Kentaro Miura’s postmortem, final chapter of berserk has finally arrived. None of us
currently know whether this is the real end of berserk, whether his editors will pick it up,
but what we do know is that this is miura’s final chapter. The
last memento from the creator of a series that will forever be remembered and I think,
whether he meant for it to be or not, whether it is even the last chapter,
it still served as an absolutely beautiful closing sentiment to this long, long story.
The chapter is short. Following the ending of 363, where the moonlight boy arrives in Elfheim in
front of Guts. Guts brings the boy to Casca, being their first time meeting since her mind was ever
restored, and we really get to see even more here the almost maternal bond that the boy shares with
Casca. After dropping off the boy, Guts goes to train, as per usual really, only to see that his
body still has yet to fully recover from its lasting injuries from the Berserker armor.
He drops his sword midswing, and his throwing knife barely slices past its target.
Guts accepts that, at this point, he still can’t reach his full potential without the armor. Just
another important mention of guts current state with the armor, a very important part of the
recent chapters. And one thing that I thought was particularly touching about this chapter was that,
not only did we once again see the bond between casca and the boy, but guts too.
It’s been long known or at least almost confirmed that the moonlight boy is the
misshapen son of Guts and Casca, and out of their very few encounters, this time we really see
what is almost like a paternal bond as well. This page as a whole almost feels like that peace that
guts deserves that he’s been seeking; casca’s memory is restored, he no longer has to fight,
he has a family. And of course none of this is completely true, as casca still suffers from PTSD,
he isn’t fighting because he physically can’t, and it is only a passing moment
that he looks like a father; but it just makes this chapter even more feel like
a perfect ending to miura’s story, even if it isn’t yet the end of berserk as a whole.
As casca wakes up to see the boy no longer with her, she watches out of the window and we
finally witness the big reveal and something that has been foreshadowed up until now:
that the moonlight child, is in fact, griffith. In chapter 358 we saw griffith noticing his
hair starting to darken and then disappear from his chambers into the night, and now we witness
as his transformation confirms it. That on nights with a full moon,
he becomes an infant. He feels the embrace of a familiar warmth… but as he awakens from
that dream, only a faint feeling of loneliness remains, but that too disappears in a moment.
With a single tear drop, like the morning dew. I really have no words to describe this ending.
This is the first time since griffith’s reincarnation as femto that we have really
witnessed him show emotions like this, let alone shedding a tear.
We of course know that on those full moon nights, the familiar warmth he feels is casca as he always
visits them as the moonlight boy, and to know that griffith does still feel emotion and sadness is
just another testament to the complexity of this character and this story. Perhaps what
we always saw as a maternal or paternal bond was in fact the bond of old friends reuniting.
In those short moments where griffith changed, he naturally always returned to what remained of
the band of the hawk. But then again, it could all just be a facade. That’s the great part about
griffith and berserk in general, is that all the characters are so multifaceted and complex that…
it’s almost impossible to say for sure what they are feeling.
I also think that the simile comparing these emotions to the morning dew is just a work
of art from miura. Morning dew as an object is always associated with not just purity,
but beginning a day anew. A fresh beginning. And beyond just the comparison of that to a tear drop,
the comparison to griffith being reborn in the light of a new day as a knight in shining white,
pure armor is another callback to this long series. Lunar eclipses only occur during full
moons, making another contrast between the pure black of the eclipse and griffith becoming femto
and the full moons where the moonlight boy appears, a symbol of rebirth and purity.
I think in typical miura fashion, just as many questions that were answered, there are even
more questions left to be had at the ending. The chapter itself doesn’t contain that much.
It’s the small moments and lines that really bring it together
and call back to the series and what miura has been building towards. I think once
again seeing griffith show emotions, and using the moonlight boy to connect him to guts and
casca as a friend one more time even if that can and will never actually happen.
It’s amazing. It’s beautifully drawn and i once again would like the thank kentaro miura
for the journey that he started and the lasting memories he leaves with us. Rest in peace.