Young Animal announces a continuation of Berserk by Studio Gaga, supervised by Kouji Mori

If this was helmed by someone else, I would have much more reservations. But, seeing how Kouji Mori is dedicated and transparent he is to Miura's vision in the press release gave me an inkling of hope that this wouldn't turn out like other ventures. I do agree that they should've made something to demarcate where Miura's work ends and where Mori's begins. All in all, this is a wait-and-see how his and Studio Gaga's style can translate to Berserk in this post-Miura era.
I hope his stance to only write and draw the larger plot points that Miura had told him does not dissuade him from exploring the smaller and intricate relationships of Berserk. Even without Miura, if the new episodes are close to the quality of the rest of the series, I am willing to read it to the end.
 
I'm riding with episode 365 now, who knows? Maybe it's still a Miura episode all in all in "spirit", but it could just feel wrong too, the wait is killing me now, though! What I don't accept is the fact that some people over the internet are assuring everyone that Studio Gaga capabilities are on the same level as Kentarou's, that's just not possible, and unless you are pretty much blind or just didn't check out Duranki, it's just a blatant lie. This is going to become a different manga all things considered, the format could even change given all the storyline is not set in stone. Also, as @Aazealh mentioned, Studio Gaga are not a group of mangaka a la CLAMP for example, so they need proper guidance, in my opinion. Mori is the only one suitable for the job (in a sense, this is the perfect story for a movie script, but can it really translate well to real life? is what I'm asking myself).
 
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If that's truly the case, then why aren't they out developing their own series?

The assistants were proficient as assistants to Miura. That's why he hired them. But it remains to be seen how the team will work under this new dynamic.
Honestly, if they think it in a simple way, they would believe these assistants are good because Miura was good. But being a mangaka is a lot more things than just drawing prettily, The panelling Miura outlined is not something as easy to depict in manga stories, for example- Oda has tried for almost a decade now to "experiment" with his panelling and it has only affected One Piece more and more... When you see it in a more specific way, it's obvious these guys are still assistants because that's how they perform the best at their job positions. And as such, they need a experimented mangaka, that's also involved in a direct way with Berserk. It's amazing that such a person exists, though!
 
I feel fortunate that this community will continue to have a reason to keep coming together to discuss Berserk. But I really fear that this will end up being HBO's Game of Thrones all over again and the quality will drop without the original Author's source material.

I'll remain curious about this project and hope for the best outcome, which to me is something that might still be good in some ways and a worthy continuation of my time and investment as a best-in-class labor-of-love continuation of my favorite series.

I am still catching up on all the details but I hope they will add a new subtitle to the series to make it clear that it is now a separate work of art from what it once was.
 
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One thing I've been thinking is that the next few episode, out to the end of the Elf Island Chapter, will probably be more solidly formed since they were more "up coming". I wonder if what comes afterwards will feel more loose. Guess it depends on how in-detail Miura went when discussing his plans with Mori.

Also, I feel like comparisons to GOT are a bit harsh. At least give them a chance before getting that pessimistic! :ganishka:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
As far as I know studio GaGa aren't accomplished story tellers. Perhaps they picked up a thing or two from seeing Miura work beyond just helping him with the art? I'll remain curious about this project and hope for the best outcome.
Well sure. But Mori and his 40 year friendship with Miura is the secret sauce here, not Studio Gaga.
 
Concerning Game of Thrones, I really don't think the the Double Ds were ever fans of A Song of Ice and Fire. They outright said they removed as many fantasy elements as they could because they “didn’t just want to appeal to that type of fan,” and were very derisive on the idea of story themes, saying they were “for eighth-grade book reports,” showing that they didn't understand the themes of the story were adapting, and didn't care. They didn't approach the project with any reverence for the source material; it honestly seems more they just latched onto an existing IP with a pre-built fanbase and used it as a vehicle to make their own quasi-historical political thriller. Time will tell how this Berserk continuation will go, but one thing that Mori has in his favor is the personal stake he has in bringing his friend's vision to life.
 
GoT comparisons are out of place, because there's a canyon gap between producers shitting all over a material they gave 0 fucks about and a guy trying to finish his close friend's work. The fact that he wants to do only what Miura intended already makes the whole thing that much better. That is, if you believe him and have faith in him, if not, then of course this continuation is not for you.

Nobody can tell what it's going to be like for a long time, it has to start going again, then gain some kind of momentum, we gotta see a bigger picture to truly make a proper judgment. Personally I don't like overly pessimistic people because a lot of that comes from plain ignorance. Just making empty statements like "they only do this for money" and so on, acting so confident that you have it all figured out.

It's really easy to compartmentalize and differentiate the work of Miura and the work of those that will pick up after him, the argument that somehow this will taint the brand is also stupid, nobody will claim Berserk for themself, everyone is fully aware of potential flaws.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
As for their relationship, yes, they were best friends for 40 years. It's what inspired Guts and Griffith's relationship in Berserk.

I hope this doesn't portend that the outcome of this project will amount to a betrayal. =)

I understand the desire to see things in the most optimistic way possible, but let's not distort reality: Miura unfortunately isn't here anymore, and this project is being done without him. It isn't Miura's Berserk.

Yeah, I think the best way to view this is twofold, it's a dissemination of information Miura left behind with his best friend and employees, and a tribute by them to not let his story abruptly end without a chance at closure. The former is what I'm really interested in, and hopefully the latter makes it go down easier. It is NOT going to be "Berserk continued," but a way to at least find out the broad strokes as he described it to those close to him, in a format worthwhile to the rights holders (hoping it works, I really do, but it wouldn't take being off by much for it to enter the uncanny valley).

In a similar genre, a recent example of that was the Game of Thrones tv show. As some of you know, it was developed by fans of the books, who worked with the original writer to get all the ins and outs of the story beyond the completed books. And as soon as they entered uncharted territory and had to write from scratch what they knew (and they had an almost perfectly accurate roadmap to how the story would end), the show shit the bed in a catastrophic way.

97e.jpg


This. But again, as long as I know it's a horse!

Also, I somewhat disagree on how GoT unfolded, or unraveled. While it did immediately go downhill when they ran out of source material, the show was still fine for a couple of seasons, the sixth season having some series highpoints the books have yet to put together. When it went to shit is after those guys burned out as showrunners of such a demanding production and basically started doing half seasons and trying to cop out with big screen spectacle instead of the slow burn characterization that brung them to the dance. If they'd just done two fully fleshed out ten episode seasons like they had been it would have probably been fine and organically solved all their pacing, character and story shortcut problems, but they we're clearly DONE and ready to move on. Ironically, or perhaps fittingly, they haven't done shit since. The lesson: stick with what works for you, folks!

GoT comparisons are out of place, because there's a canyon gap between producers shitting all over a material they gave 0 fucks about and a guy trying to finish his close friend's work. The fact that he wants to do only what Miura intended already makes the whole thing that much better. That is, if you believe him and have faith in him, if not, then of course this continuation is not for you.

Well, whether you believe in him or not, you know what they say about good intentions? Everyone could do their best here and it might just not work out because Miura was a genius and the gap between his work and interpreting his work could be impossible to reconcile even for casual fans (it might simply not be entertaining anymore, or worse, because it doesn't have the qualities Miura uniquely brought to it). That's why I'm taking the perspective and approach above, I'm in it for the info, and not having any expectations. I hope it's great as its own thing, won't be too jarring, and fulfills my desire for closure. That's about the best we can all hope for.


BTW, they're so specific about doing those six episodes to end this arc before starting a new one that I hope it sort of equates to finishing what's left of the material Miura left behind before starting anew with what he told Mori and his colleagues. I'm also going to be curious how this is paced and long it will prospectively be. If Mori is truly sticking only to what he knows, I would expect it to be much simpler and more straightforward than Miura's complex and layered storytelling.
 
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Imo this is a high reward low risk situation. With Miuras abrupt passing, the worst that could have happened already happened.

But through coincidental timing, he did get some time to somewhat train his Team in those last 1-2 years.

If this ends up being good, it will enrichen Berserks legacy in terms of production that was never done on this scale in the manga industry before.

I also find it symbolic that ultimately Mori ended up being involved in Berserks creation after Miura told him to write an autobiography about their lives. Somehow these 2 men will be even more intertwined, and thats why i can atleast find some sort of comfort regarding the series' continuation.

It's not just some random writer and artist duo going over Miuras notes, but actually those who were close to him and interacted with him on a frequent level. Studio Gaga, Mori, Shimada (who was Miuras previous editor) is a team that i can get behind.

At worst, we get a rough idea of Miuras intent regarding the rest of the series, and at best the Studio and Mori produce content that enriches the world further and brings excitement to us as readers.

Even though i think a novel esque approach would have been better, at the end of of the day what Miura loved and lived for was Manga. So somehow this is a poetic task taken on by those he inspired close to him.

My hope is that it will be good enough for us to feel a sense of Miuras presence, and even though im still cautionary excited, i can't wait to actually see how these episodes will look like.
 
This has been a bizarre day, I can honestly say this was the last I expected to see. Was just scrolling Instagram and saw a post about it. I saw an image of the last cover and a text statement and it gave me a mini heart attack because I know when I see a text statement it means something important was happening. Berserk was sealed in my mind as being over, as hard as it was to accept. I am cautiously optimistic as others to see the major plot points revealed.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
In the hubbub of getting a podcast out this morning, I realize now that I never wrote out my thoughts about this huge development.

This isn't that uncomfortable to me. At least, not yet. To be honest, I was surprised by my own reaction. After reading the news, I went through my morning routine with a little bounce in my step. I think what my heart is focusing on right now is the knowledge that in a few weeks, the seed of Miura's ideas about the crucial next 6 episodes will be shown to us through a murky lens. And yes, we will probably have to squint through to see the full intent. I imagine that's how it's going to go from here until the end.

I've made no secret about how I feel on the prospect of Berserk's potential continuation:

We don't know what Miura's own wishes would be in this scenario. But we can guess them from how he treated Berserk and who contributed. Would he really want the team who he had barely let touch Berserk's primary art to take over not only all the art, but also the storytelling? The dialogue? I genuinely don't think he'd want them touching the legacy he left behind, potentially toward disaster, just for the sake of meandering across a finish line that would never be authoritative.

Despite that, I think I'm okay with this proposal. Is it ideal? Certainly not. But it's a faint light through the darkness of Berserk's unfinished state. What makes this palatable for me, I think, is Mori's commitment to his friend's legacy. It's a promising variable for this formula that could work, while still conveying the essence of Miura's intent.

But what stood out the most about Mori's words was that he wouldn't try to do sequences that he had no direct knowledge of from Miura. On the one hand, that's reassuring. But how exactly will that translate to a coherent story? Does that mean he's only planning on hitting the high points, and won't attempt the smaller moments? Some of those small moments are the essence of Berserk.

To give an example, in Vol 33 on the Sea Horse, when Casca is about to fall into the ocean, Guts reaches out his prosthetic arm to grab her. But her fingers slip through his hand, and she falls in. Guts remarks at the end: "Even if you forcibly replace what was lost, it won't be the way it was."

guts-casca-arm.png

I think those words probably resonate now for all of us. But that's also a small, powerful moment that portends the journey for Guts ahead. It likely wasn't something in Miura's notes about the future, but a small occurrence that made sense to thematically capture—right then— the challenges ahead with Casca. How would such a thing be captured in the proposed new construction of the series?

I feel like Mori has accepted an enormous weight. He'll have to do not only his best writing, but also think about every line, and how Miura would have written it. He will have absolutely no freedom. With the whole manga world (and us!) watching over his shoulder, checking his work, scrutinizing its authenticity. He and Studio Gaga's abilities will be constrained because they'll have to second-guess their gut instincts to consider how Miura would do things.

My fear is that through these promises about adhering to Miura's words and not embellishing much (or any) around what they don't know of his intent, they've constructed for themselves a very fragile house, where no daring moves are allowed. And that doesn't sound very promising to me unless they have an exact compass for where they are going and how they are going to get there. It also sounds like a painful process and one that they'll have to endure for years. It doesn’t sound like great conditions for creating anything.

There's not much of a point in speculating about what to expect, or to what capacity Mori and the rest of Studio Gaga are up to the huge task they've signed on to. We'll know within a few weeks how much of our hearts to invest in this whole endeavor.
 
Yeah, I do fear that if they only do what he remembers Miura saying, it will lead to a more hollow story without the smaller moments that really make Berserk special. That approach seems more befitting of the "novel" some people wanted. I guess it's the fine line between staying pure to Miura's vision, and extrapolating some things for the sake of a fuller story. We'll see how it goes soon enough I guess.
 
Yeah, I do fear that if they only do what he remembers Miura saying, it will lead to a more hollow story without the smaller moments that really make Berserk special. That approach seems more befitting of the "novel" some people wanted. I guess it's the fine line between staying pure to Miura's vision, and extrapolating some things for the sake of a fuller story. We'll see how it goes soon enough I guess.
I really want to believe these six episodes are "destined" to be decent at least, unless the Studio drop the ball hard, Mori has enough chance to correct any off developments... still, the writing will probably "change" (as in I don't know enough Japanese to refer to actual words, but given it's not done by Miura, it will flow differently), since there's no script, this part will probably end up being completely new... And that's the bad news to me in general, the art could be great, but if the dialogue feels off, I will complain a lot!
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
But what stood out the most about Mori's words was that he wouldn't try to do sequences that he had no direct knowledge of from Miura. On the one hand, that's reassuring. But how exactly will that translate to a coherent story? Does that mean he's only planning on hitting the high points, and won't attempt the smaller moments? Some of those small moments are the essence of Berserk.

To give an example, in Vol 33 on the Sea Horse, when Casca is about to fall into the ocean, Guts reaches out his prosthetic arm to grab her. But her fingers slip through his hand, and she falls in. Guts remarks at the end: "Even if you forcibly replace what was lost, it won't be the way it was."

guts-casca-arm.png

I think those words probably resonate now for all of us.

:sad:

I don't think it's actually possible in this format, unless Miura literally discussed everything beat by beat with him. They're obviously going to have to provide some connective tissue so it's a cogent story and not a montage. I think they just need to be wary of getting creative with it beyond extrapolating what Miura would do or what makes sense given everything else we know about the story to this point. If there's two plausible ways to get from point A to point B that Miura didn't spell out, I'm fine with their discretion picking the most entertaining way, but obviously wouldn't want them going their own way because they had what they think is a great idea that's not otherwise supported by the text.

My fear is that through these promises about adhering to Miura's words and not embellishing much (or any) around what they don't know of his intent, they've constructed for themselves a very fragile house, where no daring moves are allowed. And that doesn't sound very promising to me unless they have an exact compass for where they are going and how they are going to get there. It also sounds like a painful process and one that they'll have to endure for years. And if so, would that be a recipe for great artwork?

I think it would be folly to try and do Berserk justice by attempting to match its artistry. First, very unlikely! Second, what have you accomplished even if you pull that off? A great officially licensed fanfic. I much prefer they start off with a more documentary approach and intent and if through their craft, hard work and execution it should gain artistic merit in its own right, then it'll be a success beyond our wildest hopes. As a reader I will absolutely give Mori and Studio Gaga artistic latitude to put it together in a coherent, compelling way, but at this point I'm not looking for a purely artistic endeavor, but an archeological one.
 
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Oburi

All praise Grail
I guess I just have to see the first episode to truly gauge how I feel about it. However, I can't help but think it'll be difficult seeing the faces of our beloved characters knowing Miura's hand wasn't behind it, best intentions aside. When I think of Guts ... there's so much of Miura behind his eyes I can hardly separate them. In a strange way, I think I could more easily digest seeing a continuation of Rickert's story with Daiba and Silat. Guts and Casca and the major plot threads, that might be more difficult. It'll be gratifying to witness some story elements that Miura envisioned but thinking about some of the big moments that would lay ahead as we near the end ... idk, I simply might not be ready. I just don't know if I can fully embrace seeing Guts' face, whether deep with thought or screaming bloody rage, with the unfortunate knowledge that Miura wasn't behind the details.

I'll keep an open mind and see though.
 
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That's quite a big news. Honestly, I can't wait to see what Miura intended next. That being said and by what I can read here, I think nobody will forget where we ended the story with him and that what follows next will merely be an overview of what we could have been expecting.
I guess we can't tell for sure, but I also feel like he really wanted to offer an ending to its story so I don't think he would have been dissatisfied by this decision.
 
What I am afraid of is that Miura probably planned to do something unpredictable and if this continuation does not appeal to the hard core fanbase, his final vision may never be accepted and treated as fan fiction.

As for me I feel delighted that I am going to get close (by reading what is to come) to one of his close friends and to his Studio Gaga whom I consider them his friends too.

After all Berserk is about friendship.
 
What percentage of berserk was left unfinished by Miura? 30%? I am content with the fact mori seems to know all the major plot points, but 30% is a lot of content to fill in. That would be like 10 volumes right. I hope they are able to pull that off.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
What I am afraid of is that Miura probably planned to do something unpredictable and if this continuation does not appeal to the hard core fanbase, his final vision may never be accepted and treated as fan fiction.

The hardcore fanbase is here on this forum, and personally, I'm confident in my ability to tell whether something could have originated from Miura or not. That aside, I trust that Mori will stick to what Miura told him about. It won't be perfect, to be sure, but the main developments shouldn't deviate from what Miura planned to do.

If anything it's more the quality of the execution that I'm uneasy about. It's one thing to know how something should go ("A strikes B down, then says X line"), it's another to depict it in the right way, with the full nuance and power that it deserves. That's why an illustrated book was my first thought (and Mori's!) when it came to transmitting Miura's intent for the rest of the series. It's a much safer approach.

his Studio Gaga whom I consider them his friends too.

That's a bit much... They were his coworkers and employees.

What percentage of berserk was left unfinished by Miura? 30%? I am content with the fact mori seems to know all the major plot points, but 30% is a lot of content to fill in. That would be like 10 volumes right. I hope they are able to pull that off.

By Miura's last estimate, between 20% and 40%, which realistically means something like 10 to 15 volumes. I agree that it's a lot. I don't expect them to be able to cover everything.
 
He published a prototype ("episode 0", as he styled it) for a series focused on their lives which Mori will work on once he's done with "Taiga of Genesis". It will be called "MK", after their shared initials. It's something Miura had been pushing him to do for years. And it's indeed very moving, like all the tributes from the memorial book. As for their relationship, yes, they were best friends for 40 years. It's what inspired Guts and Griffith's relationship in Berserk.



I don't mean to rain on your parade, but they were assistants he employed to work on minor things to save him time, not pupils he taught to pass on his savoir-faire. So they had all worked on Berserk before, but not nearly in the same capacity. And I mean, I'm not saying that to diss them, it's just so that we're clear about what their role was. Anyway, I understand the desire to see things in the most optimistic way possible, but let's not distort reality: Miura unfortunately isn't here anymore, and this project is being done without him. It sadly can't be Miura's Berserk.

To clarify, I wasn't saying that Miura had trained his assistants to take over Berserk, just that he had been in the process of preparing them to take on more responsibilities these past five years. I doubt the thought of Berserk being produced without him ever crossed Miura's mind beyond potentially the random brief hypothetical consideration of an untimely passing.

Furthermore, there's not really a parade to be rained on here. As I said, this will no doubt be lesser in quality than what Miura would have created; I don't think an argument could feasibly be made against that fact. I was just stating that I find it inspiring that these people who knew Miura better than anybody are taking on this task; nothing more, nothing less.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
To clarify, I wasn't saying that Miura had trained his assistants to take over Berserk, just that he had been in the process of preparing them to take on more responsibilities these past five years.

Ok, glad we agree. Although, as for letting the assistants take on more responsabilities, it was more like 2 years.
 
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