SkullKast - A Berserk Podcast

We finally make it to Skellig, after trekking across the world for more than 1/3 of the series. This first part of the re-read takes us from the wicker man fight to the discussion with the great gurus.

With the incomplete story of Duranki now behind us, we leave Usum behind and are introduced to their prototype, Subaru—the main character in Amazones, the original story Miura had planned for what became Duranki. Amazones is a unique look into one of Miura's draft ideas, and Duranki shows us how he finalizing it. It also gives Duranki readers a sense of closure, because we get to see what may have been ahead for the rest of the series with a surprise conclusion that culminates in The Trojan War.

We wrap up the chapters of Duranki and end with speculative talk about what we think would have happened next, not only with Tasi Village, but also with Usum's life, and also about whether or not Studio Gaga should have continued the work.

Our review of Kentarou Miura's final new series, the short-lived Duranki.

Rakshas gets Home Alone'd by Rickert, Silat and the Tapasa. What could go wrong?

We cover the infamous SLAP, along with an incredible fight with Rakshas as Rickert makes his choice for the future, and gains new allies in the Bakiraka.

Rickert walks through Falconia's gates and is wary of meeting up with his former leader, now the Falcon of Light. We finally see Griffith's promised city. What's kind of city would he make, and what will Rickert choose when they're finally face to face...?

Rickert and Erica race toward the protective walls of Falconia, with Fantasian creatures nipping at their heels. It's our first real glimpse of life for humans in this wild new world through the lens of two familiar characters as they approach the new capital with eyes wide open.

(Spoilers for Berserk Continuation episodes) We cover the 3 latest releases, which is really only about 3 pages of content. Enjoy?

A surprise 3-episode flashback set before the Golden Age arc begins reveals to us Guts' first encounter with an elf. We each had different interpretations for a few moments across this section of the series, including Chitch's ultimate fate.

Guts struggles to stand as the Sea God's heartbeat sends him reeling, rendering his senses numb. Meanwhile the Sea Horse is assisted by Merrows, and Isma is reunited with her mother. Join us as we close out the Solitary Island portion of the series in style.

Guts and Schierke traverse the Sea God's body, encountering nightmare-sized bugs that even make Guts sweat. In this episode, the crew talks about Isma's transformation, the introduction of mana (true name), and the implications that would likely have had on the rest of the series.

We finally reveal the mystery at the heart of the solitary island—the sea god that's been gobbling up the inhabitants of the village and the surrounding sea. Quite a mouth on this guy...

Okay, okay, FINE! We're doing a review of the Berserk Continuation, bringing us all up to speed on all the latest happenings in the made-up, nameless Kushan Capital.

The band arrives on the Solitary Island, where they meet Isma, along with the tentacle emissaries of the Sea God. We spend a lot of time on the Sea God and its power, how it manifests, and why it's such a cool hybrid creation by Miura. And of course, the introduction of Isma, one of the final secondary characters Miura created.

The world-spiral tree and Falconia have appeared, setting the stage for a new world. Then out at sea, Guts and company (re)encounter pirates, now transformed by a menacing new enemy. But this first battle is over soon after the noise Guts wakes up.

Atop Ganishka, Femto opens a rift that changes the world. This is it, the biggest moment of the series. Hear the impressions of Walter, Aazealh, Gobolatula, and Grail now and what we thought at the time.

The showdown between Ganishka and Griffith reaches its climax. Humans are forced to grapple with the reveal of their allies' monstrous forms. Daiba and the Pontiff each have startling realizations. All in this skyscraper sized podcast!

Ganishka is transformed, and the Berserk world will never be the same. Hear our current thoughts as well as what we felt at the time of seeing this massive monster pulverize poor Wyndham.

Exodus! The Wyndham resistance makes a daring, Biblical escape from the city as the fog of death passes over them. And they escape right into the arms of the Bakiraka, leading to one of Walter's favorite scenes in the series. We're just moments away from one of the most momentous moments of the millennium!

It's Easter! That means it's time for us to talk about Halloween in France (or lack thereof). Walter and Aazealh go solo on this podcast, giving Grail and Gobs some much deserved new parent time with their kiddo. We discuss the Guts half of Volume 33, as the group settles in to life on their sea journey, re-engage the pirates, and reflect on the group dynamics.

What should Berserk sound like? For much of the series, Susumu Hirasawa's music has dominated its adaptations. But in the past decade, we've seen a number of new approaches to the sound of Berserk. We dive into each of them, along with key selections and samples for the highlights (and lowlights) across the 27 year history of Berserk's music.

Is Griffith hot? Better question: Are angels hot? We delve into this and so much more in our Volume 32 re-read finale. Our hot angel comes face to face with Ganishka, in an oft-referred-to scene that revealed much about the relationship of the God Hand and apostles. This portion of the series also effectively ends the Vritannis section and the Holy See Alliance's hopes of carving up Midland like a delicious duck. Everything fell right into Griffith's hot hot hands, in the end.

The unprecedented team up of Zodd and Guts is able to vanquish Ganishka in Vritannis. And outside the city walls, the surprise Kushan assault hits the Holy See Alliance squarely when they're in the midst of chaos.

Daiba's climactic fight is upstaged by the thunder emperor himself. And the arrival of the apostles draws Ganishka’s attention from killing Guts to incinerating apostles. It's a massacre, and we've got a front row seat!

With Aazealh, Grail and Gobolatula visiting together in person, we couldn't resist recording together for the release of Ep 374, in which... well, not much happened! We also discuss the release of Volume 42, what we think is up next for the voyage at sea, and how close we feel to the end of the series, now that one of the few known developments for the future has sprung into action.

Daiba makes his grand entrance at Vritannis, after Guts goes Berserk to carve through hordes of the pischacha invaders. We also discuss this new look for Guts when he and Schierke work together to overcome the armor's control.

Covering the final four episodes of Volume 30—the invasion of Vritannis begins in full. But before Guts and crew leave the ball, he encounters Owen, who remembers him from the past. Then, they head to the docks to find them ablaze, with daka swarming, overwhelming the troops.

The re-read continues as the festivities at the Vandimion ball are interrupted by the arrival of an adorable kitten who loves to play. Federico and the Holy See Alliance come face to fogface with Ganishka, and Farnese returns to the fold. Tune in for more of our thoughts on Roderick, Magnifico, the pischacha, and Farnese.

We return to the reread to close out Volume 29 and begin Volume 30. That means this episode is primarily about the duel between Serpico and Guts, but we also get to see the result of Magnifico unveiling his master plan at the ball.

Casca awakens in Falconia, her memories clouded, and Griffith's apostles are bound for the east.

In the second wing of Volume 29, we're introduced to the Vandimion family and can immediately see the contrast between the close bonds of Guts' group and the cold reception Farnese gets from her own father. We're also introduced to Magnifico and Roderick, two future comrades.

The re-read of Berserk continues into Volume 29, a momentary pause in the action before the big battle, as Guts' group explores Vritannis and reaffirms the bounds of their family. The Boss makes his first appearance, along with the long-awaited return of Azan!

Daily Release 4 of 4! SkullKast members Grail, Gobolatula, Walter and Aazealh recently flew to the northernmost island of Japan – Hokkaidō – to attend the first installment of the Great Berserk Exhibition taking place since Japan reopened its border to foreign tourists. We went to the big event four times over the course of a week, and recorded a podcast at the end of each day to document our thoughts and our overall traveling adventures. You can also check out our big posts on the exhibition, along with tons of images here: https://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?threads/sknets-great-berserk-exhibition-review.16369/

Daily Release 3 of 4! SkullKast members Grail, Gobolatula, Walter and Aazealh recently flew to the northernmost island of Japan – Hokkaidō – to attend the first installment of the Great Berserk Exhibition taking place since Japan reopened its border to foreign tourists. We went to the big event four times over the course of a week, and recorded a podcast at the end of each day to document our thoughts and our overall traveling adventures. You can also check out our big posts on the exhibition, along with tons of images here: https://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?threads/sknets-great-berserk-exhibition-review.16369/

Daily Release 2 of 4! SkullKast members Grail, Gobolatula, Walter and Aazealh recently flew to the northernmost island of Japan – Hokkaidō – to attend the first installment of the Great Berserk Exhibition taking place since Japan reopened its border to foreign tourists. We went to the big event four times over the course of a week, and recorded a podcast at the end of each day to document our thoughts and our overall traveling adventures. You can also check out our big posts on the exhibition, along with tons of images here: https://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?threads/sknets-great-berserk-exhibition-review.16369/

Daily Release 1 of 4! SkullKast members Grail, Gobolatula, Walter and Aazealh recently flew to the northernmost island of Japan – Hokkaidō – to attend the first installment of the Great Berserk Exhibition taking place since Japan reopened its border to foreign tourists. We went to the big event four times over the course of a week, and recorded a podcast at the end of each day to document our thoughts and our overall traveling adventures. You can also check out our big posts on the exhibition, along with tons of images here: https://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?threads/sknets-great-berserk-exhibition-review.16369/

We review the happenings in the latest episode before diving into a full chapter review of Elf Island—what was ultimately accomplished in this, the longest-running chapter in Berserk? Quite a lot! It's just a bit ... herky-jerky. Tune in for the highlights and lowlights from Walter, Aazealh, Grail, Gobolatula, and Griffith.

The aftermath of the island's sinking hits the crew, though many mysteries remain unclarified. Meanwhile Guts stews about his sword and how it has failed him after being a trusted part of his way of life for so long. Join Walter, Aazealh, Grail, Gobolatula, and Griffith for our latest attempt to parse the Berserk continuation for salvageable morsels.

Calamity strikes the island on multiple fronts. We're just one episode away from the chapter's conclusion, and a big left hook just hit readers. Hear our attempts to unravel the mysteries or inconsistencies of what just occurred, and what's ahead for everyone.

Chaos erupts across the island! And while the episode flowed well, inconsistencies are beginning to percolate, and our expectations are settling as the continuation marches on. Despite our concerns, some mysteries still have their hooks in us. Read on to hear our thoughts on the ooze dudes and what may happen next episode.

The whole crew works together to make sense of the last few chaotic pages of Episode 367. Why's Zodd here? Where'd Schierke and Farnese go? And what would Griffith wnt with Casca? Come on, most of these are softballs. But hey, listen and you might learn something! Even if stumbles are felt throughout, the veil over Berserk's future is finally starting to lift!

Hear our impressions of this new era for Berserk, which kicked off with a milestone: Two episodes in one magazine.

We gather the full crew to discuss the news on Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga's commitment to fulfilling Miura's legacy and completing Berserk.

News broke this morning that Berserk will return with Episode 365 on 6/24 under the direction of Miura's lifelong friend and fellow mangaka Kouji Mori. Aazealh and Walter weigh in on this momentous development and what it means for fans of Berserk from here through the end of the series.

In the final sequence of Volume 28, we enter Vritannis, and the group sees the amassed forces of the Holy See. We adore every detail of the densely packed city, or as much as we can cram into one hour, at least. But the heart of this sequence is Schierke grappling with a civilization she resents.

Guts gives in to the armor to save his friends, but ends up becoming a threat himself. Our re-read of Volume 28 continues, with the fight against crocs, the Makara, and the appearance of a mysterious being who repels the Beast.

Our review of Berserk's pivotal Volume 28 begins, with an omen from the Skull Knight and the introduction of the mysterious boy in the moonlight.

We celebrate 10 years of recording our podcast with 10 guests from over those years, spanning nearly 5 hours of topics! 27:58 — @Walter + @Aazealh + @Griffith - What Was Zodd Thinking? 40:22 — Theresia, Once and For All 47:37 — @IncantatioN - Favorite Berserk Merch 1:17:26 — @Rhombaad - Berserk Adaptations 1:43:57 — @Grail + @Gobolatula - Favorite Miura painting + Tier-Ranking Berserk [Round 1] 2:16:02 — @m - Reimagining Grunbeld's Origin Story from Miura's Sketches 2:40:44 — @SpaceyLauss - Favorite Miura detail from interviews + Tier Ranking Berserk [Round 2] 3:11:45 — @DarkLink - Our Favorite Puck Asides 3:39:22 — @Cronus - Music of Berserk 4:13:47 — @Kompozinaut - Future for Berserk Communities + Tier Ranking Berserk [Round 3]

Ganishka reveals his true power, and Griffith makes his second bedroom window entrance with Charlotte. Meanwhile Guts' team frolics along the beach as we learn about the long-term effects of wearing the Berserk armor and Farnese's dedication to becoming a witch.