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romaniablack
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BERSERK: Manga Volume 42 Reaction!

**CAUGHT UP AND AT THE LOWEST POINT HEADPHONE WARNINGS**

I cannot believe after nearly a year...I'm caught up volume-wise to Berserk! I still have other videos I want to make concerning Berserk and those will hopefully be out next year along with Volume 43, but for now?

*SCREAMS INTO THE VOID* THIS VOLUME -- WELL. WELL. So there's that.
Let's take some shots as we get through this madness, shall we?

Thank you SO MUCH for watching with me and for all the support!

BERSERK: Manga Volume 42 Reaction!

Comments

Hey, no worries! That totally happens; you can feel free to catch up any time, but yes, a hiatus from Berserk for now until Volume 43 comes out! And yes, so many amazing comments on this journey - it’s why I have the channel and I love learning so much as I have with this series from you all just as much as from the series itself! If I’d read it when I was younger, I am certain I would have thought much differently about Berserk as well. The Boat Era, haha! I agree - I honestly enjoyed it thoroughly, but I think being able to digest it in volume format instead of waiting years with it had a huge impact in that regard. It’s insane how much time this series has taken place over, like you noted! Ooohhhh, I can also see the Breath of the Wild inspiration from Elfhelm for sure! That’s so cool - the game developers with Zelda are Berserk fans! Love it! I don’t know Little Witch Academia personally, but hopefully someone can give you an answer to that one! Thank you for the comment and kind words! While I’m slightly sad I’m caught up with Berserk for now, I am excited about the series that is replacing it! Should be a fun time!

Romaniablack

And that is totally fine to disagree! But thank you for the comment and kind words and supporting me on my struggle bus journey! I definitely agree the Moonlit Boy will be involved in all this; I really don’t want a “sword fight” as we’ve seen in the past between Guts and Griffith, especially as he’s just now realized by the end of this volume that the sword he’s so heavily relied on…is not likely to win this fight for him, or at least it won’t likely be the main thing. I would be curious to see Zodd’s role in all this - I hope that he will help in Casca’s escape at least! I would love Zodd inadvertently “training” Casca or trying to test her strength; I just want her to have a bigger part in the story, for sure! And yeah, I predict too that the Skull Knight will probably want to kill the MB, which would conflict with Guts and Casca - I really would rather see him take on Void again in the final battle, but we’ll see where the story leads us! Hahaha, I actually think you might have only heard of JJK from the strawman communities, there - I don’t watch that series for the fights *at all* but for the intricate character and symbolism. 🙂But to each their own. Honestly, for me, the Golden Age arc was so good because of the characters, themes, and symbolism and how tightly the narrative was woven together - it’s definitely Miura’s most robust writing in a tight story framework, for me. And yes, Griffith has always been selfish and exploitative - and yes, the truth is a lot darker than what most think. Thanks for the comment! Here’s to volume 43 whenever we get it!

Romaniablack

So much disagreement with you. But still your whole Berserk journey was fun to tag along with. My predictions Yes Guts is no longer going to fight Griffith for revenge. But to save the world, for righteous reasons, it is necessary. Otherwise, it's extremely selfish. Griffith is not going to be defeated in a fight. It will involve the moonlight boy. Zodd only believes in strength. He said "words lack elegance. Fight your way through!" Since Griffith defeated him, he joined Griffith. Now that Zodd has seen Griffith's weakness with moonlight boy and how Griffith is forced to keep Casca around, he will try to exploit this weakness. I think Skull Knight will become an enemy as well. Skull Knight will become obsessed with killing moonlight boy as a way to kill Griffith. This will create conflict with Guts and Casca. And Casca is going play a big role in fights and the story. She has her mind back. And it's been shown multiple times she can fight. And nobody is reading Berserk for the fights. That is just a strawman of the community. That is what ju jutsu kaisen and other shonen are for. The reason the golden age arc was so good was not because of fights or stakes of losing. It was the contrast of Guts who had no purpose in life, compared to Griffith who knew exactly what he wanted in life. Mainstream propaganda would tell you that Griffith is following the American Dream. But Miura shows us the good and the bad. And Griffith in later chapters isn't about fights. It's about the success of selfishness and exploitation. Most people think hard work, morality, and intelligence turns you into a billionaire or world leader. Berserk readers know better and are disgusted by the truth.

A mere Almond

Man, personal life got kind of crazy this past month and I missed a lot, but seeing as this is a goodby for Berserk at least for a while I just wanted to comment even if it's a bit untimely. It was quite a journey, Both your commentary as well as Moominkomet's and everyone else's for that matter was interesting to read. I know for a fact I probably would have come away from Berserk with a different understanding had I read it by myself when I was much younger... I find it amusing the infamy that the BOAT era has, since I actually quite enjoyed it. But I guess it's definitelly a different experience going through it in a few weeks rather than years. It's wild that people could have been born AFTER Berserk originally came out, grow up, discover Berserk as adults, get hooked on it, join the years long wait for new material, suffer an untimely death and the story would not be over yet. Fans whose entire life could have been engulfed by the story's length... I'm sure it's because it's taking inspiration from the same sort of source, but Elfhelm gave me such Zelda vibes, Breath of the Wild in particular. A magical realm under a grand cherry tree full mischievous creatures, protected by a forest that can get you lost... And then Schierke went to the dream realm and started to summon previously defeated enemies to fight off enemies on her behalf and had limited number of them she could summon but every time she lost them she could re-summon them... That's literally the gameplay mechanics of Zelda in Echos of Wisdom. Finally, just a question for those who might know, were the witches a shout-out to Little Witch Academia? because one literally looks like Suzy Manbavaran and if you squint the other ones look like the rest of the trio.

Alex Kornejo

This was actually a reaction I really enjoyed so it was great to share it with you all, you know, despite the trauma! I agree, the first chapter or two felt like Mori trying to figure out his footing after diving into taking this series on! And WHAT a place to do it in! Lots of questions with Skull Knight and the Island Natives - but also ZODD - I’m so glad he’s not really on board with all of this. Not the Warrior’s Way, indeed! That actually makes a lot of sense with Puck and Ivalera staying around because they’re connected to the humans but not the others because they’re still with the Cherry Tree - great point! So, theoretically, Skull Knight should be fine…right? *nervous laugh* Right? Unless his wife’s grave has something to do with it all. But that’s also fair that SK is afraid of causality and messing up a second time. I agree, too, that I would LOVE for Casca to keep struggling to break free and get a little further each time! I want to have faith with you that she can reach Sonia and Charlotte! I also love that others share in that sentiment about the ending of the story - let Guts, Casca, and MB live in peace and make Griffith suffer for his hubris, please! So thank you so much for the kindness - I agree, Guts’s vulnerability and realizing the sword isn’t the answer anymore is so important right now! But yesss, now it’s a waiting game to see what Mori gives us! That’s so exciting about Volume 42’s English translation! I’m hoping by next year, Volume 43 will be ready - I agree that time has helped to me to feel better about this series and now I can hop aboard the Berserk train to wait with you all with more fervor! Agreed, though, it’s still going to be emotional! I love that you started with the anime when it came out and have been with the manga since so you’ve seen the fandom fads and all that – that’s so impressive and inspiring! Also, don’t blame you on the 8-year on and off hiatus during the boat years! But yes, I hope I can see the series to its conclusion but Miura’s passing definitely shows us we need to seize the day, for sure. Human mortality contemplated: Next route? FALAFELS! Genius! That’s fantastic! Also, stir fry is one of my favorites, so that sounds great! Thank you for struggling along with me on this journey with Berserk and I look forward to gathering many a thought together for future videos! And yes, much love from Illinois back to Texas and thank you for all the support and awesome perspectives and comments throughout this journey! It’s been so appreciated!

Romaniablack

Hey! Yeahhh, Griffith definitely still has it bad for Guts and I’m over here just wanting him to leave Guts and Casca alone! Ooohhh, I love the Greek mythology angle of Casca being the one to defeat Griffith! You are so right, though - some less-educated-about-that-history would probably rant about it, but honestly, the ultimate victory would to be letting Casca defeat her assailant. Of course, Miura wants this to be Guts’ story, so I’m not sure how that will go down. I just hope she makes it out of all this! Come on, Zodd, help her out! Sonia is also a possibility - if anything, I just want her and the others to find out how vile Griffith truly is! OOOHHHH, the idea of Griffith getting back to the same level as Guts and them doing a simple sword fight and Guts leave Griffith with Casca in his arms as they walk off? Yes, please! Thank you so much for following me on my struggle bus! I honestly hope that I’m never THAT upset about a series again, but I’m glad that you all enjoyed my takes and that it helped shed another perspective on the series - now I get to wait like you all! Yay? At least there’s lots of good shows for me to watch in the meantime!

Romaniablack

What's crazy is that we knew both Guts and Griffith would survive the Golden Age arc and it was still more tense than the last 20 volumes. That's how much better the writing was. We know that Griffith is still obsessed with Guts, that's the only reason he even captured Casca, so he can't have a happy ending because no matter how much he conquers he can't get over Guts leaving him. I want Casca to be the one to kill Griffith. There is long history in Greek stories of damsels getting kidnapped by supposedly invincible Gods, only to end up being the one to cut his dick off in a moment of vulnerability. I'm sure youtube would be filled with "Berserk gone woke!?" videos, but it would be a very fitting end. Another option would be for Sonia to kill Griffith in a jealous rage over Casca, which would also be very fitting and well deserved. She's coo-coo for coo-coo puffs, she might do it. If it does end in a sword fight, I'd like for Griffith to be somehow returned to his normal mortal form, then they have a simple sword battle like their first fight and Guts wins. Doesn't even kill him, just walks off with Casca into the sunset. I've really enjoyed your Berserk videos, although I don't like seeing you upset. You've definitely changed my views of this manga and gave me a lot to think about. Thanks for struggling through this with us.

Lynden

Excited for today’s reaction! I have to say that your reaction is exactly how I was reacting! As far as ideas going forward, we are all just spitball now! I do find the first Mori chapter just a bit disjointed. Granted, Mori and Studio Gaga were finding their way with the story. You were asking all the right questions and came up with great ideas. We all asked, where was Skull Knight? Where did all the magical creatures on the island go? Why drug Casca and super glad that Zodd appears to not be happy with doing this to a fellow warrior. When I read this, I absolutely had the thought that at least Casca would be able to oppose Griffith and expose him as the villain that he is. I don’t know how long she has been held prisoner, but I get the feeling that she breaks out regularly. I absolutely hope that she is growing stronger every time this happens. What I would want is that she gets to a point that being knocked out doesn’t work on her and she will confront Princess Charlotte and Sonja. I have faith in Casca! When the creatures were disappearing off the island, we were not sure that Puck survived! There was an out pouring of concern if he had died. Even his haters were wondering if he made it through! I think the astral beings disappeared because the great cherry tree was destroyed. That was the lynchpin for keeping the darkness at bay. When it died, it took the light with it off the island. So why didn’t Puck and Ivalera disappear? They have spent sooo much time with their “Humans”, they are linked to them. This kind of is like that story of Chitch. I believe SK didn’t engage because he already had and fucked it up once. He didn’t want to do that again! I love your ideas about how the series can end. These are ideas that are floating around out there. I believe that Casca, (I hope?) along with the baby will be the ones to complete the story. This vulnerability in Guts at this point I think is crucial because he realizes that the sword is not the answer. We too want Guts, Casca and their son to tell Griffith to fuck off and then retire to a small farm and live a good and humble, loving life. That is how I want it to end. Oh and of course for Griffith to suffer an ultimate downfall. Yup. 😊 We have no idea what path the story will take. It’s uncharted territory and it could go a million ways! I always have ideas and when it does go that way, I’m like, oh well, now what! Now that you are almost caught up, in the US, Volume 42 will be printed March 18, 2025! I have pre ordered my copy and now I have to wait for that! I will say that waiting between chapters and volumes does have a benefit in that we do get to digest the material. It’s still an emotional ride, but time does heal as you know, having to step away from it from time to time. We have months, months between chapters and years between volumes! Welcome aboard! 😭 I think since Miura’s death and the “discovery “ of Berserk, the fandom has gotten a bit crazy. There are a lot of new younger readers that do try to be edgy. Now, I started my journey in my late 30’s with the anime. I’m 56 now. I’ve been up and down with reading it. I haven’t always been consistent. I dropped it during the boat years. 😅 I mean, the wait! When I came back to it, it was just wrapping up. Ive been more consistent these past years and now that I’m older, I want to see the end of this! Before I die hopefully, which is a very real possibility. Miura was 54 when he died. I’m 56! I am still very young and I know people who have died younger than myself! We just never know when our last day will be. Well, now that I have contemplated human mortality, I’m going to make some falafels! Hahahaha! Yes, it’s a vegetarian weekend in the Moomin household! I’ll also make stir fry veggies and fried tofu! 🤤 This has been a wonderful journey to take with you and I deeply appreciate all your thoughts and grievances with the series. Much love and thank you from Texas!

Moominkomet


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