How do you cope with publication breaks?

Walter said:
http://skullknight.net/images/eps.html

Looking at this, I realize I really don't care about waiting. I noticed that there was two 19 week delays, I found myself scratching my head thinking it really didn't seem that long. Breaks really don't bother me, I'm more patient than I thought.

CowTip said:
I gotta say... Vagabond really has done a great job of reducing mid-Berserk release stress. If you start feeling the shakes, you can just delve into the misadventures of Musashi and all is well again for awhile. :rakshas:

Also, I've been keeping up with Sluggy Freelance for the last 11 years. Pete updates daily so I always have something to look forward to, even if it's just a sketch or something dumb.

I watched a MANGA documentary the other day on Hulu.com that talked about Manga culture in Japan. I had hoped to spot anything "Berserk" within it, but it didn't talk about Berserk, but there is a segment about Vagabond.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/121904/manga-mad

I found it very educational. I knew Manga was of course CRAZY popular in Japan but nothing like it actually is.
 

Fayrra

Jay Gatsby
I read Gantz. Then that starts going on long breaks. So I read Vinland Saga. Then that starts going on long breaks.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Fayrra said:
I read Gantz. Then that starts going on long breaks. So I read Vinland Saga. Then that starts going on long breaks.

If it's breaks that you hate, try reading a series that is already completed. :guts:
 
If it's breaks that you hate, try reading a series that is already completed.
But in those series there's usually a pretty long break after the end. And they rarely resume publication too. :judo: :ganishka:

I just do other stuff in between episodes. Berserk, no matter how awesome it is is not the single thing that keeps me going. There's so many great novels, films, comics to read/see that limiting oneself to just one is almost a crime. I almost always have a huge "to read/watch pile" in my room. Just now there's 4-5 books there (including the gargantuan "Complete Sherlock Holmes by A. Conan-Doyle", which I barely started) about 20 manga volumes and few tradepaperbacks with western comics. Every time I go on the internet I find more and more stuff that I'd like to check out.
Back in the day when school was my only nuisance and I had a lot of free time, was almost exclusively interested in manga/anime and it's availability was hugely limited I used to get angry when some of my favourite series would go on a hiatus (or the scanlators were too busy with their real lives). Now I just casually check if there's news about a new episode every few days. If there is then I'm like "Yay!" if not I just move along and do other stuff.

I think most of the people angry at hiatuses rely on scanlations (and other pirated goods) thanks to which they're able to get an infinite amount of stuff almost instantly. The only limitation seems to be the time needed to process all of the things available to download. When one pays for books, comics etc. (which should be the standard, but unfortunately isn't) he/she is adapted to waiting for their goods. Either because of the publication times or the limited money supply which prevent most people from getting everything in an instant.
 

Fayrra

Jay Gatsby
Oburi said:
If it's breaks that you hate, try reading a series that is already completed. :guts:

I don't mind breaks too much. I just find it funny.

Anyway, generally the only mangas that peak my interest plot-wise are mangas that happen to not be completed. This is simply coincidence, because there have been mangas that were already finished by the time I started reading them. I was just speaking in general when I said such things as what I started these bunch of adjacent sentences here with.

Dembol said:
I almost always have a huge "to read/watch pile" in my room. Just now there's 4-5 books there (including the gargantuan "Complete Sherlock Holmes by A. Conan-Doyle", which I barely started)

Yeah, I have both volumes of the 'Complete Sherlock Holmes' book (I guess they separated it at one point). I'm reading the first one right now, I'm at the end of 'The Sign Of Four.'
 

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
Fayrra said:
Anyway, generally the only mangas that peak my interest plot-wise are mangas that happen to not be completed. This is simply coincidence, because there have been mangas that were already finished by the time I started reading them. I was just speaking in general when I said such things as what I started these bunch of adjacent sentences here with.
You should broaden your horizons a bit! :void:
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/5839/1273738292604.png
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/5568/mangapart2.png
I'll also point out that something interesting you guys can do during this break is check out Miura's collab manga with Buronson, King of Wolves and Japan. They're both on Amazon for really really cheap, new even, so there's no excuse for not getting more delicious Miura art!
 

Fayrra

Jay Gatsby
Dar Klink said:
You should broaden your horizons a bit! :void:

I tried to read Blade of the Immortal. Read Vagabond. Read Gantz. Plan to read Monster. I'm reading MPD Psycho right now. Plan to read 20th Century Boys. Read Vinland Saga; plan to read Planetes. Plan on reading Eden. Read Narutaru; read Bokurano. Read Deadman Wonderland. Of course I read Akira, though I plan to read Domu. Plan to read Dorohedoro. Plan to read Basilisk. Read Doubt. Plan to read Battle Royale. Tried to read Highschool of the Dead. Read Shamo. Definitely plan to read Fourteen.

So yeah, I have plenty to get me through the wait. However, nothing compares to Berserk.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Fayrra said:
I tried to read Blade of the Immortal. Read Vagabond. Read Gantz. Plan to read Monster. I'm reading MPD Psycho right now. Plan to read 20th Century Boys. Read Vinland Saga; plan to read Planetes. Plan on reading Eden. Read Narutaru; read Bokurano. Read Deadman Wonderland. Of course I read Akira, though I plan to read Domu. Plan to read Dorohedoro. Plan to read Basilisk. Read Doubt. Plan to read Battle Royale. Tried to read Highschool of the Dead. Read Shamo. Definitely plan to read Fourteen.

So yeah, I have plenty to get me through the wait. However, nothing compares to Berserk.

You should read One Piece.

Personally, I prefer it over Berserk just because it has a more optimistic view on things. When I feel angry or angsty, that's when I read Berserk.
 
I'll be completely honest and say that I've been taking this break horribly because it's the first one I've been around for. I've been moaning to everyone daily, hourly, etc... about how much it pisses me off. Oh, and not to mention my Miura effigy. (I'd probably wouldn't be so agreeable right now if I wasn't expecting a new episode soon.) I expect I'll grudgingly get used to Miura's schedule eventually, though.

As for what I do to take my mind off of Berserk, well, I'm going through a nice transitional phase at the moment and entertain a lot of hobbies, and those two things would keep me busy enough to get Berserk off the brain if I ever got anything accomplished. So, I've been trying to find new animanga series to read/watch, but haven't been very successful because I'm so picky. The last thing I tried was Last Exile, but it's inherit cuteness and steampunk weren't very appealing (really, now, there was a battle with no blood whatsoever, what). I'm going to give it some more time to defend itself, but not 100% of my attention. >>; (After all, I almost gave up on Berserk twice due to bad first impressions, once after the first episode, and the second, the first volume.) I was excited about Vinland Saga until I heard that someone awesome died...

(Oh...uh...hi, guys. :farnese:)
 

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
Welcome Mushi! You'll learn patience soon! In the mean time how about a nice, long, series? Legend of the Galactic Heroes is an 110 episode OVA with a great story and awesome characters! Of course if you're allergic to 80's animation and space operas...
As for manga, Jojo's Bizarre Adventures is currently at volume 100 BUT I PLUG THAT ENOUGH TO GET PAID FOR ADVERTISING! :troll:
Kaiji is a great gambling anime too! :guts:
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
-mushi- said:
I'll be completely honest and say that I've been taking this break horribly because it's the first one I've been around for. I've been moaning to everyone daily, hourly, etc... about how much it pisses me off. Oh, and not to mention my Miura effigy. (I'd probably wouldn't be so agreeable right now if I wasn't expecting a new episode soon.) I expect I'll grudgingly get used to Miura's schedule eventually, though.

Perfection demands time taken. You'll get used to it. :serpico:

-mushi- said:
So, I've been trying to find new animanga series to read/watch, but haven't been very successful because I'm so picky.

You should check out Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond. :void:
 

Weird Fishes

If you find me ignorant, enlighten me
For me, I do a Guts playthrough of certain games.

Mod the living hell out of oblivion. Get berserk armour/dragon slayer, use the console commands to make myself taller etc.
Pretty fun if you can immerse yourself enough to properly try and play like Guts.
Tried a Griffith playthrough too, but wasn't as fun.

Also done it in Dragon Age: Origins. That was a blast.

Give me a game with a great sword and short black hair and i'll try and RP Guts.
 

Fayrra

Jay Gatsby
Johnstantine said:
You should read One Piece.

Personally, I prefer it over Berserk just because it has a more optimistic view on things. When I feel angry or angsty, that's when I read Berserk.

I have read One Piece. I still prefer Berserk. That happy-go-lucky theme in manga just isn't my thing. Even then, I still like One Piece. Almost the greatest Shōnen in my book. Second only to Death Note.

Walter said:
Add Blame! to that list.

I might.
 

Gobolatula

praise be to grail!
I'm starting to get pretty cranky, especially now that Mr. Twitter hasn't been tweeting his random tidbits. We do have a lot to look forward to though, now with both the anime and more manga coming (at some unknown point in the future). :troll:

Hope we hear some news soon!
 

Aphasia

ALL MYSTERIES MUST BE SOLVED
Simple, I re-read Berserk! :guts: I just finished my collection off, so...I'm happy. :serpico: (with V.35 on it's way)


IMG_0003.JPG
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Gobolatula said:
Saay, where's your volume 1, friend?
Aphasia said:
Vol. 1 is laying over on my bed, It kept me company last night. :slan:

Pffff, a likely story. You know the rules: own the manga, in its ENTIRETY, or else! :mozgus:

Gobolatula, good work exposing this fraud, he'll be banned ASAP. :femto:
 

Gobolatula

praise be to grail!
Yeah that's right. Just 'cuz you have two copies of volume 15 doesn't mean you're off the hook 'cuz you've "paid the full amount" for the series. Don't work that way. :badbone:
 

Gobolatula

praise be to grail!
I saw this in the new "Answerman" from animenewsnetwork:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2011-03-04

I just wanted to start out by saying that the Berserk manga is great and I appreciate your coverage on it! I recently became a little obsessed with it, and I haven't been able to stop reading it since. I thank Anime News Network for introducing it to me, and you'll forever have my appreciation.

I think this manga has a strong level of character development that is seldom achieved. The story has the ability establish emotional connection with almost any reader, causing heightened experiences of good, great, bad, and terrible times. I know this is a bit out of your jurisdiction, but how would I go about contacting the creator of this story?

I'd like to ask why the progress of the story has reduced so much, and if possible could it be put on the right track? I've seen forums where hundreds of people wait in great anticipation for next chapter and no one ever knows when it will arrive. I feel the pain for the millions of fans out there, and I just want to thank the author for this story and ask him what happened? It truly is a great tale.


Ah, well. That's the thing! Nobody really knows what the deal is with Berserk's publication schedule. Berserk is so popular globally that I'm sure Hakusensha, the publisher, would love to crank out a new volume every month. Unfortunately, Kentaro Miura is such an avowed and notable perfectionist that he's been able to secure himself a lovely little release schedule that other manga artists probably dream about: an irregular publishing schedule. Whenever he's happy with it, Hakusensha publishes it. Which, thus far, has been bi-annually, if that's any comfort.

If it's not, and you'd like to contact Mr. Miura yourself, well... Sure, I guess. I get variants of this question often: "I NEED TO TALK TO THE CREATOR OF DETECTIVE CONAN BECAUSE I HAVE IDEAS WHAT IS HIS EMAIL" and so forth. But you seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders and you sound as though you have some cogent things to say, so I'll at least give you a few hints. There's a few things to keep in mind, though. This sounds obvious, but it's worth pointing out: Miura is a Japanese man who works for a Japanese company. Which means he's probably not all that fluent in English, if at all, and his staff or his publishers probably don't have the time to translate your letter for him. Also, and bear in mind that I'm merely basing this on my own assumptions here, but I doubt that someone of Miura's stature is in the habit of happily accepting unsolicited foreign emails, much less responding to them.

That said! If you're still serious about this, there *are* some steps you can take that will drastically increase your chances of reaching Miura.

1) Don't write an email: Write a letter.

Let's face it, all of us skim or ignore 99.9% of our emails on a daily basis. It's either spam or a chain letter or some nonsense written by somebody you sort of know. Writing an email can take seconds, don't need to be proofread or spellchecked, and are usually frivolous. Writing an actual letter, on actual paper, means that you've taken at least some cursory steps at things like grammar, punctuation, spelling, and, most importantly, actual content. If you've taken the time to compose a formal letter, people are generally more intrigued as to what it actually says.

2) Hire a translator.

Well, maybe not necessarily "hire" a translator, but... get it translated, properly translated into Japanese, so that Miura or Hakusensha don't have to do it themselves. And I don't just mean throw your English words into Google and have it spit it back out in Japanese; have it translated and checked by an actual person who is fluent in the language.

Got that? Good. Now, as for the particulars; be prepared to do some actual research, and to pay out the nose to have that letter shipped into a foreign country. Since you'd be asking specifically about Berserk, your best bet would be to address your letter to Hakusensha. I don't know their address and honestly I don't think I know anybody who does, but it should be something you can figure out yourself with a little research and some gumption.

Again, bear in mind that even after all that work, there's never any guarantees that your Berserk letter will ever reach the right people. But at least there's a *much* better chance that your questions or concerns will be heard if you take all the appropriate steps, instead of emailing various Answermen like myself.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
[quote author=Answerman]Berserk is so popular globally that I'm sure Hakusensha, the publisher, would love to crank out a new volume every month. Unfortunately, Kentarou Miura is such an avowed and notable perfectionist that he's been able to secure himself a lovely little release schedule that other manga artists probably dream about: an irregular publishing schedule. Whenever he's happy with it, Hakusensha publishes it. Which, thus far, has been bi-annually, if that's any comfort.[/quote]

Not to be a dick but that's complete bullshit. The release schedule has been biannual (at best) since the very beginning. It's directly related to the fact Young Animal is a semimonthly magazine and it's the same for the other series prepublished in it. It just can't possibly be any faster. Now putting that aside, the last time two volumes were released in a year was in 2006 (that is the consequence of the irregular releases). Which is not something Miura's pleased with, as he's mentioned before.

[quote author=Answerman]Since you'd be asking specifically about Berserk, your best bet would be to address your letter to Hakusensha. I don't know their address and honestly I don't think I know anybody who does, but it should be something you can figure out yourself with a little research and some gumption.[/quote]

Hahaha, I guess it's hidden in plain sight then. :SK:
 
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