Kotaku is still a thing!?!.........that's a Lovecraftian cosmic joke into itself!
Uncertainty about Berserk's future
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That article is typical clickbait. They're reiterating that nothing's changed, linking the tweet from a month ago which didn't say anything new, and adding some copypasted padding so that Google lists it as a "news article". It's best to ignore these outlets; they're completely clueless. Also, you can already expect an update next week (in the form of a question to maximize engagement) centered around the announcement of episode 364.
It's sad that You go online on The web and You can barely see anyone talking about Berserk's fate. Last time someome spoke was when Chapter 364 was released.
I tried to do some digging myself on The topic and tried to contact Studio Gaga vía Twitter. But I got no response. By now they should know The manga's fate.
I tried to do some digging myself on The topic and tried to contact Studio Gaga vía Twitter. But I got no response. By now they should know The manga's fate.
There are no plans for more Berserk. Here is the official message that was in the last Young Animal that had Berserk (September 2021).
Yeah, no shit you didn't get a response, dude! You personally reached out to the assistants, who were among the people most impacted by Miura's passing, and said HONK HONK WHEN'S 365 ANYWAY? Did you ever consider how selfish and insensitive that might come across as?
That's still pretty open-ended though, yeah?
Vampire_Hunter_Bob
Cats are great
No. It's clear, there are no plans for Berserk. As far as I've seen, nothing has changed since the letter Walter shared.
Becareful with wishful thinking. I wish it wasn't true, but Berserk is over.
RaffoBaffo
Ex-Newser of the late Berserk Chronicles
I don't know, I don't see "there is no infomation to share" as something final.
Young Animal's message is not 'final' in the sense that it doesn't say "Berserk's story will not be continued". As I've mentioned before, I imagine that the editorial department will explore their options in the coming years for an appropriate way to give fans some closure. However, what needs to be understood is that this message doesn't say more information is to come either. There could be no update for years.
More importantly, regardless of what decision Young Animal's staff may eventually reach, I think everybody should understand that Berserk as the creation of Kentarou Miura is absolutely and definitely over. And that's what actually matters, because the reason Berserk is such an exceptional manga to begin with is entirely due to Miura's talent and hard work.
There is simply no one in this world who could truly replace him at the helm of the series, so no matter what comes in the future, you can be sure it won't be the same than what Berserk has been until now. Which brings me to my last point: the mindless neediness displayed online by some people who call themselves fans is what's sad to me, as it blatantly disrespects Kentarou Miura's talent and legacy by presuming that any number of people could fill his shoes without much trouble. I find it utterly repugnant.
More importantly, regardless of what decision Young Animal's staff may eventually reach, I think everybody should understand that Berserk as the creation of Kentarou Miura is absolutely and definitely over. And that's what actually matters, because the reason Berserk is such an exceptional manga to begin with is entirely due to Miura's talent and hard work.
There is simply no one in this world who could truly replace him at the helm of the series, so no matter what comes in the future, you can be sure it won't be the same than what Berserk has been until now. Which brings me to my last point: the mindless neediness displayed online by some people who call themselves fans is what's sad to me, as it blatantly disrespects Kentarou Miura's talent and legacy by presuming that any number of people could fill his shoes without much trouble. I find it utterly repugnant.
"...even if you force back what was lost, it still won't be the way it was." -- Miura, Kentaro. Berserk
This quote pretty much sums up my sentiments towards any continuation of Berserk. It is to say: I am not against it to the point of boycotting it, I simply think that it would be a futile attempt at trying to reproduce a miracle. If creating Berserk only required a competent creative team, then we would have had hundreds, if not thousands, of manga like Berserk.
Personally, even though Berserk is my absolute favorite story of any medium, and brought me more joy than almost anything else in my life, I am a fan of Kentaro Mirua's writing which I experience through Berserk. What I mean by this is that my sorrow around Miura's passing isn't due to Berserk being left unfinished. Even if Berserk was done years ago, I would have felt the same exact sense of personal loss and sorrow that I feel now. To me, anyone other then Miura working on Berserk is equivalent to a fan-fiction. I'm not against it, though it would mean nothing to me (this is regardless of its status and quality).
This quote pretty much sums up my sentiments towards any continuation of Berserk. It is to say: I am not against it to the point of boycotting it, I simply think that it would be a futile attempt at trying to reproduce a miracle. If creating Berserk only required a competent creative team, then we would have had hundreds, if not thousands, of manga like Berserk.
Personally, even though Berserk is my absolute favorite story of any medium, and brought me more joy than almost anything else in my life, I am a fan of Kentaro Mirua's writing which I experience through Berserk. What I mean by this is that my sorrow around Miura's passing isn't due to Berserk being left unfinished. Even if Berserk was done years ago, I would have felt the same exact sense of personal loss and sorrow that I feel now. To me, anyone other then Miura working on Berserk is equivalent to a fan-fiction. I'm not against it, though it would mean nothing to me (this is regardless of its status and quality).
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Yeah, this is the most important thing, and is what so many people don't seem to get. I've seen so many people say "if there's story notes, they should continue it", but notes don't make a story. The dialogue, the framing of images, pacing of scenes, nuanced facial expressions and body language, those are what make a story. Miura could do it like few others could, and nobody could possibly replace him. Berserk as it was is over. As was said, the attitude take by many "fans" towards this whole situation has been nothing short of obnoxious and disrespectful.
The lack of as concrete a cancellation as poor Duranki got makes it clear that talks have been happening behind closed doors. Berserk is still a very popular series and will continue to be so, so it's not such an easy thing to let go. I guess my thoughts are, if Berserk HAS to be continued by someone else, regardless of if it really should or shouldn't be, I'd rather it be by the people Miura knew in life, who would probably be more thoughtful with it than some brand new team. I'd hope it would be used as a contemplative work to express their feelings for Miura and everything he did through the story. Sort of acting as some mourning and catharsis. That way it'd have its own sort of merit. Still, such a work would undoubtedly be difficult for those involved, and they more than anyone understand that Miura IS Berserk, so I wouldn't be shocked if they simply wouldn't want to do it. No other approach would mean anything at all as far as I'm concerned, it would just be fan fiction.
The thing I'm really looking forward to is that biography manga Miura's and friend fellow mangaka Kouji Mori is going to make about their shared history.
On one hand I wish there was a continuation but I wouldn't want to leave such a heavy burden on Studio Gaga, to have the assistants taking over Miura's legacy and rather see them pursue their own dreams and ambitions rather than sticking to attempting to finish an uncomplete vision without Kentaro's direct imput. I find it so wrong to see people online pretty much demanding / taking for granted that the assistants are "doomed" to do it.
Personally, one thing I still wish to see released (I don't know if it's possible since Vol.41 was a perfect occasion already or if anyone else would agree) is a new publication featuring whatever Miura might have left behind... Concept arts, some sort of notes (assuming they exist), transcriptions of conversations and (out of completism's sake and archival purposes) also episode 83 to be republished, despite Miura removing it from canonicity, since it's a gorgeous episode and it's currently available only in low-quality scans and by purchasing decades-old physical Young Animal copies from the time of the original release.
If I'd want any sort of continuation, unless Young Animal decides they're up to the task, I wouldn't mind to see a potential new anime adaptation doing an anime-original ending of sort, since it's a different medium and I suppose that wouldn't feel like "filling Miura's shoes" as much as attempting a manga continuation.
This is just me and I'd understand others disagreeing.
Personally, one thing I still wish to see released (I don't know if it's possible since Vol.41 was a perfect occasion already or if anyone else would agree) is a new publication featuring whatever Miura might have left behind... Concept arts, some sort of notes (assuming they exist), transcriptions of conversations and (out of completism's sake and archival purposes) also episode 83 to be republished, despite Miura removing it from canonicity, since it's a gorgeous episode and it's currently available only in low-quality scans and by purchasing decades-old physical Young Animal copies from the time of the original release.
If I'd want any sort of continuation, unless Young Animal decides they're up to the task, I wouldn't mind to see a potential new anime adaptation doing an anime-original ending of sort, since it's a different medium and I suppose that wouldn't feel like "filling Miura's shoes" as much as attempting a manga continuation.
This is just me and I'd understand others disagreeing.
Who said it was wishful thinking? Simply stating the fact that there is really nothing final about Young Animals most recent statements on the matter, as Aaz says below.
I fully recognize that Berserk is not Berserk without Miura, so in that sense the story is finished. Be that as it may, YA is clearly having discussions related to Berserks future behind closed doors.
It's difficult for most to grasp. As Berserk has been a staple in their lives for so long.
Sorry but I'm going to nitpick here: nothing is clear. There is no indication that "discussions" are taking place about this at the moment. It's only a guess on your part.
Nitpicky indeed. But you said yourself:
Given the fact that YA/Studio Gaga aren't willing to come out with a concrete statement, one can extrapolate discussions are being had. Sure, maybe they aren't talking about it at all, but do you really think that's the case?
I don't think it's wise to say things are definitely happening when you have no idea whether that's the case or not.
On the chance Miura had notes on what the story would lead to, along with the ending, I'd love to see that released as a book, be it in the universe, like a novel continuation, or as something like "Miura's Unfinished Masterpiece" and just release the notes as is. Miura created such a cool universe, as well as so many characters that are so fleshed out and real that you can easily find yourself getting attached to them. Anything that has anything to do with the universe of Berserk is so cool, I wish more media was created outside the core story.
I think seeing his notes on the series would be really cool. They're may not be alot, and that would be fine. But just seeing what Miura was thinking about for Berserk would be nice, no matter how much there is to release.
From what I could read from a 2000 interview with Yukari Fujimoto, Miura abandoned the idea of figuring out the ending of Berserk in advance a long time ago so I don't expect any potential notes with the ending layed out in any form, although I think there might be concrete chances of notes about how the next story arc could have gone, or at least some major plot points. I think Miura really valued to be able to let the story "write itself out" in a way and let it develop naturally, and that brought incredible elements to the story, including the Berserker Armor which he didn't plan in advance but it came around and just fits naturally within the story.
Additionally, I think that if we're lucky there may even be some concept art or panels (like the one used to promote the Berserk Exhibition or the several concept arts in the Duranki volume release) but I'm not sure how likely that could be. I hope something of this sort will see the light of the day and be distributed internationally, as I'd love to buy and own a precious piece of Berserk content like this could be.
Speaking of finding closure with Berserk... How would you feel about a potential future full anime adaptation going for an anime-original ending after reaching episode 364? I personally find it intriguing, and certainly less potentially "damaging" to Miura's legacy than a manga continuation without him, as in, an original ending in the same medium as Miura's work would certainly suffer more from the comparison to the original while moving to a different medium I feel might allow for a more detached comparison... since it ends up being its own interpretation of the story from the beginning to the end and not literally filling Miura's shoes.
Dark Knight
I’ll gnaw right through your arteries!
I'm cool with it as long as it's anime only, and the project is given to a studio that gives a shit about Berserk and won't churn out some trash nonsense cash grab using the name "Berserk" for clout.
Actually, I think there's little doubt that he knew how he wanted the rest of the series to go by the time he passed away. However the finer details were likely not there yet. That's how it always is: broad strokes are simple enough, but the minute details take most of the work. In any case, nothing guarantees he had publishable "notes".
I don't think such a project could realistically do the story justice. If someone could just properly adapt the Black Swordsman arc, that'd be a start, but even that's a tall order it seems.
I don't like it. Animation studios haven't even been able to give us a proper anime series of a story that was already plotted out and practically storyboarded for them not once, not twice, but three times. Why should we trust them get it right this time AND come up with something original for the ending (assuming they could even get that far)? Honestly, if there's ever going to be a non-Miura ending for Berserk, a manga continuation is far more preferable in every single way. It's cheaper, it would have far less executive pressure put on it, there would be fewer cooks in the kitchen to mess it up, and the work would be free to show off whatever content the artist(s) is able to imagine without having to worry about what the networks will censor or what the studio has the budget to animate. Berserk was the masterpiece it was because it did not need to be made under these constraints. If you want to distance any theoretical continuation from Miura's creation, I think a simple subtitle would suffice, just to let people know that while it may be a continuation of his story, it is very obviously not his work.
Furthermore, I'm really not a fan of the idea of having to go through two different mediums just to get the full story on anything. Nor do I like the idea of an animated adaptation overshadowing the source material. The last thing I want is for people to give such a product (which I don't think will ever do justice for the original) all their attention without providing the manga a glance just because it doesn't have an ending. It's bad enough people need to be dragged kicking and screaming just to read anything these days. Furthermore, I've come to strongly dislike the very idea of film and animated adaptations. There seems to be this pervasive idea that those are the ultimate mediums for storytelling and what every story, regardless of its literary origin, must aspire to become if it wants to have any hope of becoming a cultural icon. And that just rubs me the wrong way, especially as these adaptations feel like they're getting less respectful and more contemptuous of the their source material every year.
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Dark Knight
I’ll gnaw right through your arteries!
You bring up good points, but if people are gonna look at an anime adaption as the true berserk experience when it’s been known for years that they’ve been anything but that, those people never had any intention of being a real Berserk fan anyway, so I don’t think it’s important to focus on people like that. Also I 100% agree with what your point on the current state of film and anime adaptations. The real issue though is that streaming and licensing rights are being given to companies that just continue to hire the most out-of-touch people to produce and direct their shows. Just look at the current Amazon fiasco going on and you get the picture.
The best you could probably hope for that wouldn't invalidate the original or step on any toes would be if a very talented group of fans came together and made a decent fan-fiction ending. I honestly think something like that is inevitably gonna happen once it becomes clear whether anything official will happen or not. Problem is that experience has taught me that fans are the worst people to write something like that.
That's great to hear! In fact, I was just going off an interview that happened 22 years ago... May I ask if Miura specifically stated something of the sort or if it's extrapolated from other things he said in the past?
I'm aware Miura mentioned an upcoming "first real fight" between Guts and Griffith and (allegedly? I'm not sure if this information has ever been confirmed by someone else) some major plot points of what would have been the next arc for the Berserk Exhibition interview, but I'm not sure if he reached a point where he knew, more or less, how to wrap up the story.
I guess I did the mistake of not mentioning in the premises for my initial question that I was referring to the already unlikely situation where this hypothetical Berserk adaptation would already succeed at adapting all the currently existing material in a satisfying way. Of course I would loathe an anime-original ending if they already screw up adapting what already exists
I agree with some of the points by Cyrus Jong about having too many cooks in the kitchen and just how easily it can go wrong. I'm pretty sure that's how things would go if a new adaptation gets decided now. Yet, I still think that there is some hope. There are people that want a satisfying adaptation (maybe more in the West than in Japan though? I'm not sure about this) and I feel that in a few years we might witness the anime industry either going to crumble even more or reflourish under better industry / working conditions and where anime of great artistic quality might happen again. We'll have to see...
I didn't mean it that way honestly. I do think that there are occasions of adaptations overshadowing the source material, but I am sure it can't happen with Berserk, but not in a "adaptations shouldn't exist" way. Again, I agree that folks nowadays are hardly interested in reading at all, but I think that a quality adaptation will also inevitably bring more people to read the source material. I don't put film / animated adaptations on a pedistal but I can't deny that I really find fashinating the idea of witnessing a story I love being adapted into a different medium. The manga is great as it is, but I like to imagine how the story could work with added voice acting, music, animations, etc. and I don't think there's anything inherently wrong in this.
As for this point specifically, I disagree as I guess it's a subjective opinion. I haven't experienced myself other works getting completed posthumously, but going off what I heard, I think I'd prefer a separate medium to venture into that "original ending" territory. I heard that the last books of the Dune series were terrible, while the ones of The Wheel of Time succeeded because the author was able to write down detailed notes on how to conclude the story before cancer took him away. Being a (former) avid book reader, I can only imagine picking up the next books and the growing disappointment and anger I'd feel if something goes wrong in a potential manga continuation. To put it simpler, I more or less feel that using another medium would be like a "safe place" to make mistakes with a potential continuation, if that makes sense. The Game of Thrones S8 sucked, but that doesn't hurt the books legacy, I guess. But had it been done in book form after a hypothetical passing of GRRM, I think it would have been even much worse.
Then, to each their own, I guess.
Sorry for the long reply-post, I didn't have time earlier today to do that!
I’m of rather mixed feelings. I think that if a.) Muira did leave some notes b.) he really wanted it to continue and c.) his assistants feel willing to do it than they deserve at least the right to try. Whether they succeed is another matter but I’m willing to at least give them a chance.
If they have an outline and notes (which is uncertain but not out of the question) and Muira didn’t explicitly express disapproval before he died and they don’t feel up for it it would at least be cool to see the outline published so that we can get hints at how the story would have ended (or if they can get a REALLY good writer do a dawn of the future style novel that ties up the planned plot points)
If however Muira explicitly said he didn’t want a continuation in the event of his death than no. Shut it down completelyI
If they have an outline and notes (which is uncertain but not out of the question) and Muira didn’t explicitly express disapproval before he died and they don’t feel up for it it would at least be cool to see the outline published so that we can get hints at how the story would have ended (or if they can get a REALLY good writer do a dawn of the future style novel that ties up the planned plot points)
If however Muira explicitly said he didn’t want a continuation in the event of his death than no. Shut it down completelyI
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