Dark Horse Releases "Deluxe" Berserk Edition

Aazealh said:
I'm willing to bet you're wrong. Same reason the covers are put together at the end of the volume and not inserted where they'd be relevant: more complicated (and therefore expensive) to do. And I'm not saying it would have cost millions, just that they weren't willing to do it.

Not doubting that it would have cost them more, but I bet they got a bit lazy as well and it wasn't strictly a cost efficiency decision. I could be wrong of course.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
So, they only show it for a second, but this was basically my litmus test for the whole thing being potentially worthwhile:

ILMDyLX.jpg


FAILURE! :stop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1-0x9RrT4Y&feature=youtu.be&t=172
 

Aazealh

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Speaking of color pages, I was browsing my stuff and snapped these pictures to show you guys what we're missing on.

Berserk_ColorPages_AH-1990-10_01.jpg


Berserk_ColorPages_AH-1990-10_02.jpg


Berserk_ColorPages_AH-1990-10_03.jpg
 
The only way to get these color pages besides the remix volumes is the digital Japanese editions. most of the early volumes had at least one color page. volume 1 has 16 color pages (counting double spreads as 2) which is quite a bit.
 
I don't suppose anyone has a copy of the deluxe version yet? I've only just finished my collection of the paperback, but cannot read Japanese so the DH translations are what I've come to understand as the norm. :shrug:
 

Walter

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ScarletBerserker said:
I don't suppose anyone has a copy of the deluxe version yet? I've only just finished my collection of the paperback, but cannot read Japanese so the DH translations are what I've come to understand as the norm. :shrug:

I preordered through Amazon, so I won't have mine until mid-March. If you buy it at a comic shop, they're available now, I think.
 

Walter

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The deluxe edition is the #2 bestselling manga on Amazon right now. That's pretty impressive: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Manga-Comics-Graphic-Novels/zgbs/books/4367/ref=zg_bs_unv_b_3_13436181_1

Also, found this on Reddit this morning: https://i.redd.it/00croe1c3th21.png which confirms what I'd said earlier about the lack of color pages -- DH just used the edition they were offered by Hakusensha, the standard volumes. Could they have gone further? Probably. They could have also done a complete retranslation with fresh scans, but it is what it is!
 

badcrazy

At last the time has come!
Hi all! The feed back to these Deluxe volumes don't seem to be all that positive here. but for a person who only has a couple volumes or even for those without any could these new editions be worth it?
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
badcrazy said:
Hi all! The feed back to these Deluxe volumes don't seem to be all that positive here. but for a person who only has a couple volumes or even for those without any could these new editions be worth it?

Personally I'd say yes just for the bigger size of the pictures.
 

Walter

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badcrazy said:
Hi all! The feed back to these Deluxe volumes don't seem to be all that positive here. but for a person who only has a couple volumes or even for those without any could these new editions be worth it?

The feedback you're seeing here is mostly that this falls short of what we expected from a long-awaited "deluxe" edition of Berserk. It deserved a new translation and re-scanned pages at the very least. The first few volumes had some pretty bad scanning and printing issues. But considering you can get the first deluxe edition for $27 right now, and the likelihood of getting future ones on sale, I think it's worth it for cost-savings alone, yeah.

Username has been taken said:
Has anyone figured out if the translation in the deluxe edition are accurate I'll hate to have to turn the page and be introduced to the Knight of Skelton again.

It's not a new translation. They added SFX, that's it.
 
Walter said:
The feedback you're seeing here is mostly that this falls short of what we expected from a long-awaited "deluxe" edition of Berserk. It deserved a new translation and re-scanned pages at the very least. The first few volumes had some pretty bad scanning and printing issues. But considering you can get the first deluxe edition for $27 right now, and the likelihood of getting future ones on sale, I think it's worth it for cost-savings alone, yeah.

It's not a new translation. They added SFX, that's it.

It's kinda humorous at this point. I asked a DH rep over a month ago about the translation and I got a pretty vague response (to which I thought there was a new translation - silly me):

"Thanks for your interest in Dark Horse!

The plan is to release the entire series in this format, collecting three volumes each. The translation has been updated and the quality of the paper and cover will also improve. The cover will be a hardcover with textured casing similar to leather.

You can pre-order your copy through Thinks From Another World. I’m providing you a link to their site:
https://www.tfaw.com/Graphic-Novels/Profile/Berserk-Deluxe-Volume-1-HC___584831"
 

Walter

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Sunbather said:
The translation has been updated

This is likely a reference to the added SFX translations. I can do a more in-depth comparison once I have it in my hands, but from the YT video we saw, it's the exact same translation with the new addition of SFX. It's possible they'll also make retroactive changes like Hawk to Falcon or Hanafubuku King to Flower Storm Monarch, but we won't know until we hit those volumes.
 
I don’t how much else is changed (and if it should be counted as a “retranslation”) but in the copy I just purchased today, Dark Horse changed their spelling of Sys’ name (they had been using Shisu) to Cis. Which definitely not a spelling I have seen used elsewhere before.

Also Duane Johnson and and Studio Cutie (Dark Horse’s current translator and lettering & retouch people for Berserk) have been credited as well in addition to the first three volumes’ original translator and letter Jason DeAngelis and Dan Nakrosis respectively. So there may have been some more retranslation/changes to the Deluxe edition than we initially thought.
 

Walter

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I won't have my copy until later this month so would you mind doing a few page by page checks to see if it is substantially changed? Didn't look like it to me, at all.
 
I did a page by page comparison of the first Volume with the first third of the deluxe edition, so far besides the translated sound-effects, the only difference was the deluxe edition cutting a “No” from a speech bubble of Puck’s, changing it from six “No”s to five “No”s (hard to tell if that was intentional or a formatting/printing error), this on page 13 in the original Dark Horse Volume. If I have time, I will do a page-by-page comparison of the next two-thirds if the Deluxe edition. But so far it seems like the “retranslation” is just the added sound effects and a few minor name changes/formatting?

EDIT:

Okay, I did a page by page comparison of the rest of the Deluxe edition to volumes 2 and 3. There wasn't anything changed (aside from translated SFX) for volume 2. However, volume 3 had a number of changes, in addition to changing their spelling of "Shisu" to 'Cis", they also changed the multiple incorrect usages of "fate" to the correct term of "causality", e.g. "laws/wheel of fate" to "law/circle of causality", which I think everyone will agree is a happy surprise. A few other small changes included Puck's dialogue on page 12/468 changed from "a Beherit!!' to "the Beherit!!, Slan on page 90/546 changed from "I'm sure he's hardly even aware." to "I'm sure he's barely even conscious.", on page 115/571 Ubik's speech bubble recounting the Count's words "I offer this woman for sacrifice" had quotation marks added to it when the original had none, Femto's dialogue on page 134/590 is changed from "this is..." to "but this is...", Femtro's dialogue on page 137/593 is changed from "be reborn" to "be reborn again". Then the english subtitle "the golden age, chapter 1" is moved from the first page of the episode to the subsequent double page spread instead. On page 206/662 Guts' inner sickbed thought is changed from "burning..." to "hot...". And finally on page 217/673 Gambino's dialogue is changed from "First one there takes all!!" to "to the swift go the spoils!!".


Anyways, I think the fate/causality correction for the Deluxe edition is a very welcome change, especially for new readers who are liable to confuse the two concepts.
 

Walter

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Wow thanks for the deep dive. I certainly didn't intend you to do all that work! Those are all good changes. Strange that they all coalesced in Volume 3.
 
Perhaps its because that's where more of the important lore terminology gets introduced, and Duane Johnson felt the rest of the translation was acceptable/fine? Also I wonder if "behe-l-it" not being corrected for its spelling is because its like "knight of skeleton" or "band of the hawk" where it is mandated from Hakusensha and/or is "grandfathered in" from the anime/other media localization?
 

Walter

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Theozilla said:
Perhaps its because that's where more of the important lore terminology gets introduced

Yeah, could very well be. But it begs the question if they're going to bother with retranslating bits, why not go all in for their premium edition?

Theozilla said:
Also I wonder if "behe-l-it" not being corrected for its spelling is because its like "knight of skeleton" or "band of the hawk" where it is mandated from Hakusensha and/or is "grandfathered in" from the anime/other media localization?

Well, I don't think behe-l-it is outright wrong. It's just less likely that Miura intended to make up a word (behe-l-it) rather than incorporate a word that does exist (behe-r-it) and has an association with demons. In any case, it's on less sure footing for being wrong than something like knight of skeleton.
 
Walter said:
Yeah, could very well be. But it begs the question if they're going to bother with retranslating bits, why not go all in for their premium edition?
Out of curiosity, are there particular parts from Dark Horse's Volumes 1 and 2 that you think warrant retranslation/rephrasing?

Walter said:
Well, I don't think beherit is outright wrong. It's just less likely that Miura intended to make up a word (behe-l-it) rather than incorporate a word that does exist (behe-r-it) and has an association with demons. In any case, it's on less sure footing for being wrong than something like knight of skeleton.
Oh I agree that it is more likely beherit is the correct spelling, I was more wondering why it wasn't corrected in the new edition, because if Duane Johnson was aware of the importance of correcting "fate" to "causality" why not beherit? So I was theorizing, perhaps there was an external factor for why it wasn't corrected?
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Wow, that's pretty freakin cool. I'm very surprised but yes, they do indeed seem like all good changes. Any positive correction or update is worth praising.
 
Up till now I've always been penniless, but I recently came into some money and am very exited to finally be able to legitimately support this AMAZING series and start a physical collection of volumes! You can get the current 3 tomes bundled for ~$120 on amazon rn.

Anyone have an idea of the cut someone like Miura would personally be getting from these, like somewhere between 15 and 35%?
 

Walter

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Defengar said:
Up till now I've always been penniless, but I recently came into some money and am very exited to finally be able to legitimately support this AMAZING series and start a physical collection of volumes! You can get the current 3 tomes bundled for ~$120 on amazon rn.

Anyone have an idea of the cut someone like Miura would personally be getting from these, like somewhere between 15 and 35%?

No one in the public would have access to contractual information like that. But given the draconic way in which big Japanese publishers tend to operate, I'd be very surprised if Miura gets royalties on each purchase. Berserk as a property is owned either in large part or in full by Hakusensha. So they'd be the true benefactors of any revenue. And I doubt it's on a per-sale basis. Instead, Dark Horse pays Hakusensha for a license agreement in which they can publish Berserk to a US audience. Some portion of the overall gross revenue likely goes to Hakusensha as part of the licensing agreement, and presumably a portion of that finds its way to Miura, but no one could tell you the specifics.

BTW: sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but $120 isn't a tremendous deal for the deluxe editions. I got Vol 1 for $24 on sale, and it's likely vols 2-3 will also go deep discount at some point before their release, so that'd be about $72 total.
 
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