --> 01:15:37.600 and jump once in eighth grade and that like that 1316 01:15:37.720 --> 01:15:39.479 one event, like you know what I mean, Like I 1317 01:15:39.560 --> 01:15:41.399 read through it and I was like, holy shit, Like 1318 01:15:41.439 --> 01:15:45.359 in it was like Naruto, Bleach, you you hacker show fuck. 1319 01:15:45.399 --> 01:15:47.960 It was just it was like all killer, no filler. Right, 1320 01:15:48.000 --> 01:15:51.079 So I was like, this is this stuff is way 1321 01:15:51.159 --> 01:15:53.439 cooler than the stuff that I most of the stuff 1322 01:15:53.479 --> 01:15:55.600 that I've seen, Right, it was sort of very shocking 1323 01:15:56.439 --> 01:16:01.520 for young me. Right. So, growing up, I rabbit towards 1324 01:16:01.520 --> 01:16:03.800 the manga side. I read Berserk, I read or sorry, 1325 01:16:03.840 --> 01:16:05.680 I read Bleach, I read Nards so as they were 1326 01:16:05.680 --> 01:16:08.600 coming out, but I had never read anything like Berserk 1327 01:16:08.800 --> 01:16:12.720 at the time. Right. It was so much more you know, 1328 01:16:12.880 --> 01:16:15.800 for lack of better words, it was so much more mature. 1329 01:16:16.000 --> 01:16:20.239 It was so much more it was considered, it was 1330 01:16:20.279 --> 01:16:24.239 more even, it was it was more elaborate artistically. It 1331 01:16:24.279 --> 01:16:26.720 was just it was just it felt like an evolution 1332 01:16:27.000 --> 01:16:30.560 right of the medium, despite the fact that it came out, 1333 01:16:30.640 --> 01:16:34.119 you know, it started in the eighties, right, Mirrors just. 1334 01:16:34.119 --> 01:16:38.039 Honestly, like, I'm not really a fan of of anime 1335 01:16:38.159 --> 01:16:40.800 or manga, It's not really my thing. But to me, 1336 01:16:40.920 --> 01:16:43.239 I sort of view this in the same realm as 1337 01:16:43.279 --> 01:16:46.720 like you know, Akira or something like that, where it 1338 01:16:46.720 --> 01:16:50.960 almost transcends the medium, Like this is and even the 1339 01:16:51.039 --> 01:16:54.359 kind of guy who reads manga is in you know, 1340 01:16:54.680 --> 01:16:57.960 kind of derogatorily referred to as a weepad. It's really 1341 01:16:57.960 --> 01:17:01.239 good before we jump into it, because I want to 1342 01:17:01.319 --> 01:17:06.640 get into the you know, the segment we're reading. Two things. One, dude, 1343 01:17:06.800 --> 01:17:10.920 I have never started a series and gotten more people 1344 01:17:11.239 --> 01:17:13.720 chimping out at me to continue it now. Part of 1345 01:17:13.720 --> 01:17:15.720 that is because there was a big gap between episode 1346 01:17:15.720 --> 01:17:17.960 one and episode two of this series, right. The other 1347 01:17:18.039 --> 01:17:21.199 part is people really are interested in this topic. So 1348 01:17:21.199 --> 01:17:23.840 I'm excited about that. But I got a message after 1349 01:17:23.880 --> 01:17:26.479 the last one came out from a buddy of mine. 1350 01:17:26.880 --> 01:17:30.159 He lives here locally, and you know, he's listened to 1351 01:17:30.199 --> 01:17:32.960 the show every once in a while, and so I 1352 01:17:32.960 --> 01:17:35.680 got this message at like ten am on a Sunday, says, 1353 01:17:35.760 --> 01:17:38.439 I'll have you know, I read all of Berserk. It's 1354 01:17:38.479 --> 01:17:41.319 a bit much, but damn it was really good. And 1355 01:17:41.399 --> 01:17:43.680 I think that's about the best review I could get, 1356 01:17:43.800 --> 01:17:48.119 right someone as it gets Yeah, a bit much is 1357 01:17:48.159 --> 01:17:48.880 a way to put it. 1358 01:17:48.960 --> 01:17:50.119 Yeah. Yeah. 1359 01:17:50.239 --> 01:17:54.359 And so the last the last section I did right, 1360 01:17:54.439 --> 01:17:57.640 the Black Swordsman arc is both functions as sort of 1361 01:17:57.640 --> 01:18:00.479 a you know, a primer, right, you meet the character, 1362 01:18:00.560 --> 01:18:03.720 but also it's an earlier, less developed version of absolutely. 1363 01:18:03.960 --> 01:18:06.239 Absolutely it's sort of the it was sort of the 1364 01:18:06.279 --> 01:18:08.000 pitch deck, if you. 1365 01:18:07.600 --> 01:18:10.760 You know. In preparation for this, I reread everything up 1366 01:18:10.840 --> 01:18:16.199 to the up to basically when Zod goes, all right, boy, 1367 01:18:16.199 --> 01:18:19.520 it's time to show you what the fuck is up 1368 01:18:19.600 --> 01:18:24.560 right and the black Swordsman. Man, it's insane. That arc 1369 01:18:24.720 --> 01:18:27.560 is like it's like a it's a completely different thing, 1370 01:18:27.720 --> 01:18:30.920 like especially like the first like three or four chapters. 1371 01:18:31.399 --> 01:18:33.399 It's like this feels like a different manga, like it. 1372 01:18:33.720 --> 01:18:37.479 Clearly he didn't really know what Brijik was at the time, right. 1373 01:18:37.800 --> 01:18:40.159 He just wanted to make like a thing about a 1374 01:18:40.199 --> 01:18:43.920 cool guy who fucking kicks people's asses and slashes them 1375 01:18:43.920 --> 01:18:47.239 in half with a giant fucking sword, right, because that rules, 1376 01:18:47.560 --> 01:18:50.199 and at the time, to be fair, right, to be 1377 01:18:50.239 --> 01:18:53.239 fair to him. Right. It's so funny how he's the 1378 01:18:53.279 --> 01:18:55.199 water that people are swimming in and they don't even 1379 01:18:55.279 --> 01:18:58.239 really realize it, right, And not to say that Mirror 1380 01:18:58.319 --> 01:19:02.039 is some sort of like you know, uh, visionary innovator. 1381 01:19:02.119 --> 01:19:05.520 That is not his skill. His skill is like it 1382 01:19:05.760 --> 01:19:12.960 is fine tune, like like uh, those skills it's not 1383 01:19:13.000 --> 01:19:15.960 necessarily about like, Wow, he's made something that has changed 1384 01:19:16.359 --> 01:19:18.960 all of fiction, like you know, something like a like 1385 01:19:19.000 --> 01:19:22.000 a like a token. He's not doing that, right. What 1386 01:19:22.000 --> 01:19:24.520 what Mirror was doing, especially at the beginning, was he 1387 01:19:24.640 --> 01:19:29.039 clearly clearly really liked Fist of the north Star, right, 1388 01:19:29.279 --> 01:19:33.199 because Berserk is essentially what if Ken Schiro was an asshole? 1389 01:19:35.119 --> 01:19:37.319 This is the north Stars. Whole thing is that is 1390 01:19:37.359 --> 01:19:40.840 that the main character is like he's like he's the 1391 01:19:40.920 --> 01:19:43.319 ultimate moral guy, right, Like he's like a shit night 1392 01:19:43.359 --> 01:19:46.479 and shining armor always says the right thing, and he's 1393 01:19:46.520 --> 01:19:53.079 like pretty much invincible, right, whereas you know in in Berserk, right, 1394 01:19:53.760 --> 01:19:56.279 despite the fact that you know, Guts is also like 1395 01:19:56.319 --> 01:20:00.960 a sort of wandering a wandering form of justice. He 1396 01:20:01.159 --> 01:20:06.399 is his own moral compass, right, and he doesn't follow 1397 01:20:06.840 --> 01:20:09.920 like a like a sort of like a social ethic. Right. 1398 01:20:10.000 --> 01:20:16.840 He's he's very antisocial and he's absolutely effective and super brutal, right, 1399 01:20:16.880 --> 01:20:19.479 So he has that Canhiro power, but he doesn't have 1400 01:20:19.520 --> 01:20:26.600 that Canhiro ethical framework. In many ways, I've I've heard 1401 01:20:26.680 --> 01:20:30.960 I I personally have not read the og Devilman because 1402 01:20:31.000 --> 01:20:33.079 that's what this stuff is like inspired by just so 1403 01:20:33.159 --> 01:20:38.279 everybody understands, right, uh uh. Devil Devilman cry Baby is 1404 01:20:38.560 --> 01:20:41.880 a recently made Netflix show that is Devil Man like 1405 01:20:41.880 --> 01:20:44.119 a sort of like a reboot, but the og Devilman 1406 01:20:44.279 --> 01:20:46.640 is like I'm talking about these are these are things 1407 01:20:46.680 --> 01:20:50.199 like the way that Astro Boy is part of Japanese 1408 01:20:50.720 --> 01:20:55.399 you know, like cultural framework. Devil Man is the same thing. 1409 01:20:55.439 --> 01:20:59.239 It is. It is like an og uh comic book 1410 01:20:59.439 --> 01:21:02.279 series that everybody knows. So Mirror is a big fan 1411 01:21:02.319 --> 01:21:05.039 of that, and Devilman also has a sort of Griffith 1412 01:21:05.159 --> 01:21:08.880 like character. But those were his inspirations and you can 1413 01:21:08.920 --> 01:21:10.840 see that, especially in the in the Black Swordsman arc 1414 01:21:10.880 --> 01:21:12.199 that he kind of just wanted to make something like 1415 01:21:12.279 --> 01:21:16.279 fits of the North Star. But Golden Age. That's where 1416 01:21:16.279 --> 01:21:20.159 this really like comes alive, right, you see hints of 1417 01:21:20.199 --> 01:21:22.640 it at the end of the Black Swordsman arc. Obviously, 1418 01:21:22.640 --> 01:21:26.439 the last chapters of Black Swordsmen are like explicitly like 1419 01:21:26.520 --> 01:21:28.159 he okay, he figured out what he wants to do 1420 01:21:28.239 --> 01:21:31.399 with this, right, you see femto right, you see the 1421 01:21:31.920 --> 01:21:36.239 God hand, right, all of that stuff with that last 1422 01:21:36.319 --> 01:21:40.159 apostle is really interesting. But then it's like, okay, how 1423 01:21:40.199 --> 01:21:43.600 do we get here? Right, and he gives it to you, 1424 01:21:44.159 --> 01:21:47.079 and it starts in a way that you know, this 1425 01:21:47.199 --> 01:21:49.439 is spectacular. I think this is such a good way 1426 01:21:49.479 --> 01:21:52.359 to start with. This character is right, like this kid 1427 01:21:52.960 --> 01:21:57.439 is literally born from a corpse, right, he's he We'll 1428 01:21:57.479 --> 01:21:58.720 get into that. We'll get into that. 1429 01:21:59.119 --> 01:22:02.079 You trying to avoid any any direct spoilers for the 1430 01:22:02.119 --> 01:22:03.560 guys kind of reading along with us. 1431 01:22:03.960 --> 01:22:06.399 Oh if you, if you are watching this and you 1432 01:22:06.479 --> 01:22:09.439 have not read Berserk, what I would suggest is for 1433 01:22:09.520 --> 01:22:12.760 you to stop and go read it at least read 1434 01:22:12.880 --> 01:22:17.760 up to where we are talking, which is let me 1435 01:22:17.880 --> 01:22:20.079 just let me just make sure I'm correct here. 1436 01:22:20.600 --> 01:22:22.760 Well, dude, what I've done is I've just included the 1437 01:22:22.800 --> 01:22:24.920 link to a pirate site where you can see it 1438 01:22:24.960 --> 01:22:28.239 all on your computer for free. Like right, the first thing, 1439 01:22:28.560 --> 01:22:32.199 like everyone like the physical stuff's great, Everyone should. 1440 01:22:31.920 --> 01:22:35.880 Read manga online for free. And then once you've decided, wow, 1441 01:22:35.960 --> 01:22:37.880 this is a work that is beautiful and I really 1442 01:22:37.960 --> 01:22:40.960 want to contribute to this person's coffers, then by their 1443 01:22:41.000 --> 01:22:45.000 stuff if you want. I don't care. I've read. I 1444 01:22:45.000 --> 01:22:48.920 can't even thousands and thousands of chapters of things that 1445 01:22:49.000 --> 01:22:51.520 I was not allowed and I don't give a shit, right. 1446 01:22:51.560 --> 01:22:53.880 This is this is the way. The only reason that 1447 01:22:53.960 --> 01:22:57.520 manga is and an anime are the culturals like guess 1448 01:22:57.520 --> 01:22:59.920 that they are these days is because of these websites. 1449 01:23:00.119 --> 01:23:03.000 It's not because everybody was out buying fucking anime DVDs. 1450 01:23:03.159 --> 01:23:05.600 That's not what people do. They go to anime pirate 1451 01:23:05.760 --> 01:23:07.920 or they go to pirated anime websites, or they go 1452 01:23:07.960 --> 01:23:10.079 to pirate mango websites and they read them and then 1453 01:23:10.079 --> 01:23:12.079 if they love it, they buy it, or they fucking 1454 01:23:12.079 --> 01:23:14.520 go to Japan. They turn people into fucking like cultists. Man, 1455 01:23:14.560 --> 01:23:18.159 It's it's like, it's it's worth. That's why they allow 1456 01:23:18.199 --> 01:23:20.239 it to happen, in my opinion, because I don't think 1457 01:23:20.279 --> 01:23:22.760 that these companies would have the hardest time going for 1458 01:23:22.800 --> 01:23:27.920 these these kinds of these kind of websites regardless, I think, yeah, 1459 01:23:27.920 --> 01:23:29.840 you should probably go read because I'm going to do 1460 01:23:29.920 --> 01:23:33.640 my best to not these spoilery. But it's difficult to 1461 01:23:33.720 --> 01:23:37.039 really talk about the meat of this thing without revealing 1462 01:23:37.319 --> 01:23:39.560 a lot of aspects of this because a lot of 1463 01:23:39.560 --> 01:23:44.000 it is like it's in many ways Bzurk is a maximalist, right, 1464 01:23:45.920 --> 01:23:49.640 But there's so much of the really good stuff is 1465 01:23:49.880 --> 01:23:54.319 really understated, you know, even just looks things like that 1466 01:23:54.479 --> 01:23:58.239 right in this in this some dish. But yeah, this 1467 01:23:58.359 --> 01:24:06.239 kid is clearly in the Black Swordsman Arc. Gots has 1468 01:24:06.279 --> 01:24:10.920 some issues with other people, right. He really despises being touched, 1469 01:24:11.720 --> 01:24:17.079 can't stand it. It doesn't matter who's touching him either, right, 1470 01:24:17.279 --> 01:24:20.439 he is he doesn't really have very much value for 1471 01:24:20.520 --> 01:24:25.560 human life at all. He is willing to kill innocence. 1472 01:24:28.159 --> 01:24:32.960 Only really one death hurts him in the whole thing, 1473 01:24:33.279 --> 01:24:35.399 and that's the little girl and her and her and 1474 01:24:35.439 --> 01:24:38.399 her like old man Dad, he's like traveling and you 1475 01:24:38.399 --> 01:24:40.920 know he gets attacked by because of the brand, right, 1476 01:24:41.479 --> 01:24:44.560 he gets attacked and these two people get sort of 1477 01:24:44.560 --> 01:24:47.079 caught in the crossfire, right, and he he ends up 1478 01:24:47.479 --> 01:24:51.199 destroying this child's body that gets possessed and it does 1479 01:24:51.319 --> 01:24:54.920 damage him. He cries about it, I believe, which you 1480 01:24:55.039 --> 01:24:56.720 never see up to that point, right, he never really 1481 01:24:56.720 --> 01:25:00.640 shows that aspect of himself. It's important to. 1482 01:25:00.560 --> 01:25:03.600 Say, and we've said this before, that that chronologically we're 1483 01:25:03.880 --> 01:25:07.119 we're stepping back, right, the blast words and Arc occurs 1484 01:25:07.199 --> 01:25:10.720 after this, so we're getting more context, but also in 1485 01:25:10.800 --> 01:25:13.560 real time, right, this was done later, so we start 1486 01:25:13.600 --> 01:25:15.800 off just right in the middle of a battle. And 1487 01:25:15.840 --> 01:25:17.840 in the first episode, you remember that I said there's 1488 01:25:17.880 --> 01:25:21.239 a lot of amazing art and great kind of historical 1489 01:25:21.319 --> 01:25:24.760 arms and armor. This panel is a great example of that, right, 1490 01:25:24.920 --> 01:25:27.760 just this massive battle. Obviously this is sort of paying 1491 01:25:27.760 --> 01:25:30.399 homage to the historical one hundred Years War, right, this 1492 01:25:30.479 --> 01:25:34.159 conflict where there are lots of mercenaries running around. Guts 1493 01:25:34.199 --> 01:25:36.479 himself is the is you know, is a part of 1494 01:25:36.840 --> 01:25:40.359 you know, one of these bands. Uh So the battle 1495 01:25:40.399 --> 01:25:44.159 is again rendered in in gory detail, and then there's 1496 01:25:44.199 --> 01:25:47.399 this this troop of you know, armed armored knights that 1497 01:25:47.479 --> 01:25:52.319 come in and instead of right, you know, fighting that 1498 01:25:52.399 --> 01:25:56.800 with a you know, an actual force, Guts rides out himself, right, 1499 01:25:56.840 --> 01:25:59.239 and again we see the sort of like very you know, 1500 01:25:59.359 --> 01:26:02.600 dutifully rendered you know, gore as he kind of cuts 1501 01:26:02.600 --> 01:26:05.399 them through. Again, a great kind of double spread of 1502 01:26:05.479 --> 01:26:08.000 him going into it. I'm not going to go through 1503 01:26:08.039 --> 01:26:10.520 and scroll through the entire thing, but I will show 1504 01:26:10.600 --> 01:26:13.800 kind of choice panels that are particularly relevant or interesting 1505 01:26:13.840 --> 01:26:15.760 as we go through it, and a lot. 1506 01:26:15.640 --> 01:26:19.520 Of they're the like prototypical of Mirror's style and what 1507 01:26:19.560 --> 01:26:24.800 to expect of this manga. The the big cleave is 1508 01:26:24.920 --> 01:26:32.199 basically the guts, bread and butter, like he's he What 1509 01:26:32.239 --> 01:26:34.159 I love about him as a character is that he's 1510 01:26:34.319 --> 01:26:39.640 clearly unbelievably skilled, right he but he fights in the 1511 01:26:39.680 --> 01:26:43.319 most brute force way. I love that about him. He's 1512 01:26:43.399 --> 01:26:46.960 not gonna go like he doesn't care about going for 1513 01:26:47.000 --> 01:26:50.560 the gaps in your armor. He doesn't care about trying 1514 01:26:50.600 --> 01:26:53.560 to sort of like beat you with footwork and then 1515 01:26:53.760 --> 01:26:56.399 you know, get outside of your guard. He just cuts 1516 01:26:56.479 --> 01:26:59.880 through it and no one expects that. No one expects 1517 01:26:59.880 --> 01:27:03.439 the he's able to do that. It's considered like superhuman 1518 01:27:03.720 --> 01:27:07.039 in the universe, which I appreciate. Right, Guts is considered 1519 01:27:07.760 --> 01:27:12.119 like imagine seeing somebody do that, man, imagine watching somebody 1520 01:27:12.239 --> 01:27:15.600 cleave with a sword through plate armor that doesn't even 1521 01:27:15.640 --> 01:27:18.800 make like like what is that's like magic shit? Like 1522 01:27:18.840 --> 01:27:21.279 what is going on with that? What is that guy taking? Right? 1523 01:27:21.359 --> 01:27:26.079 So he is a force? Right this this chapter right 1524 01:27:26.319 --> 01:27:28.319 what I appreciated, But I just realized that sort of 1525 01:27:28.319 --> 01:27:31.640 like the the format of this like properly right. This 1526 01:27:31.720 --> 01:27:34.760 chapter in particular, I love this because it's it's sort 1527 01:27:34.760 --> 01:27:37.159 of the first time that he gets the first time 1528 01:27:37.159 --> 01:27:39.039 that you see guts in a in a in a 1529 01:27:39.079 --> 01:27:44.520 position of of responsibility to a degree, right, this is 1530 01:27:44.560 --> 01:27:48.079 a a reveal of him after a time has passed. 1531 01:27:49.000 --> 01:27:54.399 I do also love the aspect that he's fighting these 1532 01:27:54.439 --> 01:27:58.399 sort of like something that Japanese authors do a lot, 1533 01:27:58.439 --> 01:28:01.039 and I think it's it's kind of there's a lot 1534 01:28:01.039 --> 01:28:02.600 of soul in this. It's sort of it reminds me 1535 01:28:02.640 --> 01:28:07.000 a lot of like a you know, like sort of 1536 01:28:07.760 --> 01:28:11.119 like nineteen fifties like greaser sort of sort of like 1537 01:28:11.119 --> 01:28:14.359 like like street gang called like oh, we're like street sharks, 1538 01:28:14.359 --> 01:28:15.399 you know what I mean, like that that kind of 1539 01:28:15.399 --> 01:28:19.279 ship like snapping at each other. Right. Yeah. The Japs 1540 01:28:19.319 --> 01:28:23.560 have this thing too with with with you know this 1541 01:28:23.560 --> 01:28:27.000 this this uh, this unit that they're that the Band 1542 01:28:27.000 --> 01:28:28.680 of the Hawk is fighting against. Right, they're called like 1543 01:28:28.720 --> 01:28:32.800 the like black Iron Rams heavy cavalry, right, Like they 1544 01:28:32.800 --> 01:28:35.880 have like a ton of these. It's like, yeah, tons 1545 01:28:35.920 --> 01:28:37.439 of them across the Munket, there are tons of them. 1546 01:28:37.479 --> 01:28:40.600 I love this. I love this part of It's very typical, 1547 01:28:40.720 --> 01:28:44.079 especially of Japanese stuff at this time frame in the 1548 01:28:44.119 --> 01:28:46.079 net because I think this this part was being written 1549 01:28:46.119 --> 01:28:50.199 in the nineties. Yeah, most of the Golden ages written 1550 01:28:50.199 --> 01:28:52.520 in the nineties, I believe he was. He was he 1551 01:28:52.560 --> 01:28:55.640 was fast burning in the nineties, but it's still done significantly. 1552 01:28:56.880 --> 01:28:59.239 But yeah, I love that he's fighting sort of like this, 1553 01:28:59.319 --> 01:29:02.800 like they all have there's you know, special ram helmets 1554 01:29:02.880 --> 01:29:05.239 and right, they're like they're like they're like a gang. Right. 1555 01:29:06.600 --> 01:29:06.720 Uh. 1556 01:29:07.159 --> 01:29:09.319 It reminds me of like, you know, also like Japanese 1557 01:29:09.560 --> 01:29:11.520 biker gangs all of that, righting the sort of like 1558 01:29:11.560 --> 01:29:14.680 connection to the culture, right, I love that. I love 1559 01:29:14.720 --> 01:29:16.479 that he chose to do. 1560 01:29:16.479 --> 01:29:22.560 This, and honestly, man, like it's again, this is fantasy. 1561 01:29:22.720 --> 01:29:26.079 Although it's interesting at this point is that we we 1562 01:29:26.159 --> 01:29:30.039 see Guts witness something magical or supernatural for the first 1563 01:29:30.079 --> 01:29:30.520 time in the. 1564 01:29:30.479 --> 01:29:33.079 Sense this is the first time that that really happens. 1565 01:29:33.359 --> 01:29:36.039 You know, yes, and you know that that whole thing 1566 01:29:36.079 --> 01:29:39.159 of having your your mercenary crew with a cool name 1567 01:29:39.439 --> 01:29:42.840 and a banner and something you do, Yeah, it happened. 1568 01:29:43.000 --> 01:29:46.239 It's yeah, exactly, It's like it's the desire, right that. 1569 01:29:47.439 --> 01:29:53.039 I cannot tell you how much I devoured this arc 1570 01:29:53.800 --> 01:29:56.159 when I read it the first time, right at seventeen 1571 01:29:56.239 --> 01:29:58.199 years old, I was like, this is like, this is 1572 01:29:58.239 --> 01:30:01.960 the coolest thing ever imagine just fuck and just you know, 1573 01:30:02.039 --> 01:30:04.199 getting after it with your bros. Right that this is 1574 01:30:04.239 --> 01:30:06.520 sick and you like your main guy is the coolest 1575 01:30:06.520 --> 01:30:09.079 guy ever, right, and we we have to talk about Griffith, right, 1576 01:30:10.680 --> 01:30:11.760 Oh yeah, one hundred percent. 1577 01:30:12.039 --> 01:30:16.760 So we're we're introduced to Griffith because he the leader 1578 01:30:16.840 --> 01:30:20.479 of you know, Guts Mercenary Company rides in on horseback 1579 01:30:20.520 --> 01:30:22.720 to save him. Right again, this kind of double panel 1580 01:30:22.800 --> 01:30:25.039 you see, to basically back him up as he's kind 1581 01:30:25.079 --> 01:30:28.479 of you know, weighed down with you know, all of 1582 01:30:28.520 --> 01:30:32.399 these like armored knights. And again this is just the introduction. 1583 01:30:32.600 --> 01:30:34.800 He is a major character, and in fact, he is 1584 01:30:34.960 --> 01:30:38.319 referenced in the kind of closing of this segment. 1585 01:30:38.760 --> 01:30:41.279 To be to be to be to be clear, this 1586 01:30:41.359 --> 01:30:44.039 is not the introduction of Guts in the or sorry 1587 01:30:44.039 --> 01:30:45.760 of Griffith and the Golden Age. This is this is 1588 01:30:45.840 --> 01:30:51.359 post time skip. This is right, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I 1589 01:30:51.439 --> 01:30:53.279 was just reading this earlier today because just to like 1590 01:30:53.439 --> 01:30:55.439 keep it in my mind. Right, this is post time skip. 1591 01:30:55.520 --> 01:31:00.000 So there is the entire remember how their first meeting, right, yeah, 1592 01:31:00.359 --> 01:31:03.399 Guts is not meeting Griffith. We are as the audience, 1593 01:31:03.479 --> 01:31:05.760 is what I meant to say, no, because there's a 1594 01:31:05.760 --> 01:31:09.720 whole section in which in which, like, okay, there's a battle, 1595 01:31:11.760 --> 01:31:15.279 Guts beats a guy, Griffith sees him do this, then 1596 01:31:15.359 --> 01:31:20.319 Guts leaves with the money. Griffith's boys watch him leave, 1597 01:31:20.760 --> 01:31:24.399 right and they it's Corcus, you know, the like the 1598 01:31:24.560 --> 01:31:27.359 like he's like the designated like oh. 1599 01:31:27.239 --> 01:31:29.039 See in my and maybe this is just the site 1600 01:31:29.079 --> 01:31:31.800 I'm looking at it that is later I might be 1601 01:31:31.800 --> 01:31:33.760 looking at a mixed up version. So that's entire that's 1602 01:31:33.800 --> 01:31:35.199 definitely the part you're talking. 1603 01:31:35.079 --> 01:31:37.640 About that Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, but 1604 01:31:37.680 --> 01:31:39.800 you no, No, this is this is the Golden Age 1605 01:31:39.840 --> 01:31:43.520 is done and chronologically from the time that like literally 1606 01:31:43.560 --> 01:31:47.800 from the time that in which Gambino finds Guts. It's 1607 01:31:47.840 --> 01:31:52.119 almost immediately it starts there, brother, yeah, it starts there. 1608 01:31:52.119 --> 01:31:54.600 Well, this is incredibly professional podcasting. 1609 01:31:54.920 --> 01:31:58.399 It's okay, it's it's okay because all of this, all 1610 01:31:58.439 --> 01:32:01.039 of this sort of works. The chapters we're talking about 1611 01:32:01.319 --> 01:32:09.000 are are are still doing everything that is like they're 1612 01:32:09.039 --> 01:32:11.680 like they're almost like the prototypical aspect of it, but 1613 01:32:11.720 --> 01:32:14.800 there's aspects at the beginning that that that must be discussed, right, Like, 1614 01:32:14.800 --> 01:32:17.319 like all of gots his childhood and all of that stuff. 1615 01:32:17.880 --> 01:32:20.800 Yeah, honestly, I'm annoyed because I'm looking through the files 1616 01:32:20.800 --> 01:32:22.439 ahead and those are right after this. 1617 01:32:22.920 --> 01:32:24.000 So here's what we'll do. 1618 01:32:24.680 --> 01:32:27.079 Uh on again, We'll go through that because that is 1619 01:32:27.239 --> 01:32:30.279 much needed backstory. And that's also why you're probably used 1620 01:32:30.279 --> 01:32:31.359 what I was talking about. 1621 01:32:32.640 --> 01:32:34.800 I was a little confused first, but it's all good. 1622 01:32:34.840 --> 01:32:39.720 Yeah yeah again, guys, professional podcaster here who uh can't 1623 01:32:39.840 --> 01:32:42.560 use files in order. But that said, we will cover that, 1624 01:32:42.840 --> 01:32:46.039 right yeah. Uh so, yes, So this is the you know, 1625 01:32:46.560 --> 01:32:49.359 Griffith kind of rides in to save him here. We 1626 01:32:49.399 --> 01:32:52.680 see a scene afterwards where Cosca you know, another character 1627 01:32:52.680 --> 01:32:55.920 will become you know, referenced much more as we go 1628 01:32:55.960 --> 01:33:00.359 into this later it okay, yeah, she basically dresses him out. 1629 01:33:00.479 --> 01:33:02.760 We learn from some of the background characters that the 1630 01:33:02.800 --> 01:33:06.079 two of them have a rival, or have a rivalry rather, 1631 01:33:06.119 --> 01:33:09.479 they can't stand each other. They're kind of vying for, 1632 01:33:10.000 --> 01:33:12.720 you know, their their position under Griffith, you know that 1633 01:33:12.760 --> 01:33:17.800 the charismatic leader here, and then we move to actually 1634 01:33:18.079 --> 01:33:21.119 a pretty interesting scene. So I'm going over this not 1635 01:33:21.279 --> 01:33:24.039 because it's you know, unimportant, but just because you know, 1636 01:33:24.039 --> 01:33:27.079 we'll refer back to this a little bit later and 1637 01:33:27.119 --> 01:33:30.399 get you know, it'll make sense later, right when we 1638 01:33:30.479 --> 01:33:33.239 go through the kind of rest of this, you know, 1639 01:33:33.279 --> 01:33:36.359 immediate chapter. Is there anything else you want to cover? 1640 01:33:36.399 --> 01:33:38.000 We can, like I said, refer back to this later. 1641 01:33:38.079 --> 01:33:42.920 Remas well. No, that all of the interactions in this chapter, 1642 01:33:42.960 --> 01:33:45.039 in particular, especially the one that you're showing, which, by 1643 01:33:45.079 --> 01:33:47.399 the way, I love that you're showing this. You're showing 1644 01:33:47.439 --> 01:33:51.439 the actual panels because the amount of people to talk 1645 01:33:51.479 --> 01:33:55.119 about this stuff completely with nothing or they just talk 1646 01:33:55.159 --> 01:33:57.520 about like the anime or something. I think, the degree 1647 01:33:57.600 --> 01:34:00.399 to which it is important to see me or as drawings, 1648 01:34:01.720 --> 01:34:05.600 it cannot be overstated. That is the soul of this 1649 01:34:05.840 --> 01:34:10.399 of what berserk is. Berserk is he remember right this 1650 01:34:10.479 --> 01:34:16.800 man wrote Andrew. Basically everything how how manga works is 1651 01:34:16.800 --> 01:34:18.920 a little bit more complicated, right. There are other people 1652 01:34:19.039 --> 01:34:21.880 in the in the place doing all like that, you know, 1653 01:34:21.960 --> 01:34:24.159 all the shading work, all of like the inking, all 1654 01:34:24.199 --> 01:34:26.359 of that stuff is done handled by different people. But 1655 01:34:26.439 --> 01:34:31.560 the line work, the designs, the the the the uh 1656 01:34:31.600 --> 01:34:32.079 what's it called? 1657 01:34:32.119 --> 01:34:32.600 The uh. 1658 01:34:34.000 --> 01:34:37.600 Movies do it too, The storyboarding, right, like the blocking 1659 01:34:37.760 --> 01:34:40.520 even right figuring out where people are standing. All of 1660 01:34:40.560 --> 01:34:43.760 that stuff. This guy is a fucking master like he 1661 01:34:43.760 --> 01:34:47.520 he has such a beautiful understanding of quote unquote the 1662 01:34:47.600 --> 01:34:51.640 camera right the eye of the viewer, right where things are, 1663 01:34:51.960 --> 01:34:56.279 his master's space. All of that stuff is ridiculous, and 1664 01:34:56.399 --> 01:35:00.359 he really starts to flex it in my opinion, in 1665 01:35:00.640 --> 01:35:04.680 this part of this arc after the time skip right, 1666 01:35:04.840 --> 01:35:08.439 like in this area, this is where he's solidifying designs. 1667 01:35:08.880 --> 01:35:11.119 This is where he's figuring out how he wants to 1668 01:35:11.119 --> 01:35:15.880 make things look in the future. Uh. This arc is 1669 01:35:15.920 --> 01:35:20.399 like the the the It's where the the cement sets. 1670 01:35:20.720 --> 01:35:23.640 You know. I love Griffith's design. First of all, the 1671 01:35:23.680 --> 01:35:26.880 hawk is such a cool idea, right, him being this 1672 01:35:27.079 --> 01:35:29.119 blonde or so not even he's not even blonde. His 1673 01:35:29.159 --> 01:35:33.680 hair is white. Right, It's more than that, he like 1674 01:35:33.760 --> 01:35:36.239 he looks like an elf for Christ's sake, right, he 1675 01:35:36.239 --> 01:35:38.680 he doesn't even look like a person. And all of 1676 01:35:38.960 --> 01:35:43.760 his boys, uh, you know, like almost like revere him 1677 01:35:43.760 --> 01:35:46.119 the way that they talk about not just Griffith, but 1678 01:35:46.239 --> 01:35:49.399 also Guts. At this point, right, you know, after when 1679 01:35:49.439 --> 01:35:52.239 when Cosco is sort of like a dressing him down, 1680 01:35:53.159 --> 01:35:55.239 you can see that Guts has established himself within the 1681 01:35:55.239 --> 01:35:59.720 band of the Hawk, right. He he he has now become, 1682 01:36:00.880 --> 01:36:03.319 you know, the captain of the Raiders, right, he has 1683 01:36:03.359 --> 01:36:08.399 a bunch of guys under his command, and he still 1684 01:36:08.479 --> 01:36:11.800 does reckless things, but he but he like his guys 1685 01:36:11.800 --> 01:36:13.960 don't even care. They think he's awesome, right, they like, 1686 01:36:13.960 --> 01:36:17.199 I think it's cool that he does one v ones. Right, 1687 01:36:17.199 --> 01:36:21.000 They're like, that's sick. We would will go after you anyway, right. 1688 01:36:21.600 --> 01:36:24.199 But Casco has problems with that, right, And and the 1689 01:36:24.560 --> 01:36:28.520 friction is there, and I love that, right, the the 1690 01:36:28.279 --> 01:36:34.680 the her feeling that he's sort of replacing her, all 1691 01:36:34.720 --> 01:36:36.800 of the stuff, like all of the fact that all 1692 01:36:36.840 --> 01:36:39.960 of these characters are clearly people who are right, if 1693 01:36:40.000 --> 01:36:43.520 you're a mercenary in a band of guys, right, you've 1694 01:36:43.560 --> 01:36:50.039 you've probably had a pretty interesting or hard life or both. Right, 1695 01:36:51.399 --> 01:36:54.159 something has brought you to this place that's not like normal. Right. 1696 01:36:54.199 --> 01:36:57.159 A lot of these guys are outcasts. They don't have 1697 01:36:57.199 --> 01:36:59.039 anybody to go back to or any place to go 1698 01:36:59.119 --> 01:37:02.880 back to. So this is their place, right. So that 1699 01:37:02.880 --> 01:37:06.920 that conflict between people who don't know where else to 1700 01:37:06.960 --> 01:37:09.520 go and feel like their place is being sort of usurped. 1701 01:37:09.680 --> 01:37:15.520 That's that's that's that that provides her interesting character character work, right, 1702 01:37:15.920 --> 01:37:22.199 And thankfully, Mirror understands understatement. He understands not making everything 1703 01:37:22.199 --> 01:37:27.000 be necessarily be said. He understands allowing characters to not 1704 01:37:27.079 --> 01:37:29.920 like Guts doesn't necessarily say everything he's feeling, right, He 1705 01:37:31.000 --> 01:37:35.520 most of the time he's conveying all of the things 1706 01:37:35.520 --> 01:37:39.399 that this guy thinks through looks. You know, so you 1707 01:37:39.520 --> 01:37:41.560 have to be able to do that well, and you 1708 01:37:41.600 --> 01:37:44.600 see a lot of that coming out here. I love 1709 01:37:44.600 --> 01:37:48.119 this stuff. I love I love these chapters in particular. Uh, 1710 01:37:48.319 --> 01:37:51.720 it's sort of a coming out for the character. Right, 1711 01:37:52.359 --> 01:37:57.159 you've seen because again, right, chronologically we're a little bit 1712 01:37:57.319 --> 01:38:01.520 far and at this point you've seen a lot be 1713 01:38:01.640 --> 01:38:04.359 overcome from guns, right, Like he seems sort of like 1714 01:38:04.439 --> 01:38:08.800 he's more maturing more as a person as a man. Right. 1715 01:38:08.880 --> 01:38:11.039 She gets upset with him cuscom Right, She gets upset 1716 01:38:11.039 --> 01:38:13.039 with him about like saying like you don't you don't 1717 01:38:13.079 --> 01:38:15.159 care about your comrades, you don't care about anybody else, Right, 1718 01:38:15.199 --> 01:38:18.399 you just go in and he's like, no, like that's 1719 01:38:18.680 --> 01:38:21.760 he that's what he takes issue with. Rights, we're saying 1720 01:38:21.760 --> 01:38:24.479 that to him. 1721 01:38:23.359 --> 01:38:28.039 Well, and we get an interesting contrast in this next scene, right, 1722 01:38:28.640 --> 01:38:31.840 Guts and Griffith have their conversation, and then we see 1723 01:38:31.880 --> 01:38:35.239 the difference in how the two of them are basically 1724 01:38:35.439 --> 01:38:37.479 celebrating this victory. 1725 01:38:38.199 --> 01:38:38.359 Right. 1726 01:38:38.399 --> 01:38:41.039 So again we see this this very good you know 1727 01:38:41.119 --> 01:38:45.199 architectural drawing. EUA plays a lot with perspective. We noticed 1728 01:38:45.199 --> 01:38:48.079 this earlier in the Black Swordsman arc. But again, right, 1729 01:38:48.119 --> 01:38:50.840 the the other mercenary captains are here. You know, Griffith 1730 01:38:50.920 --> 01:38:54.640 is being knighted, right, he is sort of getting this title, 1731 01:38:54.840 --> 01:38:58.880 and we see the people, you know, his warriors, you know, reacting. 1732 01:38:59.399 --> 01:39:02.159 The question again is where's Guts. 1733 01:39:03.199 --> 01:39:05.920 Gus is just working out right. They strapped some kind 1734 01:39:05.960 --> 01:39:09.560 of crude you know, wooden weights to his sword, and 1735 01:39:09.600 --> 01:39:14.239 he's outside, just completely uninterested in the kind of status, 1736 01:39:14.399 --> 01:39:19.000 the desire for glory that we see driving grivit. So again, 1737 01:39:19.039 --> 01:39:22.159 these two are foils for each other, you know, of 1738 01:39:22.199 --> 01:39:25.560 them are the thrust of the drama of this piece. 1739 01:39:26.119 --> 01:39:30.359 They again, it is it is their relationship that defines 1740 01:39:30.560 --> 01:39:34.560 the state of the world. Literally, everything about what happens. 1741 01:39:34.920 --> 01:39:43.239 These decisions, these choices, these ambitions, these resentments, everything that 1742 01:39:43.279 --> 01:39:46.640 takes place between these two characters defines everything that happens 1743 01:39:46.840 --> 01:39:49.199 it's it's beautiful the subtlety of all of it as well, 1744 01:39:49.279 --> 01:39:54.399 Like especially okay, okay, I know we're trying to not 1745 01:39:54.479 --> 01:39:56.960 do spoilers, but we have to talk about the way 1746 01:39:56.960 --> 01:40:01.520 that these two actually come together and nature of how 1747 01:40:02.039 --> 01:40:05.600 that defines their relationship. Right, there's a lot like a 1748 01:40:05.640 --> 01:40:09.319 lot of people talk about Berserk, and the way that 1749 01:40:09.359 --> 01:40:12.520 they talk about Griffith and Guts is like, you know, 1750 01:40:12.520 --> 01:40:14.720 they have this very crude sort of like it's gay 1751 01:40:14.920 --> 01:40:18.920 and it's like listen, dude, just shut the fuck up, right, 1752 01:40:18.960 --> 01:40:21.800 like get out of here, Like you can do that 1753 01:40:21.840 --> 01:40:24.279 if you want, but that's that's not what's happening here. Right, 1754 01:40:25.520 --> 01:40:33.119 Griffith is a Griffith is the kind of person that 1755 01:40:33.279 --> 01:40:37.640 has a single desire, right, He has a single goal. 1756 01:40:37.800 --> 01:40:42.199 He has a as he calls it, a dream. He 1757 01:40:42.399 --> 01:40:49.119 wants something from the world for whatever reason, which you 1758 01:40:49.119 --> 01:40:52.560 you know, do see and find out what what why. 1759 01:40:52.640 --> 01:40:56.439 Griffith you know, pursues what he pursues in the way 1760 01:40:56.439 --> 01:41:03.960 that he pursues it. Right. But in initially when they 1761 01:41:04.000 --> 01:41:08.760 first meet, Griffith has seen Guts in action in combat, right, 1762 01:41:08.840 --> 01:41:12.039 and this kid is already like he is clearly like 1763 01:41:12.079 --> 01:41:15.800 this is like meeting Guts would be like meeting a 1764 01:41:15.960 --> 01:41:21.720 very scary street dog, right, he is hard, like meeting 1765 01:41:21.760 --> 01:41:24.359 a kid, Like could you imagine meeting a child like them? 1766 01:41:24.479 --> 01:41:27.439 You know what I mean? It's like it's scary, Like 1767 01:41:27.479 --> 01:41:31.119 that's like that it's scary. And it's also it's not 1768 01:41:31.159 --> 01:41:33.800 scary because it's not like the necessarily this kid's gonna 1769 01:41:33.880 --> 01:41:35.279 you know what I mean. But it's there's a sense 1770 01:41:35.319 --> 01:41:37.720 of like, especially if you're your own kids, right, I don't, 1771 01:41:37.720 --> 01:41:41.239 but everyone who does, right, Any you look at a child, right, 1772 01:41:41.279 --> 01:41:45.199 any any child that's like hard and that has hard 1773 01:41:45.319 --> 01:41:48.600 eyes and that looks at you the way that Guts 1774 01:41:48.640 --> 01:41:51.199 looks at people when he's a child, Right, it's like, 1775 01:41:51.920 --> 01:41:54.600 what the fuck happened to this kid? Right? There's something 1776 01:41:54.920 --> 01:42:00.720 clearly here, But whatever it is, it fuels this violence, right. 1777 01:42:01.520 --> 01:42:05.880 And the reason for that is myriad, But to put it, 1778 01:42:05.960 --> 01:42:08.720 to put it simply, it's violence is the only thing 1779 01:42:08.800 --> 01:42:13.720 that is ever Actually, violence is the only friend that 1780 01:42:13.800 --> 01:42:17.560 Guts has, right. His sword is his only friend. It's 1781 01:42:17.600 --> 01:42:20.079 it's the only thing he can really trust. It's the 1782 01:42:20.079 --> 01:42:22.760 only thing that he knows won't betray him. It's the 1783 01:42:22.800 --> 01:42:25.920 only thing that he knows he can depend on. Right 1784 01:42:26.439 --> 01:42:29.600 is the blade. That's why he's so good with it. 1785 01:42:29.640 --> 01:42:33.239 That's why even here right while Griffith is being knighted, 1786 01:42:35.039 --> 01:42:39.560 he's honing his ability to use it. Right, that's all 1787 01:42:39.640 --> 01:42:44.479 he that's his only real instrument in this world to 1788 01:42:44.600 --> 01:42:49.159 act upon it, to stop it from acting upon him, right, 1789 01:42:49.920 --> 01:42:53.720 which has very much happened to him. So when he 1790 01:42:53.840 --> 01:42:56.760 meets Griffith, who has seen him fight, sees him like 1791 01:42:56.960 --> 01:42:59.079 again cut through some dude's armer with the fucking sword, 1792 01:42:59.119 --> 01:43:04.840 which is insane, Right, Griffith season fight and Griffith understands 1793 01:43:04.880 --> 01:43:07.760 the value of this, being able to bring violence to 1794 01:43:07.800 --> 01:43:12.079 bear like that season is a tool, right, goes I 1795 01:43:12.079 --> 01:43:18.520 could use that. They meet because Griffith, Griffith's men jump him, 1796 01:43:18.800 --> 01:43:22.159 He kills a couple of them. The fight starts to 1797 01:43:22.159 --> 01:43:24.479 go bad. Costco goes over to try to stop him, 1798 01:43:24.560 --> 01:43:29.479 Guts almost kills Cosca. Griffith saves her and shows one 1799 01:43:29.960 --> 01:43:33.199 why he is the guy that he is. He is 1800 01:43:33.239 --> 01:43:36.840 an expert swordsman. Like as much as we are going 1801 01:43:36.840 --> 01:43:42.520 to talk about Griffith's faults right right now, in these panels, 1802 01:43:42.760 --> 01:43:45.079 you were just you were just contrasting the you know 1803 01:43:46.600 --> 01:43:51.760 the focuses, right, Griffith is here to get knighted. He is. 1804 01:43:51.960 --> 01:43:55.760 He wants the accolades because of where they because of 1805 01:43:55.760 --> 01:44:00.159 where they will take him in his mind, right, but 1806 01:44:00.439 --> 01:44:06.000 he earned them with like Griffith isn't just snaking his 1807 01:44:06.079 --> 01:44:11.159 way through, right, he is actually real. When he fights Gots, 1808 01:44:12.119 --> 01:44:16.000 he beats him. And that's the proposition. If I beat 1809 01:44:16.039 --> 01:44:19.680 you in this sword fight, I will own you. You 1810 01:44:19.720 --> 01:44:22.640 will be mine. It's literally the language that he describes 1811 01:44:23.239 --> 01:44:28.079 that he uses. Right, you will be mine. And he 1812 01:44:28.159 --> 01:44:33.560 loses the fight, right, got is the fight? So that 1813 01:44:33.560 --> 01:44:39.039 that relationship right, because not only does he lose the fight, 1814 01:44:39.199 --> 01:44:42.560 then he's then he is introduced into an embraced by 1815 01:44:42.600 --> 01:44:45.239 this band of warriors. Right. And again, as I said 1816 01:44:45.239 --> 01:44:47.479 at the beginning, it's manner bund right. This is the 1817 01:44:48.000 --> 01:44:51.159 This is the desire of all young mentor would agree, 1818 01:44:51.199 --> 01:44:54.800 is to be embraced by a group of their peers. Right. 1819 01:44:54.840 --> 01:45:01.800 You want the others to respect you and to value you. Right. 1820 01:45:03.199 --> 01:45:05.800 I think this is human universal right. And he never 1821 01:45:06.000 --> 01:45:08.560 experienced this up until this point. The only way that 1822 01:45:08.600 --> 01:45:13.079 he experienced any form of value was you know, it 1823 01:45:13.159 --> 01:45:16.600 was all backhanded. It all came with abuse, right, So 1824 01:45:17.479 --> 01:45:21.000 finally he meets these people who treat him well for 1825 01:45:21.039 --> 01:45:27.079 what he can do, and even after hurting him, embrace him. Right, 1826 01:45:27.399 --> 01:45:32.479 only then does he learn sort of like to become 1827 01:45:32.520 --> 01:45:36.800 dedicated to others. Right. And now at this point, even 1828 01:45:36.840 --> 01:45:40.279 in this panel, right, the juxtaposition of them so true, right, 1829 01:45:40.520 --> 01:45:44.640 Griffith or Guts, he never stops honing himself. Griffith is 1830 01:45:44.720 --> 01:45:50.399 now concerned with pageantry, knighthood, social the social dynamic if 1831 01:45:50.399 --> 01:45:52.640 you if you, if you can you scroll back up 1832 01:45:52.680 --> 01:45:58.239 for a sec like, uh, or I think yeah, okay. 1833 01:45:58.279 --> 01:46:03.600 So so while he's been knighted, right, while that's happening 1834 01:46:04.520 --> 01:46:08.399 the whole time, other nobles who were there before him, right, 1835 01:46:08.479 --> 01:46:13.039 guys who are already knights, these guys are all talking shit, right, 1836 01:46:13.079 --> 01:46:14.840 They're all like, I can't believe this. Right, So this 1837 01:46:15.000 --> 01:46:17.960 is now the domain that Griffith has to concern himself with. 1838 01:46:18.600 --> 01:46:20.560 These are the sparrings that he has to go through. 1839 01:46:20.600 --> 01:46:22.279 These are the knife fights that he has to deal with, 1840 01:46:22.520 --> 01:46:28.359 whereas Guts remains sort of the the earth. Right, He's like, 1841 01:46:28.439 --> 01:46:30.399 it's like one goes to the sky, the other one 1842 01:46:30.399 --> 01:46:32.159 goes to the earth. Right, They are. They are truly 1843 01:46:32.319 --> 01:46:36.760 like a Yin and Yang situation, the two of them, well. 1844 01:46:36.560 --> 01:46:40.039 And you get that visually, right, the visual contrast between 1845 01:46:40.119 --> 01:46:43.640 you know, Guts training he's sweaty and gross, and then 1846 01:46:43.880 --> 01:46:48.600 Griffith right in his finery, Guts is he is wielding 1847 01:46:48.640 --> 01:46:52.279 his sword. Griffith is kissing one Yes, assuming his new 1848 01:46:52.399 --> 01:46:56.239 role as a knight. Yes, And that is very deliberate 1849 01:46:56.800 --> 01:46:57.840 mirror Drew. 1850 01:46:58.680 --> 01:47:01.840 He doesn't Guts isn't ugly. I wouldn't call him ugly, right, 1851 01:47:01.880 --> 01:47:05.600 there's a there's a reason that so many Zoomers, you know, 1852 01:47:06.119 --> 01:47:10.840 want to be this character, right, But it's the reason 1853 01:47:10.840 --> 01:47:12.640 that so many people in general have wanted to be 1854 01:47:12.680 --> 01:47:14.560 this character of Ron Zoomers. But like you know what 1855 01:47:14.560 --> 01:47:16.640 I mean, he's like a gym icon. Now, like guys, 1856 01:47:16.680 --> 01:47:18.199 guys go to the gym and they get the brand 1857 01:47:18.199 --> 01:47:21.560 of sacrifice tattooed on them, you know what I mean. 1858 01:47:21.560 --> 01:47:24.720 It's it's it's funny how that's like how become part 1859 01:47:24.720 --> 01:47:32.560 of the culture, right, enduring pain. But it's not only 1860 01:47:32.600 --> 01:47:35.039 in that, right, It's it's the character. It's not that 1861 01:47:35.079 --> 01:47:37.479 he's ugly, it's that he's a he's they're juxtapost right, 1862 01:47:37.520 --> 01:47:40.479 his hair is he's dark. His skin even is is 1863 01:47:40.600 --> 01:47:45.560 like like he looks more canned always than Griffith. Right, 1864 01:47:45.960 --> 01:47:50.079 He's he's rougher. He looks like a person who's has 1865 01:47:50.199 --> 01:47:54.239 slept outside many, many, many times. And Griffith doesn't. Griffith 1866 01:47:54.239 --> 01:47:58.479 looks like a princess in from a castle, right, but 1867 01:47:58.600 --> 01:48:01.239 he is rough. That's the weird part about Griffith. And 1868 01:48:01.239 --> 01:48:05.399 that's the part that always like again, just like just 1869 01:48:05.399 --> 01:48:08.960 like Guts' strength is acknowledged in universe to sort of 1870 01:48:08.960 --> 01:48:12.760 be monstrous, It's like, what the fuck is that Griffith 1871 01:48:12.840 --> 01:48:16.239 is also considered like it's like people are like it's 1872 01:48:16.279 --> 01:48:18.600 like he's not even real, you know what I mean. 1873 01:48:18.680 --> 01:48:21.960 He seems like unreal. He's like a he's like a 1874 01:48:22.079 --> 01:48:24.560 character out of myst It's like a like an Arthurian 1875 01:48:24.640 --> 01:48:30.479 legend or something. Right. Uh. And to that point, something 1876 01:48:30.520 --> 01:48:32.159 that I also want to bring up. Sorry, go ahead, 1877 01:48:32.159 --> 01:48:33.800 go ahead, because I won't forget no, no, not at all. 1878 01:48:33.840 --> 01:48:36.399 But that's something we will see reference to a multitude 1879 01:48:36.399 --> 01:48:39.960 of times. Right, Griffith is is pretty almost like a girl, 1880 01:48:40.560 --> 01:48:43.199 and you know not to say that, you know, Guts 1881 01:48:43.239 --> 01:48:46.640 is deliberately hideous, like there are hideous, like grotesque and 1882 01:48:46.720 --> 01:48:48.920 hideous people in this we say that in the Black 1883 01:48:48.960 --> 01:48:54.479 Swordsman arc. But he's rough, he has been effectively scarred 1884 01:48:54.520 --> 01:48:57.960 by war, and he's covered in marks, and he doesn't 1885 01:48:58.039 --> 01:49:01.520 take care of himself in nearly the same way Griffith doesn't. 1886 01:49:01.880 --> 01:49:02.760 There's that at all. 1887 01:49:02.920 --> 01:49:05.600 Doesn't care exactly in the same way that he doesn't 1888 01:49:05.680 --> 01:49:09.600 care about uh like, doesn't care about status at all. 1889 01:49:10.039 --> 01:49:12.600 He literally doesn't care about anything except getting better at 1890 01:49:12.600 --> 01:49:15.520 swinging the sword. That's like his whole the whole focus 1891 01:49:15.560 --> 01:49:16.359 of his life. 1892 01:49:16.279 --> 01:49:18.239 Is like, I'm going to do that. And part of 1893 01:49:18.239 --> 01:49:21.880 that is because he feels that debt, right he feels 1894 01:49:21.920 --> 01:49:24.840 the debt to Griffith and the band for what they've 1895 01:49:24.880 --> 01:49:29.479 given him, which is like a place, a family, a home, 1896 01:49:29.960 --> 01:49:32.279 people to care about, people that care about me, people 1897 01:49:32.279 --> 01:49:37.439 to depend on me, closeness with others, right, that that 1898 01:49:37.439 --> 01:49:41.079 that desire of his because it's not that like. Some 1899 01:49:41.119 --> 01:49:46.520 of the most heartbreaking panels in Berserk are the stuff 1900 01:49:46.560 --> 01:49:48.159 of when he's a kid, like the one where he 1901 01:49:48.199 --> 01:49:51.479 falls asleep while holding the fucking sword. It's like that 1902 01:49:51.640 --> 01:49:56.920 is so painful, Like this kid desires closeness so much, 1903 01:49:57.640 --> 01:50:01.079 so much, right, and he's not getting it from anybody 1904 01:50:01.079 --> 01:50:03.960 around him, because nobody is there for him for that, 1905 01:50:04.159 --> 01:50:12.560 for that purpose that he will choose cold and sharp steel, right, anything, Right, 1906 01:50:12.560 --> 01:50:14.840 it's the only thing that's that's here for me. Right. 1907 01:50:15.399 --> 01:50:19.199 To go from that to being somebody who has friendships, 1908 01:50:19.239 --> 01:50:25.359 has close bonds, that is a tremendous change, right, Like 1909 01:50:25.399 --> 01:50:27.520 this is like it's like any I don't know anybody 1910 01:50:27.560 --> 01:50:33.359 who has ever taken in an animal, not necessarily a 1911 01:50:33.399 --> 01:50:39.439 heavily abused one, but you too, right, those people too, right. 1912 01:50:39.520 --> 01:50:47.960 They The amount of time and efforts and care that 1913 01:50:48.079 --> 01:50:53.920 it takes to open that kind of pain up right 1914 01:50:54.640 --> 01:51:00.399 is really really difficult. But when you do, it's immensely, 1915 01:51:00.520 --> 01:51:04.199 immensely gratifying and satisfying to sort of like see this 1916 01:51:04.319 --> 01:51:09.680 animal learn to trust again. Right, Guts is a similar 1917 01:51:09.720 --> 01:51:13.640 creature he was. He's like a very abused and straight dog, right, 1918 01:51:13.960 --> 01:51:16.000 And these people gave him a home, these people gave 1919 01:51:16.039 --> 01:51:19.840 him something, so he his way of giving back is 1920 01:51:20.760 --> 01:51:24.000 I don't have anything but my ability to use this weapon. 1921 01:51:24.479 --> 01:51:28.640 So I'm going to become unbelievably proficient with it. I 1922 01:51:28.680 --> 01:51:35.359 will push myself as beyond what's possible. And meanwhile, this 1923 01:51:35.399 --> 01:51:38.880 is what Griffith is concerned with. Griffith's eyes are always 1924 01:51:38.920 --> 01:51:41.760 on the horizon. Griffith is always looking to the future. 1925 01:51:42.439 --> 01:51:46.960 Griffith is holding what he himself is called the egg 1926 01:51:47.000 --> 01:51:50.479 of the King already, right, we know what this thing is, 1927 01:51:50.560 --> 01:51:52.279 we do, yeah. 1928 01:51:52.000 --> 01:51:54.720 And it's important to remember that, you know, we will 1929 01:51:54.800 --> 01:51:57.279 we will learn more about Griffith as is sort of 1930 01:51:57.640 --> 01:52:00.880 you know, foreshadowed at the start of uh, you know 1931 01:52:01.000 --> 01:52:03.199 this at the end of excuse me, this segment we're 1932 01:52:03.199 --> 01:52:08.720 going through. So next chapter, right, it opens on this 1933 01:52:08.840 --> 01:52:13.039 shot of Griffith with the bailot around his neck. Of course, 1934 01:52:13.399 --> 01:52:16.600 as people who have read the Black Swordsman arc, we 1935 01:52:16.720 --> 01:52:20.359 understand the significance of that, right, there's some heavily foreshadowing 1936 01:52:20.439 --> 01:52:23.479 going on. What happens next is that, you know, Griffith 1937 01:52:23.520 --> 01:52:27.600 and his company are on a hill overlooking a siege 1938 01:52:28.199 --> 01:52:31.640 and they're talking about Zod, this soldier, you know that, 1939 01:52:31.720 --> 01:52:34.800 this sort of mythical man. And you know, as the 1940 01:52:34.840 --> 01:52:38.319 action kind of goes on, we see this keep where 1941 01:52:38.520 --> 01:52:41.439 the door has been busted in and there are other 1942 01:52:41.479 --> 01:52:44.319 mercenaries standing around and they're saying, we've sent fifty men 1943 01:52:44.319 --> 01:52:47.880 in None of them have come back out, and again, right, 1944 01:52:47.960 --> 01:52:51.479 the the gore is is significant in this, so as 1945 01:52:51.479 --> 01:52:52.239 we go through. 1946 01:52:52.039 --> 01:52:58.720 It, he hasn't just guts. Guts himself notes this. Then 1947 01:52:59.119 --> 01:53:01.319 when he goes in, man, it's not like this is 1948 01:53:01.359 --> 01:53:03.560 not like, oh, a bunch of guys got killed with 1949 01:53:03.680 --> 01:53:06.600 weapons in here, This is like, what the fuck? These 1950 01:53:06.600 --> 01:53:11.560 people got pulped like they're like destroyed. They're not just killed, 1951 01:53:11.600 --> 01:53:14.079 They're like, what is happened? It's like they got killed 1952 01:53:14.079 --> 01:53:16.760 by machinery or something, you know what I mean. It's 1953 01:53:16.760 --> 01:53:19.840 like coming into an industrial accident. And we see the 1954 01:53:19.920 --> 01:53:23.439 exact same dynamic right now as we've we've seen earlier. 1955 01:53:23.439 --> 01:53:26.359 Guts wants to go in, right despite the fact that 1956 01:53:26.399 --> 01:53:29.159 these you know, fifty men have been killed, and we 1957 01:53:29.279 --> 01:53:33.079 see right one of the survivors stumbling out, and it 1958 01:53:33.359 --> 01:53:39.239 again it's graphic, completely completely hacked. Is one of his 1959 01:53:39.439 --> 01:53:42.039 arms in half of his side is missing, right, You 1960 01:53:42.039 --> 01:53:44.479 see his I was gonna say guts, but that's a 1961 01:53:44.520 --> 01:53:48.680 stupid pun in this context. You see his intestines, right, yeah, 1962 01:53:48.880 --> 01:53:52.279 one hundred percent, And the last time he says he them, 1963 01:53:52.680 --> 01:53:56.800 he truly guts from right there, he guts across the room. 1964 01:53:58.159 --> 01:54:00.600 So true, so true. 1965 01:54:00.800 --> 01:54:04.600 But of course right guts, being our hero, he goes in. 1966 01:54:05.000 --> 01:54:07.640 Right again, this is we've seen this established so yet 1967 01:54:07.640 --> 01:54:10.159 again as you said, right, these guys are not killed 1968 01:54:10.319 --> 01:54:13.960 like the other bodies we see, you know, stabbed with 1969 01:54:13.960 --> 01:54:18.479 with spears or arrows. They are completely and totally mangled. Right, 1970 01:54:18.520 --> 01:54:21.600 and again we see this dramatic perspective that Mura loves 1971 01:54:21.600 --> 01:54:21.960 to use. 1972 01:54:22.279 --> 01:54:23.720 Handful shot man. 1973 01:54:24.239 --> 01:54:26.680 Oh great, and look like I'm a sucker for all 1974 01:54:26.680 --> 01:54:29.720 the medieval architecture, which is is great in this just 1975 01:54:29.760 --> 01:54:33.039 a you know, another example again kind of the focus 1976 01:54:33.039 --> 01:54:35.600 on the horror. There is a lot of horror in Berserk. 1977 01:54:35.760 --> 01:54:36.800 This gets covered. 1978 01:54:37.079 --> 01:54:42.119 I would say it's undoubtedly a horror manga at least 1979 01:54:42.159 --> 01:54:44.439 as a side genre. Like that is that is that 1980 01:54:44.520 --> 01:54:46.479 he is definitely taking from that, and I mean like 1981 01:54:46.560 --> 01:54:51.199 old horror like like obviously it's it's it's graphic, but 1982 01:54:51.279 --> 01:54:55.960 he's more working in a like this feels like like Dracula, 1983 01:54:56.479 --> 01:54:58.600 Like this feels like Franken, you know what I mean. 1984 01:54:58.600 --> 01:55:01.319 This doesn't feel like, yes, it's graphic violence, but it's 1985 01:55:01.359 --> 01:55:05.479 also like there's a majesty. There's a good use of 1986 01:55:05.600 --> 01:55:09.880 shadow and darkness. There's there's a understanding of of of 1987 01:55:10.800 --> 01:55:15.279 like uh of of how to build into you know, 1988 01:55:15.319 --> 01:55:21.359 a visual, visually terrifying thing. Right. That's that's that's his style. 1989 01:55:21.399 --> 01:55:23.880 He's the best at this. Another thing, you know, I 1990 01:55:24.039 --> 01:55:28.079 did want to say earlier, Right, this is something that 1991 01:55:28.119 --> 01:55:30.279 I think is is also a huge part of why 1992 01:55:30.399 --> 01:55:33.640 Berserk is so popular, uh in the West, is because 1993 01:55:34.520 --> 01:55:39.319 it is invariably Western in many ways. Obviously it's a manga, 1994 01:55:39.359 --> 01:55:42.960 but like the entire thing takes takes place in sudo Europe. 1995 01:55:43.760 --> 01:55:49.640 All the designs are European designs, right, It's it's uh, 1996 01:55:49.720 --> 01:55:53.880 you know, people love dark Souls, right, and Dark Souls 1997 01:55:53.880 --> 01:55:57.880 has a very similar aesthetic language that Berserk does obviously, right, 1998 01:55:57.880 --> 01:56:03.439 it's very uh visually inspired by it, right, even even 1999 01:56:03.479 --> 01:56:07.560 the enemies things like that. Right. I love that Miura 2000 01:56:07.640 --> 01:56:12.199 made that choice to to and it's so lovingly represented 2001 01:56:12.279 --> 01:56:15.920 as well. Like you can tell that he enjoys drawing 2002 01:56:16.000 --> 01:56:20.439 the armor, drawing the the buildings, drawing the spears, drawing 2003 01:56:20.479 --> 01:56:24.640 the formations, the the you know, the sweeping fields, the 2004 01:56:24.640 --> 01:56:28.159 green right that that those those aspects of sort of 2005 01:56:28.239 --> 01:56:35.439 a pre industrial uh Europe, right, you know, almost like 2006 01:56:35.439 --> 01:56:37.520 like a ghibli type of thing. Right, I think that 2007 01:56:37.520 --> 01:56:40.560 that sort of same uh uh itch is sort of 2008 01:56:40.600 --> 01:56:43.600 being scratched a little bit. Except this is includes like 2009 01:56:43.680 --> 01:56:49.439 hyper violence and stuff and and horror, right especially. 2010 01:56:49.159 --> 01:56:53.680 And obviously there's a lot pulling from Lovecraft, this idea 2011 01:56:53.800 --> 01:56:56.880 of you know, a cosmic horror that we got into, 2012 01:56:57.119 --> 01:56:59.199 you know, speaking about the God Hand earlier in the 2013 01:56:59.239 --> 01:57:04.119 last episode, right, the idea of incomprehensible powers past your 2014 01:57:04.239 --> 01:57:07.560 understanding that are malicious, right and want to kill you? 2015 01:57:07.720 --> 01:57:11.600 Yes, and yes forty almost forty k like right, the 2016 01:57:12.479 --> 01:57:14.600 God Hand and sort of the way that this is 2017 01:57:14.640 --> 01:57:17.239 operating is almost like it's almost like that. It's a 2018 01:57:18.560 --> 01:57:20.439 like it's, oh yeah, there's things beyond the veil and 2019 01:57:20.479 --> 01:57:23.720 they are malevolent, right, oh yeah, this is a world 2020 01:57:23.800 --> 01:57:28.359 where hell is very real. And of course, right, he 2021 01:57:28.479 --> 01:57:34.359 rounds the corner and sees God. Yes again lovingly rendered 2022 01:57:34.479 --> 01:57:39.359 just the absolute horror of this ostensible man sick, right, 2023 01:57:39.399 --> 01:57:42.399 you see him just completely jacked to. I love that 2024 01:57:42.439 --> 01:57:45.359 he's naked too. I love that, like every aspect of 2025 01:57:45.399 --> 01:57:47.960 this is so like he is He is knan you 2026 01:57:48.000 --> 01:57:49.560 know what I mean. He is not like this is 2027 01:57:49.600 --> 01:57:52.680 not a thing like the other people that you have 2028 01:57:52.760 --> 01:57:54.880 been seeing up to this point. Never mind the fact 2029 01:57:54.880 --> 01:57:58.720 that he's an apostle. Beyond that, right, this is PRIMORTI. 2030 01:57:58.840 --> 01:58:03.159 This is a primordial Like this dude doesn't he's not 2031 01:58:03.239 --> 01:58:06.760 bothering wearing armor. He's he's not bothering with any of that. 2032 01:58:07.079 --> 01:58:09.920 Look at that, Look at his fingers in that guy's head, right, 2033 01:58:10.000 --> 01:58:14.399 like beyond even the apostle aspect, though yes, the fingers 2034 01:58:14.399 --> 01:58:17.359 in the head is apossibly right, it's just the fact that, 2035 01:58:17.439 --> 01:58:21.159 like this is a zod immediately shows like almost like 2036 01:58:21.199 --> 01:58:25.000 the chronmagnu and brow sing right like he he establishes 2037 01:58:25.079 --> 01:58:27.840 him as like an almost primeval man immediately all the 2038 01:58:27.920 --> 01:58:32.119 hit the subtle like everything. His whole body's cross hatched, right, 2039 01:58:32.479 --> 01:58:36.279 and that gives the impression that he's covered in hair. 2040 01:58:37.840 --> 01:58:40.520 But it's like very fine, you know what I mean, 2041 01:58:43.199 --> 01:58:46.119 You know, he feels bestial everything. With such an excellent 2042 01:58:46.199 --> 01:58:48.239 introduction of this character, I love him. 2043 01:58:48.680 --> 01:58:53.000 And straight away it's just charges him right, just full 2044 01:58:53.039 --> 01:58:54.000 steam ahead. 2045 01:58:54.279 --> 01:58:54.479 You know. 2046 01:58:54.920 --> 01:58:58.000 He throws the bodies of these two of his compatriots 2047 01:58:58.000 --> 01:59:00.399 at him, of course, which is you know, just avage. 2048 01:59:00.920 --> 01:59:02.359 And you know, the two of them start to have 2049 01:59:02.399 --> 01:59:05.159 a fight again, we see Guts slammed into a pillar. 2050 01:59:05.680 --> 01:59:08.600 Right again, a recurring motif in these the. 2051 01:59:08.600 --> 01:59:14.000 Overwhelming strength immediately immediately established. Right, and again thing I 2052 01:59:14.039 --> 01:59:16.560 was going to I was going to mention, Okay, something 2053 01:59:16.560 --> 01:59:19.960 that I think is very interesting the you know on 2054 01:59:20.039 --> 01:59:21.960 the way in right, you were showing, you know, on 2055 01:59:22.000 --> 01:59:23.640 the way in that shot of the of the of 2056 01:59:23.720 --> 01:59:26.800 the of the hallway, of all the mangled bodies. The 2057 01:59:26.840 --> 01:59:29.880 only person up to this point that we've seen who 2058 01:59:29.920 --> 01:59:32.840 is able to make this human bodies turn into this 2059 01:59:32.920 --> 01:59:37.319 kind of thing is Guts, Right, his fights, That's what 2060 01:59:37.359 --> 01:59:41.359 people look like after the fights. Right, So it kind 2061 01:59:41.439 --> 01:59:45.439 of subtenly establishes that, like you are now walking into 2062 01:59:45.439 --> 01:59:48.640 a place in which the order of battle is now 2063 01:59:48.680 --> 01:59:52.520 to your level, right, you are that he can do 2064 01:59:52.600 --> 01:59:56.079 what you can do, right, And he even kind of 2065 01:59:56.239 --> 02:00:00.800 his his face suddenly mirrors go Guts is right. They 2066 02:00:00.840 --> 02:00:04.319 have very similar facial physiognomy. It's just that Zons is 2067 02:00:04.359 --> 02:00:07.720 like monsterified, right, it's like exaggerated. But they have that 2068 02:00:07.880 --> 02:00:12.800 same sort of brow that even their hair is similar, right, 2069 02:00:12.920 --> 02:00:16.720 same facial sort of shape and stuff. I think Zod 2070 02:00:16.800 --> 02:00:19.079 is clearly led to me. He's always been a mirror 2071 02:00:21.000 --> 02:00:23.920 of of Guts. Right, He's like, what if what if 2072 02:00:23.960 --> 02:00:26.239 Guts was a monster? He would be Zod? 2073 02:00:26.520 --> 02:00:30.600 Right, yeah, and I mean to that to that point, right, 2074 02:00:30.840 --> 02:00:34.600 we see very quickly that that Zod recognizes there's something 2075 02:00:34.640 --> 02:00:36.079 different about Guts. 2076 02:00:36.520 --> 02:00:41.399 Yeah, the tactical tactical shade on his penis you never 2077 02:00:41.439 --> 02:00:47.079 see has just a massive hok. Yeah, it's like he's 2078 02:00:47.159 --> 02:00:49.239 but he's hiding it though he's a He's a grower, 2079 02:00:49.359 --> 02:00:50.000 not a shower. 2080 02:00:50.880 --> 02:00:54.680 And again you see the kind of characterization by weapons, 2081 02:00:54.680 --> 02:00:58.000 which is something constantly done in this Sod basically just 2082 02:00:58.119 --> 02:01:03.960 has a machety rough giant blade just sign for hacking 2083 02:01:04.000 --> 02:01:05.159 people apart. 2084 02:01:05.319 --> 02:01:11.199 And it goes around shields. It's it's pure offense because 2085 02:01:11.239 --> 02:01:14.119 you're a giant dude. Again, as we see from this 2086 02:01:14.800 --> 02:01:19.199 again we'll ring the bell. You hear me say, perspective, uh, 2087 02:01:20.039 --> 02:01:22.920 the forced perspective of this. Right, this guy is farther 2088 02:01:23.000 --> 02:01:26.079 away and yet towering over him, you know, with this 2089 02:01:26.079 --> 02:01:28.520 this pile of the whole line, you know what I mean, 2090 02:01:28.560 --> 02:01:30.359 he's the whole room mirror is a master of this. 2091 02:01:31.479 --> 02:01:37.119 And you see strike well boy right recognizes this isn't 2092 02:01:37.319 --> 02:01:41.920 just a normal guy and he goes in. It's just like, 2093 02:01:42.039 --> 02:01:49.600 look at the violence, the the implication of speed, the weight, everything, 2094 02:01:50.079 --> 02:01:54.000 how unprepared Guts is even though he's swinging. 2095 02:01:54.239 --> 02:01:57.359 And you see that in the difference in the lines right, 2096 02:01:57.399 --> 02:02:01.000 the line work where Guts is largely stationary. He's still 2097 02:02:01.039 --> 02:02:04.199 obviously moving his sword. But compare the line weight on 2098 02:02:04.239 --> 02:02:07.680 his sword twas in the blade versus like all of 2099 02:02:08.279 --> 02:02:09.720 just bearing down on him. 2100 02:02:09.800 --> 02:02:15.520 Yes, yes, pure violence. There is only like Zod reminds 2101 02:02:15.640 --> 02:02:20.680 me any any any any Baki enjoyers out there, you know, uh, 2102 02:02:20.760 --> 02:02:24.159 big ups to you. He reminds me of Hanma Yujito 2103 02:02:24.239 --> 02:02:27.920 from from Baki. That that that that ogre bestial nature. Right, 2104 02:02:28.000 --> 02:02:33.399 that speed, that that that overwhelming power of every movement, 2105 02:02:33.479 --> 02:02:37.479 every action. He's there's no wasted nothing, he just goes 2106 02:02:37.520 --> 02:02:40.039 for it. I love the shining eyes too, right. He 2107 02:02:40.079 --> 02:02:42.159 doesn't even bother with the face in that panel, but 2108 02:02:42.239 --> 02:02:45.520 he gives you the eyes right, such such such perfect 2109 02:02:45.600 --> 02:02:50.600 little little choices, I I cannot like. I will gush 2110 02:02:50.600 --> 02:02:53.399 over literally everything in the Monga love. I love reserve it, 2111 02:02:53.600 --> 02:02:56.239 so so well done. I also don't want to read this. 2112 02:02:56.720 --> 02:02:58.159 I didn't want to read this because this is this 2113 02:02:58.239 --> 02:03:01.319 is what it starts like. This, This this part of 2114 02:03:01.359 --> 02:03:03.359 the arc. This is what it starts with. Right, And 2115 02:03:03.359 --> 02:03:06.000 we were just talking about love crafting powers, right and 2116 02:03:06.199 --> 02:03:10.119 Zod in this world is the destiny of mankind controlled 2117 02:03:10.119 --> 02:03:13.960 by some transcendental entity or law? Is it like the 2118 02:03:14.000 --> 02:03:17.960 hand of God hovering above? At least it is true 2119 02:03:18.319 --> 02:03:21.600 that man has no control even over his own will. 2120 02:03:22.399 --> 02:03:24.720 Man takes up the sword in order to shield the 2121 02:03:24.760 --> 02:03:27.640 small wound in his heart, sustained in a far off 2122 02:03:27.800 --> 02:03:32.000 time beyond remembrance. Man wields that sword so that he 2123 02:03:32.119 --> 02:03:37.479 may die smiling in some far off time beyond perception. Right, 2124 02:03:38.119 --> 02:03:43.159 the I love the the the understanding of the blade 2125 02:03:43.159 --> 02:03:49.920 as the will of how sort of one's willingness to 2126 02:03:49.960 --> 02:03:53.560 do battle, to fight, to potentially die, to throw themselves 2127 02:03:53.600 --> 02:03:58.000 into danger. Right is where they will find who they are. Right, 2128 02:03:59.000 --> 02:04:03.000 Guts live by this creed. He lives by this this logic, 2129 02:04:03.680 --> 02:04:10.560 and you find in this fight, so does mister Zod. Yes. 2130 02:04:10.760 --> 02:04:12.600 And that's what's what's interesting about this. 2131 02:04:12.960 --> 02:04:13.079 Uh. 2132 02:04:13.359 --> 02:04:14.960 I'm not going to show this segment of it, not 2133 02:04:14.960 --> 02:04:17.640 because it's there's anything wrong with it. It's great, But 2134 02:04:18.039 --> 02:04:22.680 the fight scene as it progresses. Guts is holding his 2135 02:04:22.760 --> 02:04:26.039 own and he's not being hacked to pieces, and Zod 2136 02:04:26.079 --> 02:04:28.239 noticed this. This he says, you know, no man has 2137 02:04:28.239 --> 02:04:31.039 been able to halt my sword for fifty years. So 2138 02:04:31.119 --> 02:04:34.079 the two of them get pushed apart, and Zod, who 2139 02:04:34.119 --> 02:04:37.079 is despite being this hulking beast, is clearly very intelligent 2140 02:04:37.119 --> 02:04:40.640 because he says, oh, he betting this all. He calls 2141 02:04:40.760 --> 02:04:43.920 him specifically, and I love this. In Japanese subaroshi, he 2142 02:04:44.000 --> 02:04:48.800 calls him splendid, superb. That's how he refers to Guts. 2143 02:04:49.880 --> 02:04:53.560 I love that. He's like, Wow, this guy fucking rules. 2144 02:04:53.920 --> 02:04:55.920 He hasn't died in four slashes. 2145 02:04:56.039 --> 02:05:00.000 Amazing well, and to that point, right as they're push 2146 02:05:00.159 --> 02:05:01.680 a part by kind of the tides to the fight, 2147 02:05:02.399 --> 02:05:04.039 he Zod looks at him and says, I know what 2148 02:05:04.079 --> 02:05:07.159 you're gonna do. You're betting this soul on one last strike. 2149 02:05:07.319 --> 02:05:11.560 That's all you've got left. And what's in an interesting moment, 2150 02:05:11.720 --> 02:05:15.960 because this is very prototypically Guts, right, he doesn't. He 2151 02:05:16.359 --> 02:05:20.399 makes a tactical move. He goes for his sword. He 2152 02:05:20.800 --> 02:05:24.720 breaks God's sword and cuts into his flesh. Right goes 2153 02:05:24.880 --> 02:05:29.720 through his forearms and we see several things. One, Zod 2154 02:05:29.800 --> 02:05:33.840 is not human at all because as gut sword is 2155 02:05:33.880 --> 02:05:38.560 through his forearms and into his chest, he pulls it out. 2156 02:05:39.119 --> 02:05:39.239 Right. 2157 02:05:39.279 --> 02:05:42.600 It kind of a classic movie shot, right, And we 2158 02:05:42.680 --> 02:05:45.079 see this, this sort of menace build and this has 2159 02:05:45.119 --> 02:05:48.479 a lot of parallels to the to the fight with 2160 02:05:48.520 --> 02:05:53.760 the with the Snake barn Right. We're initially somewhat human ish, 2161 02:05:54.159 --> 02:05:56.279 but all of a sudden we realize there's a whole 2162 02:05:56.319 --> 02:05:59.399 lot more to Zod than we would have initially thought. 2163 02:06:00.079 --> 02:06:02.720 We love this because this is the first time that 2164 02:06:02.840 --> 02:06:05.920 Guts sees this, and the first time that Guts is 2165 02:06:06.039 --> 02:06:09.560 confronted with the truth of his world. 2166 02:06:10.079 --> 02:06:13.680 Yes, because before this and all the other battles, which 2167 02:06:13.680 --> 02:06:17.640 have been very well done, it's all been human. It's 2168 02:06:17.680 --> 02:06:20.840 guys with swords, guys with spears, cannons at least some, 2169 02:06:21.640 --> 02:06:23.800 And all of a sudden we see this reveal of 2170 02:06:23.840 --> 02:06:26.119 something that is not human at all. 2171 02:06:26.680 --> 02:06:30.560 Yes, and up until this point, right, this guy, we 2172 02:06:30.560 --> 02:06:33.119 were just talking about it. This guy has been been 2173 02:06:33.199 --> 02:06:37.960 able to take solace right in the fact his world 2174 02:06:38.079 --> 02:06:41.239 has been ended before you understand, this is a child 2175 02:06:41.279 --> 02:06:47.720 who has gone through horrible, horrible experiences, and he fought 2176 02:06:48.319 --> 02:06:55.720 for his humanity back with the blade, and now he's 2177 02:06:55.800 --> 02:06:59.399 being confronted with the thing that it seems that the 2178 02:06:59.399 --> 02:07:03.359 blades sim does not have an answer for. And this 2179 02:07:03.439 --> 02:07:06.960 is like, this is world shattering, right, how do you 2180 02:07:07.159 --> 02:07:10.319 deal with this? Okay, now there's a monster in front 2181 02:07:10.319 --> 02:07:14.319 of me, right what Oh and by the way, he's 2182 02:07:14.439 --> 02:07:17.000 like kind of pissed off because I just got him 2183 02:07:17.479 --> 02:07:18.039 really bad. 2184 02:07:18.840 --> 02:07:22.199 Well, he's a little bad about it. And again Miura 2185 02:07:22.359 --> 02:07:25.680 playing with perspective. Right, look at how tiny guts massive 2186 02:07:25.720 --> 02:07:28.560 sword is in his hand. Compare that to even a 2187 02:07:28.560 --> 02:07:31.479 few panels ago where we see him in more human form, 2188 02:07:31.479 --> 02:07:34.119 where it's filling up his palm. All of a sudden, 2189 02:07:34.159 --> 02:07:37.600 it's like you're you grabbing a pencil, just. 2190 02:07:37.680 --> 02:07:42.920 Superb, it's nothing. Now he's literally power scaling him visually, 2191 02:07:43.720 --> 02:07:46.039 you know what I mean. It's like you have just 2192 02:07:46.199 --> 02:07:50.439 been outclassed. You have been revealed to in fact, have 2193 02:07:50.600 --> 02:07:55.520 been a lightweight after all, and you are in the 2194 02:07:55.560 --> 02:07:58.640 heavyweight section. Now here is what the heavyweights look like. 2195 02:08:00.159 --> 02:08:02.960 Other thing, this is the opening that amazing Mirror is 2196 02:08:03.000 --> 02:08:08.439 so good at. And swapping right is swapping the color right, 2197 02:08:08.520 --> 02:08:11.960 this is white lines on black background. Again, very stylistic 2198 02:08:12.039 --> 02:08:15.560 something we will say often used to highlight certain things. 2199 02:08:16.000 --> 02:08:19.159 But we get again the great perspective of Zod, you know, 2200 02:08:19.199 --> 02:08:21.720 bearing down on our hero. You know, we. 2201 02:08:22.159 --> 02:08:26.239 See him actually scared, right, that's beginning to which is 2202 02:08:26.680 --> 02:08:29.800 very atypical from Guts. We know that he almost has 2203 02:08:30.399 --> 02:08:33.720 no fear, and Zod is saying, dude, this is awesome. 2204 02:08:34.079 --> 02:08:37.720 I haven't been angry and forever. He's just loving it. 2205 02:08:37.880 --> 02:08:41.640 He's just having the best time. He's like, dude, don't 2206 02:08:41.640 --> 02:08:42.760 disappoint me. 2207 02:08:43.479 --> 02:08:46.560 I love that. I love that. He's like, it has 2208 02:08:46.640 --> 02:08:49.079 been so long since I've been able to have fun. 2209 02:08:50.199 --> 02:08:53.439 If you and just lose now, it's gonna suck, dude, 2210 02:08:53.520 --> 02:08:54.000 give me some. 2211 02:08:55.399 --> 02:08:58.840 And so Zod continues the attack. Right, he just batters, Guts, 2212 02:08:59.239 --> 02:09:01.680 no mercy, what's none at all? 2213 02:09:01.840 --> 02:09:04.399 Love that? No mercy. He's like, no, no, no, it's a fight. 2214 02:09:04.680 --> 02:09:08.279 We're fighting, right, it's to fight you, is to honor you. 2215 02:09:09.279 --> 02:09:12.960 And we see Gods sort of very reasonably, sort of 2216 02:09:13.039 --> 02:09:17.319 questioning insanity. Right, He's like, this can't be real, but nonetheless, right, 2217 02:09:17.479 --> 02:09:19.319 Zod is bearing down on him, and we see the 2218 02:09:19.359 --> 02:09:23.119 momentum has changed, like Gots is swinging at him. Right, 2219 02:09:23.319 --> 02:09:25.960 but it bounces off, it just hits his horn and 2220 02:09:26.000 --> 02:09:29.520 he again gets backhanded through another one of these columns, 2221 02:09:30.079 --> 02:09:33.199 and as as Zod bears down on him right saying, 2222 02:09:33.239 --> 02:09:36.720 I won't show you mercy. Is this all you've got? Like, 2223 02:09:36.920 --> 02:09:41.600 I guess it's fine for human backwards, Yeah, and he 2224 02:09:42.039 --> 02:09:45.039 lifts him up and it's gonna tear him limb from 2225 02:09:45.079 --> 02:09:49.520 limb yet again, half again, trying to turn you into 2226 02:09:49.560 --> 02:09:50.760 meet like all those other guys. 2227 02:09:51.640 --> 02:09:54.439 But yet again Griffith shows up right, the band of 2228 02:09:54.479 --> 02:09:56.840 the Hawk is there. They begin, you know, shooting their 2229 02:09:56.960 --> 02:10:00.399 arrows at him. We see again the very feminine, we 2230 02:10:00.479 --> 02:10:05.359 might say, but he's pretty. He's pretty beautiful Griffith obviously 2231 02:10:05.399 --> 02:10:09.560 again contrasted to Guts. It's been bashed through like. 2232 02:10:10.239 --> 02:10:15.199 Number literally prettier than Cosca, yes, like notice, and it's 2233 02:10:15.199 --> 02:10:20.159 not because Cusca's ugly. It's because griff mirror draws him 2234 02:10:20.439 --> 02:10:22.840 as like the prettiest person in the room at all times. Basically, 2235 02:10:23.119 --> 02:10:25.800 he's like an elf. It's a cereal and I love, 2236 02:10:25.840 --> 02:10:30.039 I just love that he's that. Griffith doesn't panic though. 2237 02:10:30.119 --> 02:10:32.800 You can see for the first time basically ever, this 2238 02:10:32.840 --> 02:10:35.680 guy losing his cool to a degree. Right, He's like, 2239 02:10:35.720 --> 02:10:38.239 oh shit, he's sweating, you know what I mean. He's like, 2240 02:10:38.239 --> 02:10:41.000 oh fuck, and then they fire at him. It does nothing, 2241 02:10:41.000 --> 02:10:45.399 and he's like okay, and I love this moment. He 2242 02:10:45.560 --> 02:10:49.920 just like spurgs out super hard. It's like, how dare 2243 02:10:50.079 --> 02:10:54.319 you fuck with my one V one? I write a 2244 02:10:54.399 --> 02:10:56.720 great time and all of you came here and you 2245 02:10:56.960 --> 02:11:02.319 ruined it. This This dude, Zod is just so key though. Dude, 2246 02:11:02.359 --> 02:11:05.840 he's so based well and you see him just laying 2247 02:11:05.920 --> 02:11:13.520 waste nic just he just starts killing everyone, dude, no mercy, 2248 02:11:13.520 --> 02:11:15.439 mashing him up like it's like it's like watching a 2249 02:11:15.520 --> 02:11:17.960 kid destroy by a sand castle. Right, He's just he's 2250 02:11:18.039 --> 02:11:20.840 just he's just wrecking them all. It's like they're all 2251 02:11:21.079 --> 02:11:24.760 hearing your plant like nothing, like they're just they're in cloth. 2252 02:11:25.000 --> 02:11:31.079 Step us again, another just great panel. Yeah, so we 2253 02:11:31.159 --> 02:11:34.239 obviously Guts is throughout the whole thing telling them to 2254 02:11:34.319 --> 02:11:38.760 run away, but Griffith says, no, I'm going in. So 2255 02:11:38.800 --> 02:11:40.800 he goes in, you know, sort of it picks him 2256 02:11:40.880 --> 02:11:43.560 up off the ground and then Zod is bearing down 2257 02:11:43.560 --> 02:11:46.239 on Guts and Griffiths. Yeah, this is what I this 2258 02:11:46.359 --> 02:11:48.880 is what I want to stress about this part of 2259 02:11:48.920 --> 02:11:51.560 the story. This is what makes the Golden Age so good. 2260 02:11:52.640 --> 02:11:55.319 You in the Black Swords and arc You know, Griffith 2261 02:11:55.439 --> 02:12:00.159 is femto, you know, he's femto, right, So you are 2262 02:12:00.279 --> 02:12:04.920 expecting Griffith to be just this manipulative fuck the entire time. 2263 02:12:05.640 --> 02:12:11.760 But he's not. He is perfectly capable of being manipulative. 2264 02:12:12.199 --> 02:12:15.239 He is to some degree, you know, if you want 2265 02:12:15.239 --> 02:12:17.439 to use like libtarded language, right, Like he's some sort 2266 02:12:17.439 --> 02:12:19.920 of like like a psychopath or like a narcissist or something. 2267 02:12:20.039 --> 02:12:22.199 I don't I don't know necessarily he might be a narcissist, 2268 02:12:22.239 --> 02:12:26.560 but because like in you know, psychopathy, it can't feel 2269 02:12:26.680 --> 02:12:28.760 or whatever that I don't know, right, whatever, But and 2270 02:12:28.800 --> 02:12:31.399 he clearly cares about people, right, But does he care 2271 02:12:31.399 --> 02:12:35.039 about them more as objects for his use or not? Honestly, bro, 2272 02:12:35.199 --> 02:12:39.039 this doesn't seem this part right, This doesn't seem like, Wow, 2273 02:12:39.960 --> 02:12:42.279 need to use that guy as my tool so hard. No. 2274 02:12:42.439 --> 02:12:44.399 I feel like a person who doesn't care about another 2275 02:12:44.439 --> 02:12:47.920 person beyond tool will not risk their life for them 2276 02:12:48.119 --> 02:12:51.840 like this, Like in this circumstance, it's one thing to 2277 02:12:51.840 --> 02:12:54.000 be in a battle, it's another thing to have a 2278 02:12:54.039 --> 02:12:58.880 fucking monster from myths, bearn down upon you. Right, that's 2279 02:12:58.920 --> 02:13:02.479 a different level of I'm willing to go in there. Right. 2280 02:13:02.520 --> 02:13:07.319 So Griffith shows himself to actually have been a real 2281 02:13:07.439 --> 02:13:10.680 comrade to these people he cares about. There's a reason 2282 02:13:10.760 --> 02:13:13.159 that they that that everyone follows Griffith the way that 2283 02:13:13.199 --> 02:13:17.279 they do. It's because he was actually that guy. You know. 2284 02:13:17.359 --> 02:13:20.039 He he has his ambitions, but he will also do this, 2285 02:13:20.720 --> 02:13:24.880 you know, And I think that contrast in Griffith's character 2286 02:13:24.960 --> 02:13:26.760 is part of what makes him so interesting. 2287 02:13:27.720 --> 02:13:31.239 Well, again we get the great visual like weapon contrast, 2288 02:13:31.239 --> 02:13:34.039 which is something throughout this entire series. You have the 2289 02:13:34.159 --> 02:13:38.800 giant you know, guts either sword again but still huge, 2290 02:13:39.119 --> 02:13:42.239 and then you know the very elegant kind of yeah 2291 02:13:42.319 --> 02:13:43.399 cavalry saber. 2292 02:13:43.399 --> 02:13:46.479 Exactly beautiful, beautiful and he uses it so effectively. 2293 02:13:47.199 --> 02:13:50.279 And that line, your heart's still beating where are you going? 2294 02:13:50.680 --> 02:13:50.840 Right? 2295 02:13:50.920 --> 02:13:54.119 Just absolutely where are you going? Your heart's still beating? Absolutely? 2296 02:13:54.479 --> 02:13:56.319 That is a that is a that isn't That is 2297 02:13:56.359 --> 02:13:59.520 a great way to chill the bones man. Where are 2298 02:13:59.560 --> 02:14:03.239 you going? Your heart's still beating? Dog talking about you're 2299 02:14:03.279 --> 02:14:06.159 not dead yet? Yeah, Like, I don't think you've understood 2300 02:14:06.199 --> 02:14:10.399 what's happening to you? Love this, love this, This is 2301 02:14:11.239 --> 02:14:14.560 unbelievably good, worth this pana, right. 2302 02:14:14.439 --> 02:14:16.399 Because you see the two of them, these kind of 2303 02:14:16.439 --> 02:14:18.319 like simple mortal. 2304 02:14:18.439 --> 02:14:20.600 This is what I'm talking about when I say like that, 2305 02:14:20.680 --> 02:14:26.199 this is where he really starts like flexing his muscles, 2306 02:14:26.560 --> 02:14:30.119 you know what I'm saying, Like Miora shows in this 2307 02:14:30.239 --> 02:14:35.560 arc and in this series of chapters, right, how good 2308 02:14:35.640 --> 02:14:39.399 he really is. And then from then on it's literally 2309 02:14:39.479 --> 02:14:41.600 just gets better and better and better and better until 2310 02:14:41.600 --> 02:14:46.760 he died. Yes exactly, yeah, right, so the fight is 2311 02:14:46.760 --> 02:14:49.760 still going on. We see the both the incredible size 2312 02:14:49.840 --> 02:14:55.199 and power of this man or this apostle. Right, yeah, yeah, 2313 02:14:55.199 --> 02:14:57.239 I have portraits of words, but we see you know, 2314 02:14:57.279 --> 02:15:00.279 guts and you know, splitting up trying to take this 2315 02:15:00.359 --> 02:15:03.720 guy down. They are wounding him, right, he is taking 2316 02:15:03.800 --> 02:15:07.840 hits from you know, now Griffith and goth to gust together, Yeah, 2317 02:15:08.199 --> 02:15:11.680 to such a point, yes, that they take his arm off. 2318 02:15:11.840 --> 02:15:16.840 Yeah that that Griffith actually wounds him, cuts his arm off, right, 2319 02:15:16.880 --> 02:15:21.000 So both of them have shown to be actually capable 2320 02:15:21.039 --> 02:15:22.159 of wounding this creature. 2321 02:15:24.960 --> 02:15:27.760 Yeah, and again the fight continues. I'm going to move 2322 02:15:27.800 --> 02:15:28.159 through this. 2323 02:15:28.239 --> 02:15:28.600 We see. 2324 02:15:28.800 --> 02:15:32.439 You know, Griffith is also getting battered by Zod. 2325 02:15:33.239 --> 02:15:35.920 Is what he is for the first time ever put 2326 02:15:35.960 --> 02:15:40.239 in a position of actual danger, danger for real when 2327 02:15:40.279 --> 02:15:43.039 he's knocked over. Yeah, and then the bail it. 2328 02:15:43.039 --> 02:15:47.840 Comes out and Zod, looking over all of a sudden 2329 02:15:48.000 --> 02:15:50.840 realizes what what is going on here? 2330 02:15:51.279 --> 02:15:53.439 Can we just can we just can we just talk 2331 02:15:53.439 --> 02:15:56.640 about the fact that Zod picks up his severed arm 2332 02:15:56.800 --> 02:16:03.960 and begins to be cuts me. Yeah, just sit back on. Yeah, 2333 02:16:04.119 --> 02:16:08.119 he's so keen though, man, holy fucking loved man, he's 2334 02:16:08.199 --> 02:16:12.000 just villain monologuing while reattaching. I again, he's just having 2335 02:16:12.000 --> 02:16:14.199 the time, is like, you're just talking and he's so 2336 02:16:14.359 --> 02:16:17.079 like I love. Also, one of the sort of subversive 2337 02:16:17.119 --> 02:16:21.600 aspects of him is how eloquent he is, Like he's 2338 02:16:21.640 --> 02:16:25.840 speaking in like an old and and proper almost like 2339 02:16:25.960 --> 02:16:30.000 regal way, right, I love that aspect of He's this 2340 02:16:30.079 --> 02:16:31.880 big brute that will beat the fuck out of you, 2341 02:16:31.880 --> 02:16:36.079 but he's also like hyper eloquent and very very dignified 2342 02:16:36.079 --> 02:16:40.600 when he speaks, and then he sees it and and 2343 02:16:40.680 --> 02:16:43.719 again right we we we see that he is despite 2344 02:16:43.760 --> 02:16:46.360 being this kind of like hulking figure, you know, earlier 2345 02:16:46.399 --> 02:16:48.920 in the in the fight when he correctly We're not correctly, 2346 02:16:48.959 --> 02:16:50.879 but he makes a very good guess at what guts 2347 02:16:50.959 --> 02:16:54.440 next move is. But of course he realizes what this 2348 02:16:54.680 --> 02:17:01.360 is the egg of the King, not just a bayletpecial one. Yes, yes, 2349 02:17:02.200 --> 02:17:06.280 he mentions the god man, the god hand rather the 2350 02:17:06.319 --> 02:17:12.120 crimson balet is something that felix him with the Crimson balets. Yeah, 2351 02:17:12.159 --> 02:17:13.239 and then he stays laughing. 2352 02:17:15.959 --> 02:17:20.200 Yep, and he's just at this point completely done. 2353 02:17:20.680 --> 02:17:20.840 Right. 2354 02:17:20.879 --> 02:17:24.879 He physically reaches up, breaks a hole in the roof 2355 02:17:25.760 --> 02:17:28.559 and he tells Guts like, we're done for now. Our 2356 02:17:28.600 --> 02:17:31.520 battle's on hold. I wonder if I'll ever meet you again. 2357 02:17:32.040 --> 02:17:34.600 Next time I see you, it's on site. Yeah. 2358 02:17:35.000 --> 02:17:38.120 But as he goes out, you know, he warns Guts, 2359 02:17:38.120 --> 02:17:41.120 he says, look, if you can be said to be 2360 02:17:41.159 --> 02:17:44.520 a true friend of this man when his ambition collapses, 2361 02:17:44.920 --> 02:17:50.520 then take heat, warning us about the capacity for betray 2362 02:17:52.399 --> 02:17:58.680 And again, what an awesome panel, Yes, absolutely incredible, And 2363 02:17:58.799 --> 02:18:01.639 again for the the the closing to this chapter, the exit, 2364 02:18:02.159 --> 02:18:05.399 Zod sprouts wings and flies away. 2365 02:18:07.959 --> 02:18:11.479 Exactly right, you just you just fucking bounces. He's like, later, 2366 02:18:13.200 --> 02:18:13.680 I love it. 2367 02:18:15.399 --> 02:18:18.040 The panel was so funny too, You're just like, all right, 2368 02:18:18.920 --> 02:18:27.200 just fucking leaves right, while foreshadowing portray you watch out 2369 02:18:28.239 --> 02:18:31.600 your boy. You better watch out for your boy. Also 2370 02:18:31.719 --> 02:18:37.639 I'm coming back. Yeah, so yeah, this is this is 2371 02:18:37.680 --> 02:18:40.239 such a great section. Golden Age is really when this 2372 02:18:40.360 --> 02:18:43.920 series comes into its own, uh in in you know, 2373 02:18:43.959 --> 02:18:46.760 Black Swordsman's very good, but it is a prototype of 2374 02:18:46.799 --> 02:18:49.479 something great. It's worth going back to. But if that's 2375 02:18:49.520 --> 02:18:52.200 all there was of Berserk, people might remember it for 2376 02:18:52.239 --> 02:18:54.159 the art, you know, people might remember it for a 2377 02:18:54.200 --> 02:18:54.879 few other things. 2378 02:18:55.000 --> 02:19:01.879 But I would go farther. I would say that the 2379 02:19:01.920 --> 02:19:08.000 Black Swordsman arc is, especially at this point, like generic. 2380 02:19:08.719 --> 02:19:14.479 The only purpose of reading it is to give yourself 2381 02:19:14.600 --> 02:19:18.399 the context required for this arc and the rest of 2382 02:19:18.440 --> 02:19:22.760 the story. It's not that it's bad, because it's not. 2383 02:19:22.959 --> 02:19:25.799 It's completely serviceable, and especially for its time, it was 2384 02:19:26.040 --> 02:19:30.319 very good, especially art wise, right, but at this point, 2385 02:19:30.399 --> 02:19:33.680 right somebody reading it, I don't think there will be 2386 02:19:33.719 --> 02:19:36.079 some things that might surprise you a little bit, like 2387 02:19:37.360 --> 02:19:39.520 if you hadn't read it right and never had any 2388 02:19:39.559 --> 02:19:42.239 exposure to Berserk. And it's not Again, it's not bad, 2389 02:19:42.600 --> 02:19:48.520 but this arc is what elevates Berserk to something else 2390 02:19:49.319 --> 02:19:54.440 beyond what it was before, because this puts one from 2391 02:19:54.440 --> 02:19:57.680 a visual standpoint. As I've said many times throughout this, right, 2392 02:19:58.479 --> 02:20:02.680 it just just keeps getting better from here. And Berzerk 2393 02:20:02.760 --> 02:20:05.040 is one of the best looking manga ever, right, and 2394 02:20:05.159 --> 02:20:09.719 for many, many, many years it just straight up was 2395 02:20:09.799 --> 02:20:13.000 basically the best looking manga right. Nowadays, there are a 2396 02:20:13.040 --> 02:20:16.000 lot of amazing, amazing, amazing artists out there who do 2397 02:20:16.120 --> 02:20:19.559 incredible work. It's not necessarily that they look better than 2398 02:20:19.920 --> 02:20:24.120 It's not a competition per se, but it's like hyper 2399 02:20:24.200 --> 02:20:27.399 high quality art is not something that is like impossible 2400 02:20:27.440 --> 02:20:31.200 to find right outside of this right in the same 2401 02:20:31.239 --> 02:20:33.280 way that it sort of was for its time, and 2402 02:20:33.319 --> 02:20:38.120 it has inspired so much stuff over the years with 2403 02:20:38.239 --> 02:20:43.079 its you know, the way that it handled it's setting, 2404 02:20:43.559 --> 02:20:48.079 its character designs and costume designs, armor designs, weapon designs, 2405 02:20:49.040 --> 02:20:55.440 even you know, buildings, just the monsters everything, right, people 2406 02:20:55.520 --> 02:21:01.600 have been sort of whether you know, the outright copying 2407 02:21:01.920 --> 02:21:06.040 or being so clearly inspired by it for so long. 2408 02:21:06.159 --> 02:21:08.239 Like I don't think that there's I think there's a 2409 02:21:08.239 --> 02:21:10.639 good reason that like for example, a cloud Strife from 2410 02:21:11.399 --> 02:21:15.000 Final Fantasy seven has a giant fucking sword. I think 2411 02:21:15.040 --> 02:21:16.200 there's a good you know what I mean, there's a 2412 02:21:16.200 --> 02:21:19.639 lot of characters out there that they are what they 2413 02:21:19.760 --> 02:21:25.360 are because of the because of the influence of this 2414 02:21:25.840 --> 02:21:30.000 and Black Swordsman. Yeah, I think it establishes like the 2415 02:21:30.040 --> 02:21:32.840 designs and a lot of those things, but it doesn't 2416 02:21:32.879 --> 02:21:38.840 have that same soul and heart that comes in everything 2417 02:21:38.879 --> 02:21:41.120 basically after this up to up to me year's death. 2418 02:21:41.399 --> 02:21:44.879 And just to be clear also, I have not read 2419 02:21:45.719 --> 02:21:50.799 a single chapter of Berserk since Mira died because it's 2420 02:21:51.879 --> 02:21:54.000 I don't it's not. It's not. Even if you're working 2421 02:21:54.040 --> 02:21:57.079 from his his notes and and you're his very good friend. 2422 02:21:57.159 --> 02:21:58.959 He told you the story and all of that stuff. 2423 02:21:59.000 --> 02:22:04.000 That's cool. What you're drawing is not what he necessarily 2424 02:22:04.000 --> 02:22:07.360 would have drawn. It's not ever going to look the 2425 02:22:07.399 --> 02:22:09.239 way he would it would have came out of his mind. 2426 02:22:09.360 --> 02:22:14.479 To me, it's like a it's like a fan finishing 2427 02:22:15.200 --> 02:22:17.600 the thing, even though they are also a big mangca. 2428 02:22:17.639 --> 02:22:20.600 It just doesn't. It doesn't hit the same. It feels 2429 02:22:20.600 --> 02:22:24.040 wrong to read personally. For me, personally, it doesn't. It 2430 02:22:24.040 --> 02:22:26.280 does like it just doesn't feel It almost feels like filler, 2431 02:22:26.639 --> 02:22:28.440 except I know that it's supposed to be. It's like 2432 02:22:29.200 --> 02:22:30.639 or or like like you know how the Game of 2433 02:22:30.680 --> 02:22:35.360 Thrones show not in the same like it's ship now way, 2434 02:22:35.479 --> 02:22:38.399 but like you understand that after a certain point in 2435 02:22:38.440 --> 02:22:41.399 the Game of Thrones show that they don't have the 2436 02:22:41.479 --> 02:22:46.159 books to really take from, so they're working from like 2437 02:22:46.200 --> 02:22:49.079 a skeleton. Right, it's the same kind of feeling. So 2438 02:22:49.159 --> 02:22:52.159 I haven't seen past that. I haven't looked past that. 2439 02:22:52.200 --> 02:22:56.120 But like up to the point, literally Mirror was drawing 2440 02:22:56.159 --> 02:22:59.520 some of the best stuff he's ever drawn just before 2441 02:22:59.520 --> 02:23:04.600 he died. So yeah, the series never gets worse looking 2442 02:23:04.639 --> 02:23:06.920 it's and it starts here. It starts here. This is 2443 02:23:06.920 --> 02:23:09.840 where it really pops off. And even in this chapter, right, 2444 02:23:09.879 --> 02:23:13.360 this odd chapter, like some of these odd panels as 2445 02:23:13.399 --> 02:23:18.239 you saw, are just incredible, right and now narratively, right, 2446 02:23:20.079 --> 02:23:24.360 this moment is really important for many many reasons. Right one, 2447 02:23:24.479 --> 02:23:30.079 it establishes the whole like you know, bail it the king. 2448 02:23:30.799 --> 02:23:34.319 Holy shit, like they knew even beforehand, right, like this 2449 02:23:34.520 --> 02:23:36.479 was like it's almost like this kid was destined to 2450 02:23:36.520 --> 02:23:38.559 do this, right, Like what is going on exactly in 2451 02:23:38.600 --> 02:23:43.319 this story? Like what what? What is Griffith? Right? Who 2452 02:23:43.360 --> 02:23:46.040 you know was he chosen for this right, Like, how 2453 02:23:46.200 --> 02:23:54.079 how does this work? But uh, yeah that that I 2454 02:23:54.159 --> 02:23:59.000 love that fight. I love that fight really really important 2455 02:23:59.040 --> 02:24:01.600 for the character also to encounter like a wall that 2456 02:24:01.680 --> 02:24:06.879 he can't surmount, right, to feel the true nature of 2457 02:24:06.920 --> 02:24:09.680 the world, the fact that there are supernatural problems, and like, 2458 02:24:10.680 --> 02:24:13.600 how are you going to solve that? Bro? Like, what's 2459 02:24:13.639 --> 02:24:17.120 your answer going to be to that? And to know 2460 02:24:18.760 --> 02:24:21.440 because we read the Black Sportsman arc right to know 2461 02:24:21.559 --> 02:24:24.239 that his answer was I'm just going to get a 2462 02:24:24.280 --> 02:24:29.639 bigger sword and kill them harder. Is like that what 2463 02:24:29.680 --> 02:24:34.360 a what a great solution to that problem? Yeah? Well, 2464 02:24:34.559 --> 02:24:35.520 and honestly, man like. 2465 02:24:37.360 --> 02:24:42.399 This we might have different feelings about the continuation after 2466 02:24:42.399 --> 02:24:46.440 his death because I agree with you on the front 2467 02:24:46.600 --> 02:24:51.239 of the art, But as far as finishing the story, 2468 02:24:51.920 --> 02:24:54.920 I am glad for it to be eventually finished one day, 2469 02:24:55.719 --> 02:24:58.360 and I have at least some level of confidence in 2470 02:24:58.440 --> 02:25:00.959 the You know, the guy who funny enough was the 2471 02:25:01.000 --> 02:25:04.120 basis for the character of Griffith, right, you know, heading 2472 02:25:04.120 --> 02:25:06.639 it up. Well, see, there's not really enough of it 2473 02:25:06.760 --> 02:25:08.719 yet to say confidently one way or the other. 2474 02:25:09.120 --> 02:25:11.319 At least no, no, it's not even it's it's it's 2475 02:25:11.399 --> 02:25:13.719 not even any real disrespect to him or anything like that. 2476 02:25:13.760 --> 02:25:18.120 It just feels like it like it's just like even 2477 02:25:18.280 --> 02:25:21.840 looking at the characters, everything feels wrong. Like while I'm 2478 02:25:22.200 --> 02:25:27.440 look it feels like Uncanny Valley. Yeah, yeah, but it's like, yeah, 2479 02:25:27.520 --> 02:25:32.159 it's almost but not perfectly right exactly exactly. And I 2480 02:25:32.200 --> 02:25:34.159 am I agree with you there about the story because 2481 02:25:34.200 --> 02:25:38.440 I do want to know what Mirror's intention was and 2482 02:25:38.479 --> 02:25:42.079 where he intended for the story to go, and and 2483 02:25:42.079 --> 02:25:44.360 and and what was going to happen. I do I 2484 02:25:44.360 --> 02:25:50.040 I I am glad that that sort of even though 2485 02:25:50.120 --> 02:25:53.399 he sadly did not get to finish it, it will 2486 02:25:53.440 --> 02:25:58.760 be finished, you know, and that that work will get finished, right. 2487 02:25:58.760 --> 02:26:01.000 Like it's almost like if the Sistine Chapel had never 2488 02:26:01.079 --> 02:26:03.520 been finished, right type saying, It's like you would hope 2489 02:26:03.520 --> 02:26:06.040 that somebody a friend would want to finish it for 2490 02:26:06.079 --> 02:26:08.239 the person who had been doing you know, for Michelangelo, right, 2491 02:26:08.440 --> 02:26:12.399 that that kind of thing. So yeah, I'm with you 2492 02:26:12.440 --> 02:26:14.360 on that, but it's it's like I just haven't done. 2493 02:26:14.440 --> 02:26:16.239 So there's almost a part of me that like almost 2494 02:26:16.239 --> 02:26:18.639 wants it to be done and then I'll go and 2495 02:26:18.719 --> 02:26:22.559 just just do it right and just read all of it. Yeah, yeah, right, 2496 02:26:23.399 --> 02:26:26.760 because it might be another thirty years at this pace. Seriously, man, 2497 02:26:26.920 --> 02:26:28.799 he was on that boat for so goddamn long, bro, 2498 02:26:28.879 --> 02:26:34.079 Holy shit, I was concurrent before the boat, so. 2499 02:26:34.600 --> 02:26:36.959 Cheese man, Yeah, I was. I definitely caught up on 2500 02:26:37.000 --> 02:26:40.680 the boat, which again doesn't really narrow it down at all. Right, 2501 02:26:40.719 --> 02:26:41.479 that's like a decade. 2502 02:26:41.520 --> 02:26:45.399 You if you were on the boat, you were on 2503 02:26:45.440 --> 02:26:48.520 the boat, and you have you were a comrade of mine, Okay, 2504 02:26:48.680 --> 02:26:51.360 because that's weird. It doesn't matter when you got on 2505 02:26:51.399 --> 02:26:55.040 the boat. You were there and that boat situation was 2506 02:26:55.079 --> 02:26:57.719 fucking crazy, dude, that is insane. 2507 02:26:58.479 --> 02:27:00.479 Well, dude, we'll have to be back because this was 2508 02:27:00.479 --> 02:27:04.200 a ton of fun. There's so much more to cover. Uh, well, 2509 02:27:04.520 --> 02:27:07.840 we'll definitely do this again. Is there anywhere people can 2510 02:27:07.879 --> 02:27:09.399 find you, man, or anything you want to promote? 2511 02:27:12.319 --> 02:27:14.520 I got BAEd. I've been banned from Twitter so many times. 2512 02:27:14.559 --> 02:27:18.239 I'm probably coming back, but you know what I mean, Like, 2513 02:27:18.239 --> 02:27:21.479 I also don't like care about like that. You know 2514 02:27:21.479 --> 02:27:24.040 what I mean, don't? Yeah, you know what I mean. 2515 02:27:24.079 --> 02:27:26.559 So it's no big deal. Doing it for the love 2516 02:27:26.559 --> 02:27:31.319 of the game. Absolutely absolutely for me. It's about the things, right, 2517 02:27:31.360 --> 02:27:34.520 I think the things have great and powerful significance, right, 2518 02:27:34.559 --> 02:27:40.239 I think you know, uh, Berserk is like primordials. It's 2519 02:27:40.280 --> 02:27:42.719 like it's a you know, it's it's it's talking to 2520 02:27:42.840 --> 02:27:48.280 something inside so many of us. And you know, the 2521 02:27:48.440 --> 02:27:53.399 the symbol and the the symbol of Guts as the sufferer, 2522 02:27:53.479 --> 02:27:58.399 right is a powerful one in our time and we 2523 02:27:58.520 --> 02:28:03.239 are a time that is uh you know, it's it's hungry, 2524 02:28:03.360 --> 02:28:08.040 it's it's starving for for meaning and myth and symbol right, 2525 02:28:09.000 --> 02:28:13.639 ones that that that have real power. Because so much feels, 2526 02:28:13.680 --> 02:28:16.319 especially now right with the whole like fucking ai slop bullshit, right, 2527 02:28:16.719 --> 02:28:22.120 everything so much feels like like ephemeral, like smoke. Right, 2528 02:28:23.239 --> 02:28:26.000 So when you find something that feels like it's rooted, 2529 02:28:26.639 --> 02:28:31.399 deeply rooted, uh, it, you know, it's it's worth holding onto, 2530 02:28:31.440 --> 02:28:33.440 I think, and it's worth celebrating, right, And I think 2531 02:28:33.440 --> 02:28:35.600 Brazik is one of those things. What's That's why it 2532 02:28:35.600 --> 02:28:37.959 has the appeal that it has. That's why Guts has 2533 02:28:38.000 --> 02:28:40.879 the appeal that he has. That's why the story and 2534 02:28:40.920 --> 02:28:43.239 this especially this part of the story, has the appeal 2535 02:28:43.280 --> 02:28:46.239 that it has. We all want comrades, you know, we 2536 02:28:46.280 --> 02:28:51.399 all want brothers in arms who would fight with us, 2537 02:28:51.440 --> 02:28:53.879 who would die for us, who we would die for. 2538 02:28:54.959 --> 02:28:59.200 We all wish to have a goal in mind, many people, 2539 02:29:00.120 --> 02:29:04.399 and that's something that this touches on. Many people wish 2540 02:29:04.440 --> 02:29:07.559 to be led. And I don't necessarily think that that 2541 02:29:07.719 --> 02:29:12.239 is a like a vice. I don't think that's a 2542 02:29:12.319 --> 02:29:17.200 sin to wish to be led. Life is difficult and frightening, 2543 02:29:17.600 --> 02:29:21.360 and it's okay to look to others for some guidance, right, 2544 02:29:22.920 --> 02:29:29.440 But you know, some people do not wish to be led. 2545 02:29:29.479 --> 02:29:31.879 They want they have an ambition, they have a desire, 2546 02:29:31.920 --> 02:29:35.040 and they wish to get there. Right. So some people 2547 02:29:35.040 --> 02:29:38.360 are willing to help others with their ambition, and that's 2548 02:29:38.440 --> 02:29:41.680 cool and that's great, right, But what we want and 2549 02:29:41.719 --> 02:29:46.440 what we desire and having people willing to help us 2550 02:29:47.159 --> 02:29:51.479 make it happen because we as guts learns through all 2551 02:29:51.520 --> 02:29:54.959 of this. You know, like you cannot do it alone, right, 2552 02:29:55.000 --> 02:29:57.280 You cannot do it alone as much as you would 2553 02:29:57.319 --> 02:30:00.799 like to. You can't. Even in the Blacks Swordsmanark, right, 2554 02:30:00.879 --> 02:30:02.799 like the black Storts of Ark is like about that, 2555 02:30:02.879 --> 02:30:05.799 almost like him like trying to do everything by himself 2556 02:30:06.239 --> 02:30:10.239 and it almost going catastrophically almost every time, Like he 2557 02:30:10.319 --> 02:30:15.840 barely survives all of that, right, super injured. This arc 2558 02:30:15.920 --> 02:30:18.559 shows you what he what he's missing, what he had 2559 02:30:18.600 --> 02:30:20.840 and what he's missing, and it's something that many of 2560 02:30:20.879 --> 02:30:26.079 us desire. And you know, towards the end, no spoiler, right, 2561 02:30:28.840 --> 02:30:36.120 you understand why Guts, why Guts was has the mentality 2562 02:30:36.159 --> 02:30:38.079 that he has in the Black Swordsman arc, why his 2563 02:30:38.120 --> 02:30:40.719 mind is the way that it is. Because when something 2564 02:30:40.799 --> 02:30:45.760 like this, when when that kind of safeguard for your 2565 02:30:45.799 --> 02:30:48.719 soul is taken from you in the way that it is, 2566 02:30:50.600 --> 02:30:53.399 then I think you are well within your rights to 2567 02:30:53.479 --> 02:30:56.280 have that kind of response, the kind of response that 2568 02:30:56.319 --> 02:31:01.639 he takes. Well, dude, this has been a ton of fun. Man. 2569 02:31:01.760 --> 02:31:04.319 Like I said, we're playing in another one. We're gonna 2570 02:31:04.360 --> 02:31:07.079 keep doing these. There won't be another six week gap. 2571 02:31:07.840 --> 02:31:10.079 What I'm probably gonna do and you guys know this, 2572 02:31:10.200 --> 02:31:13.520 the listeners, Uh, I'll probably have a rotating cast of characters. 2573 02:31:13.520 --> 02:31:16.440 I've got a couple of people interested in covering different segments. 2574 02:31:16.719 --> 02:31:21.120 Obviously Remiss will return. Actually all right, I'm on, I'm 2575 02:31:21.159 --> 02:31:23.360 undecided yet. If it's gonna be one big one or 2576 02:31:23.360 --> 02:31:25.959 two smaller ones. The point is you can stop jumping 2577 02:31:26.040 --> 02:31:29.959 out for Zerk is back. You're welcome again, man, this 2578 02:31:30.040 --> 02:31:31.559 was a ton of fun. Dude, Thank you so much 2579 02:31:31.600 --> 02:31:32.600 for coming. 2580 02:31:32.360 --> 02:31:34.280 Out, Thanks for having me on. 2581 02:31:33.639 --> 02:31:37.920 Thanks everyone know, keep your head up. I can't last forever. 2582 02:31:38.000 --> 02:31:57.079 Good Night 2583 02:32:00.440 --> 02:32:09.280 Thro the Bagariate, Devinment Gangarian devient problem