Berserk

[Boogie]

As I was searching in Google and Wikipedia for info, I saw several places listed as holiday resorts. For example: Here you can book yourself a little time in Villa Gamberaia... As for the castles, monuments and everything else. I can only assume that many of them are public accessible. I think I remember that some friend said that when he was in Spain he visited the Mosque of Cordoba.

 

Of course, it will be a very long a trip if one day you/me decide to do it (because i was thinking the same as you. Go visit all those places.. Maybe next year I can go to Spain for my summer vacations and visit that mosque...).

 

 

This is only the beginning, I have material to write about:

-Giger & Miura/berserk

-The knight Skull- Gaiseric

-Sex in Berserk

-The Kushan warriors

-Movies that inspired Berserk

 

Thanks for all the love

[Boogie]

Friday again... Time for the Berserk Wiki of this week. As promised today we're gonna keep talking about the Places around the world that Miura used for Berserk.

 

Neuschwanstein Castle (GERMANY)

 

This castle is a 19th-century Bavarian palace on a rugged hill near Hohenschwangau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner, the King's inspiring muse.

Once again (as seen in Berserk #12 when the Eclipse begins) is the castle that Griffith dreams about.

 

Meenakshi Amman temple (INDIA)

 

With the appeareance of the Kushan warriors the indian influence became obvious in Berserk. So first we got to talk about this temple.

 

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the form of Meenakshi). The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai. This temple has a stunning architecture and a significant testimony for dravidians for their master architecture in sculpting this temple. The complex houses 14 magnificent Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities, that are elaborately sculptured and painted. The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is believed to have been built in 1600[1]. The tallest temple is 51.9 metres (170 ft) tall.

 

 

 

 

One thing that I forgot to put last time, when I mentioned Notre Dame was the gargoyles of the place.

 

And another thing that I forgot, was to talk about the gate at the Vandimion Manor. It is the entrance of the Belvedere palace. The Belvedere is a baroque palace complex built by Prince Eugene of Savoy in the 3rd district of Vienna, south-east of the city centre. It houses the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere museum.

 

 

Since I dont have nothing to do right now, Im gonna be putting pics of statues that appear in Berserk. Some of them are very famous...

 

(Berserk #8) When Guts its going to kill the kidnappers of the son of Foss, you can see the Dragon of Bomarzo.

The Park of the Monsters (Parco dei Mostri in Italian-language), also named Garden of Bomarzo, is a monumental complex located in Bomarzo in northern Lazio, Italy. It is named so for the many larger-than-life sculptures, some sculpted in the bedrock, which populate this predominantly barren landscape. It is the work of Pier Francesco Orsini, called Vicino (1528–1588), a condottiero and patron of the arts, greatly devoted to his wife Giulia Farnese ; when she died, he created the gardens. The design was attributed to Pirro Ligorio.

 

During the nineteenth century and deep into the twentieth the garden became overgrown and neglected, but in the 1970s a program of restoration was implemented by the Bettini family, and today the garden, which remains private property, is a major tourist attraction.

 

In the same volume, when the King of Midland announces the end of the war, you can see The Atlas Sculpture. In Greek Mythology was the primordial Titan who supported the heavens from the ranges now called Atlas. Its interesting to know that its full name is Farnese Atlas.

 

We can see this one when Griffith talks with the Princess..

 

This is the succubus that's located in the Knight Skull horse. Its a little bit of an irony, since he fights all these demons...

 

We can see this one in the interior the the Doldrey. In Greek mythology, Daphnis was a son of Hermes and a Sicilian nymph. A shepherd and flutist, he was the inventor of pastoral poetry. A naiad (possibly Echenais or Nomia) fell in love with him, but he was not faithful to her. In revenge, she either blinded him or turned him to stone. Pan also fell in love with him and taught him to play the pan pipes.

 

That's it for today...

[The NZA]

jesus, but some of those indian buildings are terrifying.

 

1) how did Miura do this? you think he traveled himself, or just read a lot of national geographic? because none of your examples are stretches; they're dead-on.

 

2) moreover, how're you doing this? is there a preexisting berserk wiki with people doing this legwork/shot angles, or wha? im already dying to travel, this thread makes me want to do so and then reread the series.

[Boogie]

Scary, huh? I would have nightmares if I lived near one of those in India...

 

1) If i had to guess, I would say that Miura read a LOT before sitting and doing Bersek. Because if you would want to see all the references that im listing, its gonna be reaaaally expensive (not to say time-consuming).

 

 

2) Its funny that you mention it. There IS actually a Berserk Wiki, but its NOTHING compared to what im giving to you here Nick. Go on check it out. Youll see that my stuff isnt there.

 

 

BTW I always forget to mention it, but if we EVER go to France Nick, we have to go to loot the place of this Kenji-kun dude place. Hes got all the Art Of War statues of Berserk, plus some others that are great. Including one of Hitokiri Battousai (OVA), and the one of Vagabond. I REALLY HATE THIS GUY!!

 

HERE you can see all the ones from Art of War (he even has 2 or 3 of the same character....)

HERE you can see the others...

[The NZA]

damn.

 

how are you finding those angled shots, though? again, its spot-on!

and as for your links: fuck. i was all happy to one day get a Guts figure, but not anymore. those statues are fucking gorgeous.

[Boogie]

How do i do it?? That my friend, its TOP SECRET!

 

[Boogie]

I promise to write about the Kushans when i get home from work tonight...

[Boogie]

I know that i havent write here in a couple of weeks but everything that happens, happens for a reason... (I wonder where i hear that... ). I was without computer more than a week, because fucking windows decided to die on me. So, once again I promise that Ill be writing about the Kushans this Friday.

 

But before we go, I wanna tell you Berserk fans (by the way where are all the fans besides us 3??) that a rumor started to spread in the land of the rising sun. A rumor about a new Berserk anime. Thats right! And what proves this? Well, this animation cell that leaked from STUDIO 4°C. Are you as existed as I am??

 

 

 

See ya on Friday!!

Edited August 31, 2009 by Boogie

[C_U_SPACECOWBOY]

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

 

It this is real, it's the realization of a fucking ten year dream for me.

 

Awesome!

[C_U_SPACECOWBOY]

Okay. Even more excited. STUDIO 4°C. animated Linkin Park's video for "Breaking the Habit" as well as my favorite segement from Gotham Knight, Working Thru Pain.

 

 

Edited August 31, 2009 by C_U_SPACECOWBOY

[The NZA]

[Boogie]

Yet another fine reply/contribution made by the irish ninja

 

But, seriously, IF someone would ask me to do all the planning for the new season (lets suppose that its already a fact), I would start the first episode with Guts at night in the forest thinking about everything that happened to him (here we can use a quick flashback to show his fights when he was in the band of the hawk untill his fight with Griffith). Then the episode would end with the introduction of The Knight Skull.

 

Episode 2 will be the reunion with the rest of the Band of The Hawk with Casca as the temporal leader, and MORE important Guts fight with Silat.

 

Episode 3, 4 & 5 (depends what we want to show/tell) will be the rescue of Griffith and The Eclipse.

 

Episode 6 and so on will be the rescue of Casca & Guts by the Skull Knight and from that on I will introduce Puck (Sorry for the Puck haters, but he is really important in the story later... Besides, its a great character. He grew on me... and i will sure it would happen the same with you guys) and if time is short I will cut the whole Rosaline/The Lost Children chapter.

 

And then on to the good stuff...

 

How will you guys do it, if it depended on you?

 

 

 

Ah! I always forgot to mention this. Could you guys imagine how it would be a Preacher version made by Miura?? I think it would be fucking great. More violent (if that's possible) and the sex scenes more explicit...

Edited September 19, 2009 by Boogie

[Boogie]

If anyone is interested... The 34th Tankoubon of Berserk its coming out in Japan.

 

Edited September 22, 2009 by Boogie

[The NZA]

oh, im crazy interested, but moreso in how long it takes The Band of the Hawks or whoever's fan-translating these days, heh.

 

 

are they ever going to reach Puck's kingdom? everytime someone ask me "is that book nearing its final arc?" im thinking: uh, Casca's still mad, and not a single one of the godhand have fallen. hell, Guts fought a manifestation of that chick one, and she tore up his armor, like 10 volumes ago.

 

[Boogie]

I dont think that we are gonna reach and ending soon. At least I hope that Berserk dont become ones of those mangas where without any warning just ends. I will hate Miura if he ever did that.

 

I think that Berserk can go only 2 ways:

 

1- Miura doesnt know how to continue (what direction needs to took) with the strory or he just doesnt find the inspiration he needs to continue. So untill he fixed either one of the 2 problems, we are gonna continue with this slow publishing of chapters.

 

2- He simply loose interest so he plans to never finnish Berserk. Wich is the Apocalypse option.

 

But for anyone, alla this its painfully obvious.

 

 

 

I will love to see Casca sane again, and fighting alongside Guts against the new Band of the Hawk, BUT sometimes feeling atracted to Griffith and just the second she was to give in... BAM! She remembers how he raped her and gets really angry again :P

 

 

 

In the meantime, i will love to have these:

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2009 by Boogie

[The NZA]

 

oh, he could have volumes of casca trying to get comfortable around Guts again before any of that, heh.

 

 

i know he takes time off, but man, i really hope he hasnt painted himself into a corner here. if he's out of ideas on his own decade-wide epic...ugh, i dont wanna think about that, or a rushed ending.

[Boogie]

I dont know why, but for some reason it never ocurred to me that Guts would kill all the members of the Godhand. Since he's so foccused on Griffith...

[The NZA]

you know, ive always kind've assumed that was his goal, to take them all down (somehow? he barely survives some apostle fights. im thinking he'll go skull knight just to see it done, rejecting the path of the beheiut (sp?)). but yeah, it could easily just be he only gives a shit about griffith and they're just in the way...i just got that "im going to end all demons" thing from him in earlier volumes.

[Boogie]

So, after reading vol. 33 i saw the light

 

Its now obvious that all the shit that happened 20 books ago was to prepare/give the world someone who could fight Ganishka. Of course im talking about Griffith here. If he wouldn have rape Caska and then reincarnate using that deformed baby, and created the new band of the hawk... who the fuck could stop this Ganishka dude?? Nobody. So yeah, now i dont hate him that much. But i dont think Guts is that understanding...

 

What i would like to see happen next:

 

-Ganishka defeated by Griffith (and then we can focus again in killing the Godhand -BTW when was the last time that we saw them???-) So Griffith becomes the king of Midland... or Falconia.

-Guts and Caska reaching Elfhelm. Caska finally becomes like she once was, and start kicking ass again side by side with Guts. Then both of them fight they way up tp kill the new evil king that arose.

 

oh yeah Whatever happened to the Skull Knight??

[The NZA]

 

 

that...is a take id not considered, all wrapped up in my Griffith hate. i like that angle a lot - that he had to become something powerful enough to handle bigger evils, but man, even as brilliant as he was, its hard to figure he saw that, i was so certain he was on the whole "the road to the castle is paved with bodies" when he chose his ascension.

 

other forums keep debating: would Guts then use a Beheuit (sp?) to survive against the more powerful demons, given that his body's clearly weakening? i say obviously not, others think the compromise'd be that much darker. cant help but feel he's default opting to let the berserk armor consume him until he's the next Skull Knight. even Gog saw that for a moment.

 

 

-Ganishka defeated by Griffith (and then we can

focus again in killing the Godhand -BTW when was the last time that we

saw them???-) So Griffith becomes the king of Midland... or Falconia.

-Guts

and Caska reaching Elfhelm. Caska finally becomes like she once was,

and start kicking ass again side by side with Guts. Then both of them

fight they way up tp kill the new evil king that arose.

 

oh yeah Whatever happened to the Skull Knight??

 

i can see pretty much all that happening, though you have to wonder if Miura's just teasing us with hope for Caska at this point. he's gotta know its what everyone wants, be that much worse to either not give it or only do so for a moment before she lapses or dies or something awful, as if to push Guts past that last tether to humanity he salvages.

 

now that youre caught up: how harsh was that moment the armor told Guts there'd be another sacrifice when he lost control, and itd be his friends, and his fault? shit was chilling.

 

the fact we've not seen the godhand - much less Guts' encountering them since wha, the titty-one shredded his old armor through some apperation of herself like forever ago? makes me think the story's not even close to its final act, despite Ken's ricidulous hiatus ( - newt blames his new 360), and yeah, i too wanna know what the fuck the Skull Knight's up to.

 

 

 

[Boogie]

Well, Its possible that even Griffith itself wasnt aware of that "fighting bigger evils" and yes the first reason to become Femto and so WAS to become the king. But i imagine that no one would like to be the King of a fuck up city, so first thing first he has to put the kingdom back together.

 

Another possibility is Guts finding another source of power, one that doesnt kill him, and with that fight all the demons.

 

It certainly has changed a lot this manga. I was looking at the evolution of the story and certainly we dont have a clue what could happen next. I hope Dark horse doesnt take long to publish #34...and Miura GTFO the Xbox!!

Edited April 27, 2010 by Boogie

[Boogie]

I wish i knew where this guy lives... Or at least i would like to have some contacts with people that know how to do this kind of statues... Because spending hundreds of dollars in a Art of War statue seems so far right now...

 

Berserk statue

[Boogie]

Somebody should kick my lazy ass in order to make me do the things i promise... So, its been a while since i last wrote something about the influences Miura used to create Berserk. Today lets learn about THE BRAND.

 

Lets start by remembering that the Brand used to be a little bit different in the beginning, AND it was in Guts chest instead of his neck (as seen in the prototype of Berserk -tankoubon #14-).

 

 

The round shape of the Brand could be linked with BAPHOMET.

 

Baphomet is a pagan deity revived in the 19th century as a figure of Satanism and the occult in general. It first appeared in a late twelfth century Provençal poem as a corruption of "Muhammad"[1], but later it appeared as a term for a pagan idol in trial transcripts of the Inquisition of the Knights Templar in the early 1300s. However, in the 19th century the name came into popular English-speaking consciousness with the publication of various works of pseudo-history that tried to link the Knights Templar with conspiracy theories elaborating on their suppression. The name Baphomet then became associated with a "Sabbatic Goat" image drawn by Eliphas Lévi.

 

 

As everyone remember, we saw this nice looking fellow in tankoubon #3 (he was a reaaally good friend of The count's wife )

 

Looks like the Brand is a mix between what Baphomet has between his legs (no pun intended people!) and his Sigil (in his forehead).

 

We can mention too that said symbol (in his legs) has a certain resemblance with Hermes Staff. Who was Hermes??

Hermes Trismegistus is the representation of the syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. In Hellenistic Egypt, the Greeks recognised the congruence of their god Hermes with the Egyptian god Thoth. Subsequently the two gods were worshipped as one in what had been the Temple of Thoth in Khemnu, which the Greeks called Hermopolis.

 

 

And looks like Miura reused said symbol when he taught of the Holy see.

 

The Sigil of Baphomet is the official insignium of the Church of Satan. It is also a symbol that is used by several other organizations, usually those associated with Satanism and the Left-Hand Path.

 

 

I will also mention the Sephirot wich is related to Judaism. How is it related to the brand?? Well, Miura named Qliphoth to the cave were the Trolls were living (and Slan came to pay a little visit). Well, qliphoth refers to the representation of evil forces in the mystical teachings of Judaism (such as in the Kabbalah). The word Qlipoth derives from the Hebrew word "qelipoth". The Qliphoth are shells around the Sephirot. They are similar to the Kanchukas in Kashmir Shivaism.

 

 

The next img can be found in Miura's Illustration Book:

 

 

In it you can appreciate The Star of David in the middle of it and the Hand of Fatima in the upper part between many interesting things.

 

The Hand of Fatima

Or known as Famsa too, is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The hamsa is often incorporated in jewellery and wall hangings, as a defense against the evil eye. It is believed to originate in ancient practices associated with the Phoenicians of Carthage.

 

 

Star of David

The Star of David or Shield of David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism. It is named after King David of ancient Israel; and its earliest known communal usage began in the Middle Ages, alongside the more ancient symbol of the menorah. Geometrically it is the two triangles, with one flipped and laid over the other.

 

 

Also it can be found in the earlier image the signs of the Zodiac.

 

 

Try to guess the names in english, cos im too lazy to change them with Photoshop :P

 

Ouroboros

 

The Ouroboros or Uroborus is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail and forming a circle.

 

The Ouroboros often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end (compare Phoenix). It can also represent the idea of primordial unity related to something existing in or persisting from the beginning with such force or qualities it cannot be extinguished. The ouroboros has been important in religious and mythological symbolism, but has also been frequently used in alchemical illustrations, where it symbolizes the circular nature of the alchemist's opus. It is also often associated with Gnosticism, and Hermeticism.

 

 

 

I think thats about it... I hope you find it interesting. As for me, im gonna get something to eat and im gonna see the Aargh its the Mr Hell Show...

[The NZA]

holy shit, i never gave enough props on that last amazing post.

 

Boogie - you reading the latest scans? im somewhere in volume 35 or 36 as of last week -

new Fantasia arc, currently dealing with the undead pirates? Guts just donned the black armor again, and homegirl's not there to keep him tethered...

not sure how far behind Dark Horse is right now, but i know they're damn close last i checked. anyway, art:

 

 

 

 

[C_U_SPACECOWBOY]

 

Boogie - you reading the latest scans? im somewhere in volume 35 or 36 as of last week.

 

not sure how far behind Dark Horse is right now, but i know they're damn close last i checked. anyway, art:

 

 

Dark Horse is releasing volume 34 middle of September. Then we are pretty much volume for volume with Japan at that point, as volume 35 isn't even out in japan yet (one or two chapters left).

 

I remember thinking how excruciatingly spread out Dark Horses' release schedule was for this book, with only 6 a year. And yet here we are. Waiting on one volume a year like the rest of the world...