“Berserk” revives: The unmissable manga that survived its author

He revived from the dead. Fans of manga and fantasy in general have celebrated the announcement that “Berserk”, the influential manga written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura (1966-2021), will continue despite the death of its author, promising a conclusion to a story that has already exceeded three decades of existence.

Launched in the Monthly Animal House magazine in 1989, “Berserk” was an unusual production in the manga of that time, with detailed illustrations that had no qualms about showing us the bloodiest elements and a dark perspective of fantasy very different from contemporaries such as “Record of the Lodoss War” or “Slayers”.

Unlike these, set in worlds inspired by “The Lord of the Rings” and “Dungeons and Dragons”, “Berserk” showed a world that was still fictional but more attached to our history, where magic and fantastic elements are hidden from reality. Majority of the population.

“Berserk” follows the story of Guts, a mercenary swordsman with a dark destiny. Born from the corpse of a hanged woman, his life has been a lonely journey between conflict and conflict that only ended when he joined the mercenary group the Band of Hawks, who became his companions.

But these peaceful days also ended when Griffith, the leader of the gang, sacrificed his comrades in a ritual to gain demonic powers, the same one that opens the door to the supernatural in the world. Revenge thus becomes Guts’ main goal, with his final duel with Griffith generating high expectations among “Berserk” fans, despite the slow pace and frequent interruptions in “Berserk’s” release. These hopes ended with the announcement of the death of Kentaro Miura.

NEW HISTORIES

Although it was announced at the end of May, the death of the renowned ‘mangaka’ occurred on May 6 due to aortic dissection. The death of such a renowned artist caused waves in the now huge world of anime, with colleagues and fans lamenting the early departure of the creator of “Berserk”.

The last chapter Miura worked on was released on September 10, 2021 and, although it was not initially intended as the end of the story, it managed to bring the saga to a conclusion by showing Guts finally putting aside his revenge. to get some peace with his love interest Casca and his new companions. The story would have stayed there, if it weren’t for the announcement on June 6 that “Berserk” would continue despite the absence of its creator.

The new project will be in charge of Studio Gaga, a team made up of Kentaro Miura’s former assistants, and under the supervision of Kouji Mori, a colleague and friend of the original author known for the also successful manga “Holyland”.

What can you expect from the new chapters of “Berserk”? According to Mori, Kentaro Miura told him the entire story of the manga, which will allow him to finish the “Berserker” story as closely as possible to the author’s original vision.

“I have a message and a promise for everyone”, indicated the artist in a letter shared by Young Animal magazine, where the manga was published. “I will remember the details as much as possible and tell the story. Also, I will only count the episodes that Miura told me about. I will not make them. I will not write episodes that I do not remember clearly. I will only write dialogues and stories that Miura described to me”.

“Of course it won’t be perfect”, he admitted. “Anyway, I think I can tell the story that Miura wanted to tell. The talent of the Miura trainees is real. Many won’t be completely satisfied with ‘Berserk’ being written without Miura, but let’s hope her thoughts are with us. We ask that you continue to support us.”.

For now, the new chapter of “Berserk” will be released on June 24 in the 13th issue of Young Animal. Although the magazine has not yet revealed all of its plans, it is known that six more chapters of the current narrative arc will be published before a new one begins, although it is not known if this will be the last of the story. With this “Berserk” will continue to live for a few more years, we hope with a satisfactory conclusion for its fans around the world.

HOW TO ENJOY “BERSERK”

With more than 30 years of existence, “Berserk” has transcended its initial format as a manga to become a multimedia franchise, for the enjoyment of all types of audiences.

For fans of comic strips, the original manga is available in spanish under the publisher of Panini Comics. Meanwhile, those who prefer animation can watch the two anime based on the franchise. The first, released between 1997 and 1998, covers the first two narrative arcs of the manga, while those made from 2016 continue the story, although their use of computer graphics instead of traditional animation was not very well received by fans. . The latter is available on the Crunchyroll platform.

For those who prefer something more interactive, Koei Tecmo released a version of its well-known “Dynasty Warriors” franchise set in the world created by Kentaro Miura titled “Berserk and the Band of the Hawk”, available on PlayStation 4 and Steam. Reviews make it seem like this is the best way to experience the series in an interactive version.