Our Policy for Berserk Episode Scans

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
We recently celebrated our 20th anniversary as a community. We've grown a lot since those days. And likewise, the world has moved on from where we started in the days of dial-up internet. We're in an era of gigabit speeds where almost any kind of content can be purchased or streamed on-demand. The manga industry has largely evolved with the rest of the world. We're a long way from the days when Walter had to drive two hours to secure his imported copy of Young Animal. We all now have the ability to purchase the magazine digitally on the Friday it's released in Japan. For those of us in the US, this actually means Thursday.

This new convenience was a turning point for fans of Berserk. And while we've promoted the links to the online magazine (and shops where to buy the real thing) for years, we're turning the page to a new, more straightforward era. The time has come to adapt our reading habits to better fit one of our site's core rules: Support Berserk and its author—not just by "being fans," but by actually purchasing it. Show your love of Berserk with your money, not just your posts! Financial compensation matters. Especially these days, with the manga magazine industry having dwindled compared to when Berserk launched in 1989.

We prohibited scanlations here 20 years ago on ethical grounds. But for years we have rationalized that tolerating untranslated scans from YA was acceptable so that the community could follow the latest in Berserk in a timely manner. At the time that decision was made, securing the magazine from overseas took days or weeks. Now it’s hours. So from now on, we are tightening this policy by strictly prohibiting the posting of any full episode scans on this forum.

Buying Young Animal digitally only costs a few dollars (440¥ / $4.16 at the time of this post), and Berserk is currently only released a handful of times a year. For example, collecting every release from the past two years would run you little more than $16.

We've grown up, and it's time to support the series. There are no longer any valid excuses not to.

Finally, there is the matter of "leaks"—snippets of episodes that are shared over the Internet before the full episode is released. These will still be temporarily allowed so long as the full episode is not posted. However, we will be monitoring threads to ensure people don't skirt the line. The spirit of this new rule is to ensure that in order to experience the full episode, you must support the series by purchasing the digital edition. Besides, we strongly believe that the best way to enjoy a new Berserk episode is to see it in its entirety, not squinting at thumbnails and guessing what might be going on ("is that a hammer or a shoe?"). And we are convinced it leads to better discussions.

We hope you understand why we've made this change to the forum, and we can't wait to discuss the episode with everyone as usual, once the official release lands!

To help people support the series, we're also revamping the way we manage episode threads. Specifically, they will now be systematically headed by a post containing all the relevant information: episode number, which issue of YA it's published in, a link to Hakusensha-e to purchase it (and to stores selling physical copies), a link to our step-by-step guide on how to buy YA, and a reminder of our rules.

In summary:
  • Full episode scans are strictly prohibited, effective immediately.
  • We ask all members who follow the series episodically to purchase the $4 magazine.
  • We will support you with direct links and purchasing information.
  • Violating these rules will result in a warning, and if it persists, a ban. There will be no exceptions or appeals.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
So just to be sure I got this right. Will there still be the link for ordering/pre-ordering the physical release as usual or will it only be the link for the digital release? I would still like to buy the physical copy for the size of the panels.

Thank you.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
So just to be sure I got this right. Will there still be the link for ordering/pre-ordering the physical release as usual or will it only be the link for the digital release? I would still like to buy the physical copy for the size of the panels.

Oh don't worry, we'll include links to buy the physical copy as well as the digital one. No change on that front!
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I honestly thought episode scans were already prohibited and had been for years lol.
I'm assuming this change is in regard to the RAW.

No need to assume anything. Everything was explained in the post:


We prohibited scanlations here 20 years ago on ethical grounds. But for years we have rationalized that tolerating untranslated scans from YA was acceptable so that the community could follow the latest in Berserk in a timely manner. At the time that decision was made, securing the magazine from overseas took days or weeks. Now it’s hours. So from now on, we are tightening this policy by strictly prohibiting the posting of any full episode scans on this forum.
 
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