Dark Horse Berserk Vol.2

[Wereallmad]

Honestly, I didn't even get 10 pages in before giving up on English Berserk (the cover quality was a hint). The whole presentation and translation turned me off right away. It was like tHeHaWkS got published and now I can't even edit it in MSpaint. =)

Actually, for all my badmouthing, I like the Hawks translation of this volume better. And they work for free and faster, so I guess I should apoligize for comparing their work to Dark Horse.

It really makes me wonder what could have been if say Viz or another company had gotten the rights.

-Griffith

Would have been much higher quality(from what I'm hearing), but they probably would have censored the gore and nudity, and then cancel the whole thing after 5 volumes with a note that the series is on hiatus.

 

[Olivier_Hague]

I don't think the term Apostle Spawn comes from miura.

Miura uses "Shito modoki" (lit. "quasi-Apostle").

 

[Uriel]

When I look at how nice those Viz Vagabond releases look, and the awe for Inoue, it just makes me think more and more about how Miura got the shaft. Let's face it, Berserk just gets no respect in the U.S. That's probably the best way to describe Dark Horse's release; disrespectful. Then they charge $13 bucks for this shit. Hentai counterfitters from Hong Kong have higher standards of quality (and more shame).

I'd try writing Dark Horse a letter, but I wouldn't be able to help but make fun of their "efforts." I also don't think they care. My worst fear is that the assclown that did that interview a while back would answer my letter with something like, "Berserk is total renegade releases! For badasses like Gusts the Dark Knightman! It's underground and hard, man, just like you, the Berzerk fan! Quality is your mom, dude!"​

​

I cried when I read that, dude... Power to the Fucking People!

In all fairness, I was happy to see Berserk got licenced and I was excited about the first volume when I finished it. Besides the horrific covers, greenhorn graphic design and drunken graphic editing, I was happy with it as an English addition. I mean, at least the translations were okay! However, when Viz, a company I've disliked for some time, got Vagabond I was thrilled to see the colour pages... on DECENT PAPER! They even sell manga cheap these days, especially Shounen Jump stuff! *mushes over his Shaman King collection* Safe to say Viz is back on top as far as manga goes.

From now on, the only cash Dark Horse will be getting from me will be for Blade of the Immortal and maybe TRIGUN... but even that's doubtful.

 

[ranemaka13]

Oh what it couldve been in the hands of Proteus....

 

[CRAZYBERSERKER]

Still havent gotten volume two from rightstuf.com seems like volume two sold out quickly like volume one did. With sells being beign good for Berserk this should guranteed Darkhorse getting rest of the volumes that they havent lincense.

Hopefully they will do a better job for those volumes than they done for the first 2 volumes and I'm expecting volume 3 to be a horrible done job like the first two volumes.

 

[ranemaka13]

Hopefully they will do a better job for those volumes than they done for the first 2 volumes and I'm expecting volume 3 to be a horrible done job like the first two volumes.

good to know you have hope for the future.

 

[6th Angel]

Of course everybody would be bitching and nitpicking about every little thing.
I knew most of you would never like an english version as much as japanese just because it is not the exact same thing. The fonts and cover are different because its in English. Boo hoo. Now lets sit them side by side. My japanese volume is older and faded and my new Berserk isn't, why didn't they artificially fade it for me! The waterworks begin again.

Does anyone have the balls to admit that they knew they would complain, bitch, and maybe eventually hate it no matter what the translated Berserk turned out to be?

 

[CRAZYBERSERKER]

Of course everybody would be bitching and nitpicking about every little thing.
I knew most of you would never like an english version as much as japanese just because it is not the exact same thing. The fonts and cover are different because its in English. Boo hoo. Now lets sit them side by side. My japanese volume is older and faded and my new Berserk isn't, why didn't they artificially fade it for me! The waterworks begin again.

Does anyone have the balls to admit that they knew they would complain, bitch, and maybe eventually hate it no matter what the translated Berserk turned out to be?

Um no actually Darkhorse vol 1 Berserk is the second manga I 've ever bought my first manga is vol 1 Battle Angel Alita. I don't own the Japanesse manga of Berserk. I was really excited to buy the first volume of Berserk but was dissapointed by how bad the quality was. The text that Darkhorse uses in Berserk is hard to read because you can't tell what some letters are. The pages are printed slanted/crooked and there are a lot and I mean lot of cut off printed pages. I didn't expect perfection but man this is fucking terrible. >:(

 

[ranemaka13]

Look at me! I'm acting like I'm better than all of you! Mwa ha ha! Blah Blah Blah English Japanese Blah Blah.

i never compared the two. what do i compare it to? BotI for one. Then there's Akira. you know, that quality shit they churn out every now and then.
why am i complaining? because this isnt up to the standards of everything else they sell. it feels like a sloppy, rush job even when it takes them 3 months in between volumes.
im glad to get a tangible english translation now. im satisfied with the translation, just not the presentation. and dont act like its perfect, because its not. theres always room for improvement.
And yes, i realize that the above mangas i mentioned were done by the prestigious Studio Proteus and Berserk is not. But youd think DH would send the bad copies back until Digital Manga gets it right.

 

[TheSkyTraveller]

Of course everybody would be bitching and nitpicking about every little thing.
I knew most of you would never like an english version as much as japanese just because it is not the exact same thing. The fonts and cover are different because its in English. Boo hoo. Now lets sit them side by side. My japanese volume is older and faded and my new Berserk isn't, why didn't they artificially fade it for me! The waterworks begin again.

Does anyone have the balls to admit that they knew they would complain, bitch, and maybe eventually hate it no matter what the translated Berserk turned out to be?

If you're such a big Berserk fan, why did you let your Japanese volumes fade? For shame!

Anyway, like Ranemaka said, we're complaining because the quality is not what we expected, based on past experiences with Dark Horse's manga releases. I would have blamed Digital Manga, but the Dark Horse/Digital Manga release of Trigun is very well done, right down to including the gag covers that were originally underneath the dust jackets of the Japanese volumes. In Berserk's case, it seems like the editor's standards just aren't high enough to get the book to look any good.

 

[FateINwaiting]

I personaly dont care Berserk is Berserk and as long as its in my hands im happy. I plan on buying all of them untill its not sold anymore i guess.

 

[Griffith]

Of course everybody would be bitching and nitpicking about every little thing.
I knew most of you would never like an english version as much as japanese just because it is not the exact same thing. The fonts and cover are different because its in English. Boo hoo. Now lets sit them side by side. My japanese volume is older and faded and my new Berserk isn't, why didn't they artificially fade it for me! The waterworks begin again.

Does anyone have the balls to admit that they knew they would complain, bitch, and maybe eventually hate it no matter what the translated Berserk turned out to be?

Not the case here, and either way, I rather be someone with high expectations and standards than the type that's happy with whatever crap is handed to them. There's one good use for Dark Horse's Berserk that I've found: clogging toilets.

Have fun polishing that turd.

-Griffith

 

[dwarfkicker]

I emailed darkhorse asking them about their plans for the rest of the series. They said since the first volume sold so well they are planning on continuing to liscense the manga. I finally got vol 1 and 2 today and read through them both. Other than a few typos and the cut off margins, I think they did a good job.

I also email them about the lost chapter and they said they would consider putting that in volume 13.

And on a side note, darkhorse responds to emails that dont criticise their work. They never responded to any of my emails that had anything negative in them.

 

[ranemaka13]

what about...constructive criticism?
"hey guys, this really sucks. i know you guys can do better. come on now, rock my fucking face!"

 

[The Dragon Slayer]

I emailed darkhorse asking them about their plans for the rest of the series. They said since the first volume sold so well they are planning on continuing to liscense the manga.

Hot shit! That's great news, for me anyway. Atleast now I can get away from reading those shitty BoTH scans!

And on a side note, darkhorse responds to emails that dont criticise their work. They never responded to any of my emails that had anything negative in them.

Figures, that's why they haven't replied to any of my e-mails. Of course, I could always criticize them on the Dark Horse Message Boards!

 

[CRAZYBERSERKER]

Hot shit! That's great news, for me anyway. Atleast now I can get away from reading those shitty BoTH scans!Figures, that's why they haven't replied to any of my e-mails. Of course, I could always criticize them on the Dark Horse Message Boards!

I've done that also on the manga darkhorse section of the boards so far no replies from people who work at darkhorse but so far people on the boards have agreed with me with the horrible work that darkhorse has done on Berserk.

 

[ranemaka13]

I've done that also on the manga darkhorse section of the boards so far no replies from people who work at darkhorse but so far people on the boards have agreed with me with the horrible work that darkhorse has done on Berserk.

i really dont think anyone at DH reads those boards, EVER. ive noticed, on several occasions, people talking about reading the scans because they just dont want to wait 6 years for DH to catch up to the Japanese releases. I even recall someone giving the address of where someone may find those scans.
could be mistaken, but if im not then DH is very lazy and stupid for not correcting these people in their penal violations. (sorry, i just wanted to say "penal violation." sounds dirty, dont it?)

 

[Mizar]

i really dont think anyone at DH reads those boards, EVER.

Berserk question for Chris Warner

and,

Chris Warner again

 

[number18]

I run into Borders absolutely delighted to see that volume 2 is there. I pull it off the shelf and look over the cover.

Wow, this looks even worse than the cover on #1, I say to myself. It's blurrier than the 1st. The edges look like someone softened the whole image, and why on earth is it just this random image on a blank white background? It seems totally lacking.

I open it up and am immediately annoyed at how dark the first pages are. Why couldn't they at least lighten them? But then, when I think about it, when I picked up the English copy of my DBZ manga, the color to b/w pages in the English version were even darker than the manga version. Whatever, at least I can still see something.

Those are my gripes. I am annoyed that this is the quality I am getting, compared to Dark Horse's other releases. I know you can't REALLY compare, but has anyone seen what TokyoPop has recently been doing with their covers? Glossy and matte, slightly embossed covers? I dunno. I get all annoyed.

All that crapola aside, I am REALLY happy to have #2. :) Having it in English on paper, in my hands, is worth waiting all this time and enough to look past all the crappy cover graphics and such.

 

[Majin_Tenshi]

1. if you don't like the picture of Guts working on his equiptment, you'll have to complain to Miura http://skullknight.net/manga/

I really can't speak for the image quality though.

2. I don't believe those pages were ever in color. What you're looking at is the manga drawn in a higher quality style. The problem you're complaining about is that in this style, there is more ink on the page, so its darker.

 

[ranemaka13]

2. I don't believe those pages were ever in color. What you're looking at is the manga drawn in a higher quality style. The problem you're complaining about is that in this style, there is more ink on the page, so its darker.

I do believe they were in color when the manga was first released in a serialized mangazine. its common to have the first few pages of a new manga done in watercolor. however, i dont recall too many staying in color when they are put into a collection. Vagabond did (thank god), but dont know about any other ones.
Despite the fact that the pages in Berserk remain in b&w (true to the japanese edition), its entirely too dark. alot of detail seems lost. sometimes, i cant even make out quite whats going on.

 

[Griffith]

The pages were once in color as Rane said, you can still see the early ones in color in the artbooks.

-Griffith