Berserk: the publisher wants to censor this expected project

You probably know Berserk, this iconic manga. Well, the manga publisher has just censored a very exciting adaptation project. We'll explain.

What is Berserk?

In 1989, Japanese mangaka Kentaro Miurasigns one of the most emblematic shonens of its generation: Berserk. This Dark Fantasy series has shocked more than one reader, and has become an emblematic work of manga culture. Renowned for its violent atmosphere, dark, disturbing, sexually explicit, the story nevertheless addresses deep themes about destiny, free will, betrayal and revenge. We follow Guts, a warrior marked by a traumatic childhood, in search of revenge and vengeance. His nemesis? Griffith, his former best friend, who raped his sweetheart and decided to join the Eclipse sect.

Berserkalso made an impression with its highly detailed graphic style. Kentaro Miura has never hesitated to depict unbridled, explicit and rarely consensual sexuality. The theme of rape is often at the center of the story and is represented without concession. An approach that has sometimes created scandal among an uninformed audience. Violence is not left out. Always very graphic, it serves up almost dreamlike battle sequences.

A new adaptation

Despite the success of this manga, no adaptation worthy of the name has yet been brought to the screen. There was indeed an animated series in 1997, covering the Golden Age arc., but the show never lived up to fans' expectations. In 2016, a 3D series was also produced. But its shaky aesthetic aspect also failed to convince viewers.

In October 2023, the members of the Eclypse studioproposed a new adaptation of Berserk. Indeed, this group of fans wanted to bring to fruition a project called BERSERK: THE BLACK SWORDSMAN. The project was already advanced since the Eclypse studio had already released a first teaser, and a 3-minute trailer. History to prove that their intentions were good and that their motivation was there.

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The idea was to finally give a proper adaptation to one of the greatest manga of all time. A real craze was created around this project, which fans saw with an excellent eye.

Unfortunately, even if this project was not for profit, it displeased the owners of the adaptation rights of Berserk. This anime uses the intellectual property of Kentaro Miura, without any authorization. Hakusensha, the publisher of the manga, therefore decided to put an end to the progress of this project which is nevertheless so interesting… The publisher announced the news in a press release.

The Tweeter account @berserk_projecttherefore wanted to share the news with his followers. And it was not without a certain bitterness that the information was shared:以下のXアカウント（https://t.co/gfZWTH3KUm ）
及びウェブサイト（https://t.co/RvvTmchoof ）にて告知されていますが、
著作権者である三浦建太郎（スタジオ我画）は許諾しておりません。
また、使用されている映像も無許可のものです。… pic.twitter.com/z7cJ1gJg3i

September 11, 2024

Dear readers,

The copyright holder Kentaro Miura (Studio Gaga) has not given his permission. Furthermore, the images used are not authorized.

The future of the project has never been so uncertain, but it seems obvious that the rights holders are keeping a close eye on it. We don't joke about that in Japan! For now, the studio has not responded to the company's message. The project is not canceled either, even if its release now seems compromised.

The same thing could happen for the Shingeki no Kyojin Requiem project, from the same studio, which plans to give a different ending to Hajime Isayama's work. Even though the anime does not adapt content from the author, the characters are indeed his property.

Too bad. We were perhaps at not much to finally have a real adaptation of the immense manga Berserk…