The Superculture Review

Gareth and Reid are living peacefully in an ancient Roman metropolis on this episode and extending a not-at-all ominous invitation for you to join us here as we talk about "Shooting Star" to "Village of Witches" (chapters 328-344) from volumes 37 to 39. As our series on Berserk nears its end, we get into what comes after the achievement of Griffith's dreams, an excellent flashback, the difficulties with bringing a decades-long work to some kind of conclusion, and Kentaro Miura's rocky transition to digital illustration.

Gareth and Reid are tossing this podcast into the local demon womb and becoming a towering affront to reason itself on this episode of our Berserk podcast. Listen on as we cover "On Board" to "Falconia" (chapters 286-207) from volumes 32 to 35, wrapping up the Falcon of the Millennium Empire Arc by talking about the incredible scale of the series' vision of a world-rending apocalypse, Kentaro Miura directly confronting his artistic influences, demonic manifestations of human evil, and a whole lot else besides.

Gareth and Reid cordially invite you to this, the most elegant episode of our Berserk podcast to date. This time, we're discussing "Proclaimed Omens" to "Demon Beast Invasion" (chapters 237-263) from volumes 28 to 30. We have crocodile men. We have Skull Knight dialogue. We have questions about the humanity and/or divinity of Guts. We also have an excellent ballroom scene that culminates with a bunch of snooty aristocrats being mauled by magical tigers. Next time: chapters 264-285, from "Divine Revelation" to "Hero," in volumes 30 to 32.

Gareth and Reid continue diving into the swampy waters of Kentaro Miura's Berserk with a new episode covering chapters 198-216 (from volumes 24 and 25), "The Witch" through to "Corruption." We spend a bit of time mired in a bog of magical exposition here before talking about the series' focus on paganism, its trolls, and, most importantly, the introduction of an all-time great character: Miura's take on a kelpie. Next time: chapters 217-236, from "Retribution" through to "Roar of the Sea," in volumes 26 to 27.

Gareth and Reid are breaking out of their shells and ushering in the corpse-goop final days with an episode about the end of Berserk's Conviction Arc (chapters 151-176, "Captives" to "Determination and Departure"). In this episode, we get into how Kentaro Miura depicts characters experiencing absolute terror, the fantasy of retribution for systems that inflict cruelty on others, the lessons Berserk tries to draw from its latest exploration of human evil, and the grandeur of this arc's final chapters.

Gareth and Reid are sprouting wings and buzzing on into the beginning of Berserk's Conviction Arc with this episode on chapters 95-125, volumes 14 to 17. Now that the plot has finally caught back up to its post-Eclipse "present-day," we're back to a giant sword-wielding, arm cannon-toting, scowl-enthusiast version of Guts. With his return--and the introduction of new characters from Berserk's fantastical take on the medieval Catholic Church--there's a lot to discuss with regards to the comics' depiction of paganism versus Abrahamic religious views, Guts' now superheroic status, and why a chubby-cheeked, mischievously evil ghost baby may represent a shifting portrayal of the story's demons.

Gareth and Reid cover chapters 23-69, from "The Battle for Doldrey" through to "The Immortal Once Again," in volumes 7 to 11 of Berserk. In this episode, the Band of the Hawk falls apart, leading us into a discussion of the changing dimensions of Guts, Griffith, and Caska's relationship, with all the commentary on friendship, sexuality, and power that comes along with it. There are also lots of eerie moments as the Eclipse draws near and, par for the course at this point, plenty of terrible scenes to discuss.

Gareth and Reid are hoisting their enormous swords onto their shoulders and setting off down memory lane with a discussion of Berserk's multi-volume flashback arc: the Golden Age. We get into chapters 1-6 from volumes 3 and 4, covering the not-so-halcyon childhood days of Guts' youth, the comic's shifting art style as it focuses on medieval settings, the introduction of the Band of the Hawk, and the most erotically charged, sword-biting-est confrontation between major characters we've witnessed to date.

Gareth Damian Martin and Reid McCarter begin a look at the entirety of Kentaro Miura's Berserk with a discussion of its first two chapters, "Black Swordsman" and "The Brand" from Volume 1. In our debut episode, we discuss how we first encountered Berserk, the influences it draws from (and the work it's influenced in turn), the joy of looking at all the ways Miura creates compositions based around Guts' absurdly giant sword, and a whole lot more.

We pick up in the aftermath of the shootout and discuss the quiet sequences that precede the ending - an encounter with Lilienne the net picker, a hunt for mythical creatures, and a soul-crushing dream as seen through the world's rosiest glasses.

We delve into characters and events that illustrate some of Disco Elysium's most important themes - the curse of inheritance, aimless rage, and the relentless pursuit of a truth that may or may not exist.

We discuss what makes Disco Elysium one-of-a-kind, from the nuances of its system, to the caliber of its writing, to the distinct impact of its themes.