CrimsonResonance said:
Most of the stuff that came after the Conviction arc is just an extension of stuff that came before. Magic has existed ever since The Black Swordsman arc and we're simply getting an explanation for it now. Also, the very fact that it has mages doesn't make it cliche. That's like saying the GA arc was cliche because it had knights, which we've also seen in alot of other media before.
Obviously magic was around since the beginning. The difference, is, though, that it was in the background and was far more subtle. There were no long winded-explanations and whatnot. Guts didn't rely on magical armor to confront obstacles. Miura himself said that he introduced this change because that was the best "power up" that he could think of.
The fact of the matter is that it changed the essence of Berserk. Guts went from relying almost solely on indomitable will and even rage to push himself to the limit, to "activating" his powerup in times of distress (along with the, quite frankly, overpowered crew he rolls with nowadays). Regardless on whether you think this is a good or bad thing, the fact of the matter is that it fundamentally changed what Guts fighting was all about. It made things softer and less brutal.
CrimsonResonance said:
The creatures aren't interesting? Have you looked at Griffith's demon army, they look rad af.
"Rad" is not a word I would have used to describe the monsters before seeing Griffith's new glamorous demon army. The monsters went from gruesome, sinister, depraved, completely fucked up looking abominations to fantastical.
CrimsonResonance said:
The comic relief characters don't take away from the serious moments and the rest of your arguments are just more meaningless buzzwords. The themes and character introspection are very much still there (especially in these recent chapters)
Comic relief characters do take away from seriousness, actually. They can kill intensity, or distract you from what is supposed to be a grim atmosphere or grave situation.
The introspection and philosophy is nowhere near the level it was Conviction and before. Perhaps it's because Guts has fought off a lot of his inner demons at this point. But the fact remains that there has been a serious shift in focus from the individual to the worldly happenings and bigger casts.
CrimsonResonance said:
Schierke knows little to nothing about the outside world and this is highlighted throughout the Millenium Falcon arc. Her entire character arc was her learning to leave her nest and adapt to her new surroundings. She is far from perfect (even when she's casting those "OP" spells she's put in a very vulnerable position)
Isidro's definitely more humble now than he was then. He knows his place and doesn't rush to the frontlines. Also he's grown more empathetic, as shown in his interactions with Isma. But yeah, he's still got a lot of room for growth.[/quote]
And yet they are still boring characters.
I would trade guts' entire new crew for corkus.
CrimsonResonance said:
Puck was never really a character. He never had his own goals, aspirations, anything. He was always just the joke machine.
LOL he was not always just a joke machine.
He provided commentary on serious shit until Miura lightened the series and turned him into pure comic relief almost reminiscent of a shounen series side character
CrimsonResonance said:
What you don't seem to grasp is that you can still have comic relief in your story without squandering the tension.
The Golden Age arc had Adon, who was even more obnoxiously over the top than the pirates (and not nearly as endearing either) yet he didn't take away from the high stakes of the battle for doldrey, just like the pirates didn't take away from the high stakes of the sea god fight.
I dont know what to say to you if you think the sea god fight is even anywhere near the battle for doldrey
