Kentaro Miura's personal life

Hello. Just discovered this awesome site. I've been reading Berserk since the first DH volume came out.

I noticed where you guys got a response from your letter to Miura. That is great, thanks for that.

It made me wonder more about his personal life, maybe you guys know? Specifically is he married? Does he have any assistants? Does he do screen toning by hand or use computer?

If there are some interviews or anything where he talks about this or other methods, I would love to see them. Thanks for looking and thanks for the great community here!

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

I believe there are folks here who can answer all of those questions. Unfortunately I am not one of them, but I want to encourage you to keep checking this space. I'm sure your questions will be answered relatively soon.

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

He is not married. He does have assistants but Miura tends to do most of the work himself anyway. Not sure about how he goes about toning. There are interviews, and likely some threads discussing them. I would advise trying to do a search.

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

R.Ross said:

Hello. Just discovered this awesome site. I've been reading Berserk since the first DH volume came out.

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Hello and welcome to the forum!

R.Ross said:

It made me wonder more about his personal life, maybe you guys know? Specifically is he married? Does he have any assistants? Does he do screen toning by hand or use computer?

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Not married, like Scorpio said. Currently has 5 assistants (Yoshihiro Kurosaki, Akio Miyaji, Nobuhiro Hirai, Naohide Nagashima, Chigusa Amagasaki), one of which is likely to be doing the screentoning under Miura's instructions. Miura works exclusively by hand, but I couldn't tell you how the screentoning itself is done.

Here's a post with some more information on the subject.

R.Ross said:

If there are some interviews or anything where he talks about this or other methods, I would love to see them. Thanks for looking and thanks for the great community here!

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There are several interviews of him (though none as recent as our letter), but unfortunately few of them were ever translated. I've had them for a long time so it will happen eventually, it's just a matter of taking the time to transcribe them and getting a translator motivated. To read those we have on the forum, check the quote below:

Aazealh said:

Most of his interviews haven't been translated into English or any other language (which is regrettable since I find them pretty interesting). There are three and a half on the forum (one's just partial), none of them really recent.

DVD Interview
Interview for an Italian magazine
Interview after the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Awards ceremony
Interview from the Illustrations File (partial)

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Additionally, Miura makes a little comment in every Young Animal issue that carries Berserk. They're little insights into his life. I usually try to mention them in the appropriate episode thread, but I don't do it systematically.

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

Wow thanks everyone for the fast responses.

Aazealh said:

Not married, like Scorpio said. Currently has 5 assistants (Yoshihiro Kurosaki, Akio Miyaji, Nobuhiro Hirai, Naohide Nagashima, Chigusa Amagasaki), one of which is likely to be doing the screentoning under Miura's instructions. Miura works exclusively by hand, but I couldn't tell you how the screentoning itself is done.

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Interesting, yeah marriage and kids might take away from Berserk time . Any idea on his age? I'm guessing 40s by now?

Screen toning by hand is a pretty intense process, you have to cut out the shapes with a razor then use other tools to chip away at the tones to add highlights and such. A lot of people do it in PS these days but I'm not surprised Miura is a traditionalist.

Aazealh said:

Additionally, Miura makes a little comment in every Young Animal issue that carries Berserk. They're little insights into his life. I usually try to mention them in the appropriate episode thread, but I don't do it systematically.

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Thanks for the interview links. I've always just read the Dark Horse reprints, never delved into the more current releases. I got so spoiled with DH's release schedule, now the wait after vol. 34 will be grueling. I would love if Dark Horse did something cool like putting out oversize hardcover collections containing multiple volumes or something. This is one series I would be happy to buy more than once.

Thanks for the welcome :)

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

R.Ross said:

Any idea on his age? I'm guessing 40s by now?

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He turned 44 recently.

R.Ross said:

I've always just read the Dark Horse reprints, never delved into the more current releases. I got so spoiled with DH's release schedule, now the wait after vol. 34 will be grueling.

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You could do like some of us and buy Young Animal directly (at a Japanese bookstore). Volume 35 is coming out on September 29 in Japan.

R.Ross said:

I would love if Dark Horse did something cool like putting out oversize hardcover collections containing multiple volumes or something. This is one series I would be happy to buy more than once.

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Yes, it would be great, especially if they improved the translation and included the early color pages.

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

Aazealh said:

You could do like some of us and buy Young Animal directly (at a Japanese bookstore). Volume 35 is coming out on September 29 in Japan.

Yes, it would be great, especially if they improved the translation and included the early color pages.

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We need to start lobbying Dark Horse, that would be a dream come true.

I will have to check out the Kinokuniya when I ever make it out to Beaverton, I bet they stock YA.

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

R.Ross said:

I would love if Dark Horse did something cool like putting out oversize hardcover collections containing multiple volumes or something. This is one series I would be happy to buy more than once.

Thanks for the welcome :)

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There has been significant requests made for this (just by me) on the DarkHorse website.. I feel that if a series like Battle Royal can get a re-release in big hard cover editions, there is hope for Berserk.

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

Oburi said:

There has been significant requests made for this (just by me) on the DarkHorse website.. I feel that if a series like Battle Royal can get a re-release in big hard cover editions, there is hope for Berserk.

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Totally, we just need to raise a little hell. Who is the editor in charge of Berserk? (sorry my Berserk books are across the country)

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

R.Ross said:

I will have to check out the Kinokuniya when I ever make it out to Beaverton, I bet they stock YA.

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Indeed, Kinokuniya usually carries it, or can at least custom order it if you ask them to.

R.Ross said:

Who is the editor in charge of Berserk? (sorry my Berserk books are across the country)

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Chris Warner. He used to post here several years ago but doesn't come around anymore. The assistant editor is Samantha Robertson. She has an account but isn't active.

Re: Kentarou Miura's personal life

They did not have the last released YA issue when I went to check a week or two ago, but I custom ordered it, and actually got a call over the weekend that it had arrived. I'll see if I can go there tonight before they close and pick it up. KinoK will also help with subscriptions, if a person's interested in getting one.