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Questions and Answers pertaining to the publication and creation of BERSERK.




             Where are the Scans?!

     Scans? What Scans?

             What is BERSERK?

     BERSERK is an epic, fantasy graphic novel that follows Guts, a swordsman in a medieval setting. Guts' journey takes him through a stunningly detailed world brimming with bloody battlefields, demonic creatures, and political deceit in a world on the brink of collapse. BERSERK pulls no punches. It is certainly not for the faint of heart or mind. Be prepared to see intestines and grey matter fly when Guts unleashes his Dragon Slayer, a giant, 6-foot-long "sword".

     With a 1000-year long, mythical history and a cast numbering in the triple digits, BERSERK is one of the few series today that benefits a close, detailed reading.

     Also adapted into a one season (25 episode) animation, BERSERK was released in 2002 America to eager fans nationwide.



             Who Created BERSERK?

     The creator, artist and writer of BERSERK is Kentarou Miura. A member of Buronson's (of "Fist of the North Star" fame) generation, Miura set out to create a fantasy series with a striking character struggling through a dark, brutal world. Influenced by several works including movies such as "Flesh and Blood" and the novel series "Guin Saga", Miura is well read in his chosen genre. Incoporating advanced concepts such as the Klein Bottle and Aristotle's Idea of Evil, Miura constantly flexes his scientific and philosophical muscles to his fans and researchers.

     Miura began BERSERK towards the end of his college career. Sending out a one-shot story, the BERSERK: Prototype featured an early, more whimsical Guts invading a heavily guarded castle, seeking out his revenge on Apostles (the prototype is included with volume 14). The publisher knew a winner whenthey saw one and BERSERK was given the green light on becoming a serialized manga in "Animal House" and later on in Hakusensha's "Young Animal", where after 15 years, it is still published.

     After the release of the Anime, BERSERK recieved an explosion of attention. After several years of hard work, he was finally properly recognized during the 2002 Tetsuka Osamu Awards. BERSERK recieved 2nd prize, behind the national hit VAGABOND by Takehiko Inoue.

              When is it Published and Where can I get it?

     BERSERK is serialized in Hakusensha's "Young Animal", a seinen magazine published twice every month. "Seinen," in Japan is the equivalent of a mens magazine, and features lots of mostly-naked Asian women, with some comics in-between glamour shot spreads. If you live outside Japan, you can obtain a subscription to Young Animal through a variety of ways, just a few of which are:

- Contact your local Japanese Bookstore (search the yellow pages, or dial 411 if you don't know where it's located) and special order "Hakusensha's Young Animal". They'll likely have to order an annual subscription, because of the superfluous price of individual issues (~500 Yen / $5.00).
- Sasugabooks.com, or Amazon Japan can set you up with a mail-order subscription.

     Roughly twice a year, a new volume is released, containing ~10-11 episodes. You can buy these at the above vendors.

     DARK HORSE COMICS began publishing BERSERK in Fall 2003 and has no plans to stop. Their publishing rate is ~one manga every 3 months. But after volume 13, the rate will increase to one volume per month (according to Chris Warner of Dark Horse). You can find BERSERK at your local bookstore or comics shop for around $15.

             Episode? Volume? Chapter? Wha-?

     It can be a little confusing at first, but it's best to be well-educated. An EPISODE refers to the ~20 pg sequences published semi-monthly in Young Animal. A Volume contains 10-11 episodes. A Chapter can contain from less than one to several volumes ( for example: "Chapter of Lost Children," "Chatper of the Binding Chain," "Chapter of the Birth Festival"). Finally, an Arc encompasses several chapters, and marks a definite period, or story arc in the manga.

             Is there a second season of the Berserk anime? Will there be?

     The short answer is NO. Studio VAP produced the 25-episode series Kenpyuu Denki: Berserk in 1998 in Japan and have announced no plans of producing further episodes. Media Blasters acquired the rights to Berserk in 2002 and published 6 DVDs (details here) in America. For several years now, eager fans have turned the handle to the rumor mill and every now and then, another rumor will form. These have all proven to be false, in time.

              Why aren't Skull Knight/Silat/Wyald/Puck in the anime?

     Several characters were omitted from the anime adaptation of BERSERK. These include the elf Puck, the apostle Wyald, Silatt, the Bakiraka and several others. Each of these character removals were done so the anime could be self-contained in 25 episodes.

              Episode 83: The Lost Episode

     In 1996, Young Animal released Episode 83 of Berserk. It contained the most controversial subject matter in the series, a conversation between Griffith and the god of Berserk, The Idea of Evil. It was removed from the collected manga (1997) by Miura upon his request. The reason he gave for its removal is that it said too much, too early in the series. You can find a text translation of the episode here.

             Who is the main composer of BERSERK's soundtracks?

     Hirasawa Susumu has composed music for the entirety of the 1997 BERSERK anime, the majority of the 1999 Dreamcast Game and two songs for the 2004 PS2 Game. More detailed information about Susumu can be found on his webpage located here: http://chaosunion.com/hirasawa/e/.

             When will BERSERK end?

     There isn't an end in sight. Guin Saga, one of Miura's influences, is a 100+ volume series.