Episodes 365 & 366

The fact there's already two episodes done and assumedly more in the making has me feeling like the overall release schedule will probably be much faster than it was under Miura. I could be all "hurr hurr no more hiatuses" but really, it makes me feel like they probably aren't going to agonize over every detail the way Miura did. A drop in art quality was inevitable, I just hope it isn't too severe.
Truth be told, people will complain and probably would want them to take their sweet time if the quality drops drastically. I'd be a bit disappointed but mostly worried if they start overworking themselves to the point it gets leaked or at least mentioned. You could say anything you want about Miura's schedule, Togashi's, Takahashi's, Kurumada's or even Hagiwara's, the thing is, they are human beings, and they are quite likely putting (or were putting) their lives on the line. Being a mangaka is one of the most complex and exhausting jobs one artist could possibly have, the fact that they overworked themselves in their young years and basically deprived themselves of normal life shall never not be acknowledged by anyone that cares even a tiny bit about their work; maybe the industry demands it and through sheer desperation a lot of great stories have been conceived, but it's still worth noting why some of these mangaka are constantly taking breaks.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
I'm more curious than ever now about the pace of releases now......while impossible to know .....any predictions?

It probably won't deviate too much from the pace the series had when Miura was unimpeded by side projects, like in 2018. So I expect that the publication will remain monthly, but with less hiatuses. I would count on 8 to 12 episodes a year, allowing for a new volume to be released annually. But that's just a guess, of course. Maybe they won't manage that. Still, I believe they intend to "get it done" as fast as they can.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I hope they take as much time as they need to in order to produce the best work possible. If they need to go on hiatus once in a while to figure out the fine details, that’s what they need to do. There’s no need to rush this. Until a few days ago, we didn’t think we’d ever get to see more Berserk. I hope they take their time, so they can properly honor Miura’s vision.
 
I'd be a bit disappointed but mostly worried if they start overworking themselves to the point it gets leaked or at least mentioned.
This was the other end of my concern, if they were pushing themselves too much. I know Manga publishing is one of the roughest jobs around, so I don't want them to overdo it either.

I'd be worried that since this new team may not get the same respect as Miura did, the publishers may push them for a more consistent schedule at the expense of their health and wellbeing. I hope this isn't the case either. Since it's a team effort now I suppose the workload per person may be lessened at least.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I'd be worried that since this new team may not get the same respect as Miura did, the publishers may push them for a more consistent schedule at the expense of their health and wellbeing. I hope this isn't the case either. Since it's a team effort now I suppose the workload per person may be lessened at least.

Since they have a decent lead on the work, almost a year, hopefully they'll be able to maintain a regular schedule without pushing themselves to unhealthy degrees. As you say, they don't have the same clout as Miura either, however much the publishers want to support them in this new endeavor. At the same time, it must not be easy creating a reasonable fascimile of Berserk (if it will even be able to be called that; maybe their aim will be different), and I expect them to have some delays, setbacks, or at the very least portions of story that require extra time and attention.

Speaking of which, this will all become more interesting once the project is launched and presumably accepted as a viable substitute by fans... but I'm curious how it will all work. Will it be a true team effort where they trade and switch off areas depending on what else they're working on? Will the lead assistants take over Miura's duties while the others continue to fill the traditional assistant roles (will they hire others)? Is there ONE assistant particularly good at emulating Miura's character designs that will basically takeover that role while others specialize in what they are best at, etc? Or, is there someone that's basically the new lead illustrator or will organically rise to that position by default? It's going to be fascinating to learn this process, if they're going to be forthcoming. However it works they may just want to stick to it being "by Studio Gaga," but I expect we'll be learning everyone's names in time.
 
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Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Speaking of which, this will all become more interesting once the project is launched and presumably accepted as a viable substitute by fans... but I'm curious how it will all work. Will it be a true team effort where they trade and switch off areas depending on what else they're working on? Will the lead assistants take over Miura's duties while the others continue to fill the traditional assistant roles (will they hire others)? Is there ONE assistant particularly good at emulating Miura's character designs that will basically takeover that role while others specialize in what they are best at, etc? Or, is there someone that's basically the new lead illustrator or will organically rise to that position by default? It's going to be fascinating to learn this process, if they're going to forthcoming. However it works they may just want to stick to it being "by Studio Gaga," but I expect we'll be learning everyone's names in time.

These are good questions. I expect that eventually there'll be an interview revealing how they're working now that Miura's gone. Maybe they'll also decide to give themselves detailed credits specifying what everyone does. What I can say is that they were originally recruited with specialties in mind. For example at one point Miura was specifically looking for someone able to draw armors well (back in the Vritannis era), and he also had someone specializing in screentones. Which makes sense, as they were hired to help him save time on specific, low importance tasks.

Their skills will have evolved over the years, but I expect some will still specialize in backgrounds, others in doing buildings, detailed armors and other technical details, etc. Because Miura still did almost everything himself by the time he passed away, the big question like you said is who will take the lead for drawing the main elements of each scene (e.g. character faces in close-ups). I guess by default I assume it would be Kurosaki, as the one with the most experience, but in truth there's no way to know for sure.

And since they're using digital tools, pure drawing ability isn't everything. We know they experimented with reusing some art in the past, so one of the questions I've been asking myself is whether they'll rely on that more heavily or not going forward. It would also help them more easily ape Miura's style. I don't know that they would consider it acceptable to do, though.

As for knowing their names, that's easy enough. By order of seniority, they are:

KUROSAKI (only goes by their last name)
Akio MIYAJI
Nobuhiro HIRAI
Naohide NAGASHIMA
Shigeru KINOSHITA
Hideaki SUGIMOTO

Kurosaki was the "chief assistant" when Miura passed away. Started working on Berserk in 2003, with volume 26, and rose up the ranks as time went by and older assistants left. Akio Miyaji and Nobuhiro Hirai came onboard with volume 28, in 2004. Notable fact: Kurosaki isn't credited for volume 28, so they must have left during that period, and returned with volume 29. That's also when Naohide Nagashima first gets credited, meaning he arrived in 2005. Those are the four senior assistants, who worked with Miura for over 15 years.

Then we have the two new ones, Shigeru Kinoshita and Hideaki Sugimoto, who were hired to help the team after the launch of Dur-An-Ki. Their first credit is on issue 4 of Dur-An-Ki, published in February 2020. They worked with Miura for a year and a half, and contributed to 5 episodes of Berserk in volume 41. Of note is the fact Sugimoto, who was the last to be hired, seems to have been mistakenly believed by a surprising number of people on Twitter to essentially be Miura's sole assistant and even his designated heir. Shows how bad misinformation can get.
 
Of note is the fact Sugimoto, who was the last to be hired, seems to have been mistakenly believed by a surprising number of people on Twitter to essentially be Miura's sole assistant and even his designated heir. Shows how bad misinformation can get.
Isn't he the one that tweeted a single sentence days later after Miura's passing announcement at YA, and everyone @ twitter thought he was going to resume Berserk?
 

silver

AAANIIIKIIIIIII!
I'm going into this with hope but some trepidation. Either way, I'm definitely excited to see what kind of story we'll get, even if it isn't 1:1 what it would have been without Miura's passing.
 
I am getting a bit excited now about this news but in the same time I want to stay cautious to avoid too much of a disappointment. I know it won't be at the same level as Miura's usual style but I am curious about what will happen next between Guts and Griffith and I also wonder if the illustration from Miura that was used for the exhibitions and the canvas in volume 41 limited edition will be inserted in the next episodes frames...
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
they were hired to help him save time on specific, low importance tasks.

"Hey, can you do the whole damn thing now?"

:magni:

I guess by default I assume it would be Kurosaki, as the one with the most experience, but in truth there's no way to know for sure.

Interesting...

And since they're using digital tools, pure drawing ability isn't everything. We know they experimented with reusing some art in the past, so one of the questions I've been asking myself is whether they'll rely on that more heavily or not going forward. It would also help them more easily ape Miura's style. I don't know that they would consider it acceptable to do, though.

VERY interesting, I don't know how I'd feel about that. I guess I'd have to see how it was done, there's a way to do that well and a way to make it like what fans like us would do.

As for knowing their names, that's easy enough. By order of seniority, they are:

KUROSAKI (only goes by their last name)
Akio MIYAJI
Nobuhiro HIRAI
Naohide NAGASHIMA
Shigeru KINOSHITA
Hideaki SUGIMOTO

Well, I figured YOU already knew their names! I mean the fanbase in general now that these guys are going from being the hired help, literally working in the background or on the margins, to basically the stewards of this legacy.

Kurosaki was the "chief assistant" when Miura passed away. Started working on Berserk in 2003, with volume 26, and rose up the ranks as time went by and older assistants left.

I wonder if there would be any mutual interest in any those old assistants coming back to help?

Akio Miyaji and Nobuhiro Hirai came onboard with volume 28, in 2004. Notable fact: Kurosaki isn't credited for volume 28, so they must have left during that period, and returned with volume 29. That's also when Naohide Nagashima first gets credited, meaning he arrived in 2005. Those are the four senior assistants, who worked with Miura for over 15 years.

This is pretty cool, and I think we've seen enough of their work now in 364 and some of the artwork surrounding these announcements to say that while it doesn't look like Miura's artwork, it does fit the style of Berserk.

Then we have the two new ones, Shigeru Kinoshita and Hideaki Sugimoto, who were hired to help the team after the launch of Dur-An-Ki. Their first credit is on issue 4 of Dur-An-Ki, published in February 2020. They worked with Miura for a year and a half, and contributed to 5 episodes of Berserk in volume 41.

Well, I guess the question is were they brought on as new small detail specialists to replace or work under the old ones, or were they supposed to bring a different and potentially more significant artistic dynamic to Dur-An-Ki. That could explain why people mistakenly thought one was the heir apparent... But, as is the case with almost everything like this, there likely is no logical explanation.

Of note is the fact Sugimoto, who was the last to be hired, seems to have been mistakenly believed by a surprising number of people on Twitter to essentially be Miura's sole assistant and even his designated heir. Shows how bad misinformation can get.

I'd like to think that's even more misinformed than it sounds, like they think he's literally his biological heir or something, "It's in his blood!" Well, I certainly hope he and the rest of the team turn out to collectively be the Octavian to Miura's Julius Caesar. It would be ironic if the attention from Miura's sudden passing, the subsequent examination of his work the last year by the greater population, and the assistants doing a more streamlined, run-of-the-mill or "accessible" version of the series ended up making it more popular than ever.
 
Now that Griffith mentions it, reminds me of the rumour that Umino Chika and Miura had a child that would eventually resume Berserk in a decade or so later... I guess it's just another proof that there is no god!
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Well, I figured YOU already knew their names! I mean the fanbase in general now that these guys are going from being the hired help, literally working in the background or on the margins, to basically the stewards of this legacy.

The general fanbase still can't even spell "Miura" correctly half the time, so I don't have high expectations in that regard. I guess "Gaga" should be within their reach though, since it's infant-level vocalization. :iva:

I wonder if there would be any mutual interest in any those old assistants coming back to help?

I've been wondering too! Obviously the list above may have changed, maybe with people leaving, maybe with others joining. A good candidate is Minoru HIRATA, who started working on Berserk with volume 18 (in 1999) and left after volume 29. While not a regular anymore, he came back to help with volumes 35, 36 and 39. There are other possibilities too, but I think it's better to just wait and see.

Well, I guess the question is were they brought on as new small detail specialists to replace or work under the old ones, or were they supposed to bring a different and potentially more significant artistic dynamic to Dur-An-Ki.

I think at that point Miura was just looking for people who could draw well, were serious and willing to work as assistants. I remember him saying it was hard to find that kind of help nowadays, even though he paid well.

Now that Griffith mentions it, reminds me of the rumour that Umino Chika and Miura had a child that would eventually resume Berserk in a decade or so later... I guess it's just another proof that there is no god!

Her name is spelled Umino Chica (it's not her real name either), and that's beyond a rumor, it's just complete bullshit. I'd prefer if we avoided reposting this kind of inanity here... Regardless, it's infinitely better to have Mori supervise this project than a hypothetical son.
 

Frogacuda

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
We knew we were close to ending the Elf Island chapter, but I'm not sure at all that Miura intended to end the Fantasia arc so soon. In fact that seems pretty unlikely to me since it would mean having an arc with a single chapter in it. One of the many things we may never quite get the answer to...
I think this is mostly semantics. Miura had said Fantasia would be the final arc, right? So whether we call this next part a chapter or an arc, it is still likely covering the same series of events.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Im glad I got the pre-order from amazon. Cdjapan airmail is temporarely suspended. :/

Yeah, Japan Post has suspended service to a bunch of Western countries. CDJapan can ship your order using other shipping companies but it'll be more expensive.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Yeah, Japan Post has suspended service to a bunch of Western countries. CDJapan can ship your order using other shipping companies but it'll be more expensive.
Well amazon japan are using dhl so far. So at least Ill get these. But I dunno how long itll take for the cdjapan copy. Thats okay though I mind it.

Any idea why they're doing though?

Either way, Im hype to feed my curiosity monster with what the studio and Mori have in store for us.
 
Is it wrong to speculate where the post-Fantasia arc they'll be starting will begin? Since I've reread volume 30 it occurred t me that they will probably next go to Iith, Rodrick's home country, assuming no misadventures were planned for the trip back. That'd be where they learn the full extent to which the world has changed.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Is it wrong to speculate where the post-Fantasia arc they'll be starting will begin? Since I've reread volume 30 it occurred t me that they will probably next go to Iith, Rodrick's home country, assuming no misadventures were planned for the trip back. That'd be where they learn the full extent to which the world has changed.

Not necessarily wrong, but a little early to be sure. For one thing, nothing guarantees the next arc will begin with our characters off of Skellig. Personally I think Miura had a lot more things planned for the island, or at least more than I believe could fit in six episodes (which isn't antinomic with the chapter ending, despite how it might seem). If that was indeed the case, whether we'll skip past all that is unknown.

That aside, Ys is also not the first place that comes to my mind for when they leave. So far my default assumption has been that they would return to the continent, and probably not by sea with the Sea Horse but using the World Tree's branches. Of course, nothing is sure at this point, and the possibilities are numerous, including some where the group could be split up for a time. With all that being said though, I wouldn't mind seeing Ys, even if just in passing.
 
I remember in the Berserk guidebook we got a storyboard preview for two upcoming episodes that had yet to be released at the time. With this in mind, do you guys think it's possible the Miura was able to complete basic storyboards for 365 at the time of his passing?
 
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