Not so recently, I came across news of a fellow Singaporean called Kyla "unrelated to Zhao Yun unless proven by science" Zhao. Despite the manner I express myself, it's good to see a fellow Singaporean making the news for the right reason. Trust me, the last thing I ever need is another university student getting probation for something that should have got the fellow jailed. Allow me to take a break for a while.
Okay, I'm back. Anyway, here's a foreign talent's advice to every local talent.
Spoiler: I eat my sunny-side-up eggs like Conan's fellow Cimmerian bro instead of Frontline Bro's fellow Singaporean bro. No joke. And it's always egg first whenever it's stuff like mee goreng, SG nasi lemak, or nasi goreng.
So why did I up a video involving a foreign talent bloke whose name happened to be Jack "not Figs" Grapes? Because Miura Kentaro may have facilitated the most stunning post-death moment in recent human history. Recently, Miura-sensei's final piece of insane creativity made the news. More specifically the actual identity of the moon kid.
It's an irony that a mangaka known for creative cynicism was to leave the world with an idealistic ending. Of course, whether it's really the end is an issue I'll be talking about later. For now, it's a given that the kind of peace enjoyed by Guts and Casca was an image of idealism. Not the kind of idealism promoted by politicians and activists alike but the type which we all were used to when we're merely twelve. That'd before we knew how dangerous the world is. That'd before we knew the depths of human deception. That's definitely before I learnt to appreciate music. In a symbolic sense, Guts returned to an irretrievable past when life was hard but nevertheless less cruel. This was also synonymous with Guts' first interaction with a humane soul since Shisu passed away.
Miura Kentaro and the Thanatos Gambit
What is a Thanatos Gambit? The TV Tropes site has a very good explanation of what it really is. Literally speaking, Miura-sensei didn't pull off a Thanatos Gambit since he clearly didn't manipulate his cause of death. However, the impact coming from his final gift to the world of storytelling from Japan to the U.S could be seen as somewhat similar.
As a fan of Trinity Blood, the regret left behind by the author's death before the curtains fall on the story was all too real. Stuff like this rarely made the news if there's any at all. When was the last time Mediacorp announced something like this? Or Hollywood as well for that matter? For fans of Trinity Blood, Yoshida Sunao's untimely death in 2004 meant we'd never see how the story will end. So how regretful was that episode? No one knew how Abel Nightroad would be able to make a literal comeback after his brother Cain killed him like the biblical tale of Cain and Abel. While Yoshi-S did leave behind possible ideas for a comeback, it would still be a long shot away from concluding the story. To set the record straight, the anime version only ended with Esther becoming Elizabeth III (Note: In the original story, things were more complicated as the throne was left empty and Esther believed a Spencer should take the throne per the royal granny's wish). Even if we're to talk about the possibility of science in the form of Bacillus nanomachines, it's not a substitute for what's going to happen to the AX. Let alone the Rosencreutz Orden.
This is where the important part comes: The truth of the moon child. In Berserk, I'd say there are two main villains. You have the immediate villain, that'd be Griffith. Then you have the overarching villain. That'd be Void. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Miura hinted at this when asked about the ultimate goal of the God Hand. As for where the Idea of Evil stands in the grand scheme of things, it's anyone's guess because the Idea of Evil is more of a concept rather than an actual being. Think of it as atheism utterly deromanticised because this isn't Hollywood. The fact Miura wasn't tempted to do a retcon likely meant something.
The stunning revelation wasn't without foreshadowing, though. My lecturer Mr Felix "not the cat" Cheong did stress more than once the importance of this storytelling technique when I used my Skills Future credit for a creative writing course in Lasalle. Yes, it's a waste of credits. No, I don't regret it. Anyway, back to when this was foreshadowed. In Berserk, crimes against humanity were the norm. On one hand, it's easy to say the trolls are literal monsters for raping women. They really do and they truly are. On the other hand, however, are human beings truly better? Let's not forget Griffith used to be a human being like you and me, as much as it sounds like an anti-Hollywood obscenity. We all know the process of the Eclipse: The Band of Hawks got slaughtered, Griffith raped Casca, and Guts ended up having the most severe PTSD imaginable.
The second part is what I'm referring to as the foreshadow. Remember when Casca was violated, she was already with Guts' child. In other words, Griffith wasn't the dad. One favourite question among the fanbase was whether the Moonlight Boy was the reincarnation of said child. Circumstantially, it's possible considering the timing of his first appearance. But what if he IS really Guts and Casca's child? A lot of things would have made sense in ways more than one. For starters, you don't need a PhD in life science to understand procreation. It's science but not rocket science. In a nutshell, the act of tainting a woman's body might have resulted in unexpected consequences. If the brutality of Griffith's actions were more than just brutality, everything would click together. But was it a case of unintentional outcome or something Griffith deliberately did?
If it's the former, then it means Griffith chose to abandon his humanity entirely. But this also means somewhere deep down inside, Griffith acknowledged the truth of his humanity. If you can't kill your morality, then exile it. If it's the latter, then what we believe we knew about Griffith would be challenged. All the while, we're rooting for Guts while hoping Griffith would just roll over and die. That's because we make assumptions based on what we see in pretty much every part of our daily lives. Picking sides is merely an indication of this. I'm NOT saying we should side with a murderer, rapist, or terrorist. That's clearly wrong. But do we have the ability to see the sin as evil while the sinner as a fellow human being? If we can, it means we're being challenged. Not in terms of black and white but rather the standard of black and white. Self-righteousness isn't a matter of morality but rather whether we see ourselves as morally good without using the brain.
The humane side of Griffith, from how I see it, isn't just a challenge to his resolve. It also begs a simple but often unasked question: Should morality be defined by choice? If the answer is yes, then it'd effectively make the Moonlight Boy's existence moot. Because there's no way the kid could fit into a world of dark fantasy and equally dark morality since that'd invalidate Griffith's humanity. Sure, there were characters in the story devoid of humane decency from head to toe. But not all. Take for example Nosferatu Zodd. When he first appeared, he looked every bit a villain everyone wanted to hate. Killing people for fun? Check. No remorse? He's got it. Chaotic neutral instead of chaotic evil? That's the fun part. If a member of the God Hand with no morality inside can display a sense of honour more real than real-life hypocrites, it means a humane Griffith shouldn't be seen as a long shot. At the same time, let's not discount what immortality can do to yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of morality among the God Hand was due to them forgetting what it means to be human. This is immortality without redemption. And immortality without redemption means eternal damnation. Of course, I'm assuming things here. At this point, no one knows what Void is out to achieve or at least prove.
Before I continue, let me stress again the dark world of Berserk is effectively a case of 404 God Not Found. If you need evidence disproving religion as the root of all evil, Berserk would be it. Even with a corrupted religious system, whose fault was it? Humanity or some higher power? Remember, both the God Hand and apostles actually function like human beings instead of gods. Never mind the fact we got a guy with a goat's head implanted on his shoulders. Remember, the closest thing to a god happened to be a living concept defined by the dark side of humanity.
This brings us to the focal theme of Berserk. Namely, the philosophy of duality. It's a trait only human beings have. No matter how intelligent a monkey or dolphin is, animals don't have duality. This is what separates people from animals. And Berserk made this very clear. The capability of doing good and evil is what makes us humane. And it's also what makes the dark world of Berserk... well, terribly dark. If Griffith doesn't possess this manner of duality, it means he's no longer humane (i.e. この人でなし!). That's why the Moonlight Boy is so vital. It's to prove Griffith was no different from those he ruled and slaughtered. This also indirectly humanises the God Hand and apostles alike. In fact, there's a reason why the Count refused to sacrifice his own daughter in exchange for his own survival. The fellow wasn't an anomaly now that I look back at it.
Moonlight Boy's presence also throw in a question we never expect to answer in the first place. It's not about whether Griffith deserves redemption. Rather, it's whether Griffith is beyond redemption. It's like in Hellsing Ultimate where the Major mocked Alucard as an irredeemable monster. Monster, yes. Irredeemable? No.
Why we may actually see Berserk 100% complete
Now, I don't know how others would see this possibility. The greatest question surrounding Berserk is not about what would Miura do but rather what has Miura done. This is very important. As I said, Berserk has two villains. The immediate and overarching. It's like playing Witcher 2. You have Letho as the immediate antagonist and Emhyr var Emreis as the overarching antagonist.
While this revelation wouldn't influence future developments involving the God Hand per se, it can go a long way in resolving Griffith's role in the story. One of the most mind-blowing dilemmas in the world of storytelling is this: We want badly to see how Berserk is going to end, but we're also content to see the series end at the crossroads.
Despite Miura's untimely demise, his assistants actually got something concrete to work on. In fact, I'd call his final work a door leading to a future instead of a room without a door. This is what separates Berserk from Trinity Blood. There's an actual opening leading to a foreseeable possibility. Resolving Griffith's role, however, is only finishing two-thirds of the story. We still have the remaining third. That'd be the God Hand. That's the most difficult part. At this point, we know only as much about the God Hand as why Japan's average COVID-19 cases count is dropping. It's that tricky.
But why do I believe Berserk can be 100% complete posthumous? This is where I'm entering the wild guessing territory. The fact Miura was able to fashion an opening to resolve two-thirds of the story could mean he also had an idea on how to deal with the God Hand. Let's not forget that as the storyteller, he already put into motion the gears of their agenda. A lot actually hinges on whether he did leave behind instructions. A misperception we have on manga apart from the erroneous assumption that it's immature (i.e. Steve was wrong) is that the mangaka has to walk alone. But as every self-respecting Kopite (including Steve) would say, You Never Walk Alone. We're not just talking about assistants, we're also talking about discipleship in the form of being one.
Before I end this, let me point out that in NO way was I assuming things. It's a probability issue where a lot depends on what Miura left behind apart from his final script. Even if instructions were already there, we shouldn't interpret possibilities for absolute results.
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