Berserk, Volume 33, The Provincial Life of Guts

A really sad way to start the volume off. Guts vision is bad, and he seemingly could become blind. And things don’t get brighter as Farnese, watching Guts like a spirit, hears him questioned on Casca, and before he can make his relationship with her official, she runs from the magic and stops.

Later, we spot Casca falling into the water, ultimately saved by Guts but leaving him weak enough to drown. And it turns out he is saved just in time by the crew. But we realize Schierke is equally in love with Guts, just like Farnese. But to her, she can rest knowing she has a special connection to him. I’m curious to see if this jealously could develop further knowing Farnese equally likes Guts and could become just as powerful as her. But I’m sure Miura won’t make Farnese that powerful. She is a character who works because she is the most normal person you can have in Berserk‘s world, meaning she can’t become overpowered like a Guts or Griffith.

We get a heartbreaking moment between Farnese and Casca as Farnese begs her to share compassion towards Guts, but to no avail, leaving her sobbing on the floor. Casca, like a child seeing she’s done wrong, tries to hurt herself to make up for it, causing Farnese to hug and protect her.

As the volume continues, we see Farnese talk to Roderick and bring out herself with him. I think their relationship is the fragile side she avoids with Serpico. She has only showed it to Serpico recently, and before when she was burning things. But with Roderick, her subconscious kind of slips out, and it’s fascinating. He works as a nice vessel to cheer her up. He is her comfort, like she is to him. And Miura concludes things with more state-of-the-art panels.

The contrast between Guts life and Griffith’s dream continues, but to not much interest from myself. Griffith’s socio-political rise has great moments, but not a solid whole. It’s all too much when spliced with Guts more simple matters, leaving the volume messy. If you read this, and volume twenty-two I think you will notice an art difference. Not an entirely bad one, but characters like Griffith do look slightly uncanny. Even Guts looks changed, though that seems a deliberate choice to hone in on how much the journey has affected him.