While Berserk, the now cult manga by Kentarō Miura, has already had several animes, and there is a new adaptation made by Studio Eclypse that is awaited by many. And although the fan studio has recently had to face some obstacles from the rights holders, it has given rather reassuring news concerning the project. We tell you everything.
Studio Eclypse gives news about the anime The Black Swordsman
Having debuted in 1989, Kentarō Miura's Berserk manga quickly became a true classic of the genre, so much so that it is now considered a must-read among seinen fans. And after the author's death in May 2021, it was Kōji Mori who took up the torch in June 2022, accompanied by Studio Gaga, in order to continue the adventures of the famous Guts.
And given the immense popularity of Berserk, the work has of course been entitled to its animated adaptations. After a first anime released in the late 1990s, fans were treated to a new animated series in 2016, then to the Memorial Edition in 2022, which takes up the plot of the Golden Age film trilogy.
But the latest adaptations of Berserkhave struggled to gain unanimous approval among fans, with many criticizing the chosen visual style, with the use of CGI (or computer-generated images) to the detriment of so-called “traditional” 2D animation. This is why many of them hoped that the manga would be entitled to a new adaptation that would do more justice to the universe as dark as it is violent imagined by Miura.
And that's exactly what some thought they had found with The Black Swordsman. Following a first preview of the project just a year ago, fans around the world were more than impatient to discover this version proposed by Studio Eclypse, a fan studio already known for its adaptation of Requiem, the alternate ending of Attack on Titan.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000After several teasers and trailers that clearly excited many fans, they recently learned that the long-awaited new anime was facing controversy. Indeed, the publisher of the manga Hakusensha as well as the rights holders stepped up to the plate last month, declaring that they had not given their consent for such a project and that consequently, the latter used images without the authorization of the rights holders.
And while some feared that this would signal the end of the project, Studio Eclypse shared a press release today, in which it explains the current situation and what the studio has planned for the future:
To our supporters & the Berserk fan community:
The project is not cancelled but we have important news: pic.twitter.com/J4XsztY4ESOctober 5, 2024
To our supporters & the Berserk fan community:
The project is not cancelled but we have important news:We would like to address some of your concerns regarding the recent statements. We have NOT received ANY type of formal cease and desist request, takedown request, or letter asking us to stop the project.
After careful consideration, we have decided to move forward and establish communication with the intellectual property rights holders. Backed by a major company in the industry, we are working to have a chance to adapt this story arc as the fans deserve, as an official studio next year.
We have therefore made the voluntary decision to remove our Black Swordsman videos until the situation is resolved. During this time, we will continue to work on pre-production documents and animation tests so that we can present our vision for the project to them.
We will also be removing our Patreon page for the time being as a sign of respect for our foreign viewers and in good faith that this project will come to life in the right way.
For many years, all of our fan projects have been self-funded and always intended to be released to the public for free. We decided to accept donations after a large number of community members asked us for a way to support them, which allowed us to cover a large part of the costs for the background, cleanup, and compositing. All other steps were only possible thanks to the passion and sleepless nights of our group of friends and animators.
We will now return to our roots and continue to fully self-finance our fan projects in the future.
Thank you to all our supporters for supporting us. Without you, the quality we have been able to achieve as a fan group, in less than a year, would have been almost impossible.
A strong and united community can achieve the unthinkable.
We will continue to fight.
If the situation is not yet completely resolved, it would therefore seem that Studio Eclypse has decided to do everything to complete the project, in particular by discussing with the rights holders, but also by approaching an already well-established player in the industry, although we do not yet know who it is.
In addition, the fan group also intends to professionalize itself by becoming a real “official studio”, which could not only allow it to continue working on The Black Swordsman, but also on other franchises later if this comes to fruition. It remains to be seen whether it will succeed in convince the rights holders, but the fan hype for the new anime Berserk could plead in their favor, at least we hope so.
And to continue on the same theme, discover what this excellent surprise is for French fans of the manga Berserk.