New Berserk Fan Anime Cancelled?
Berserk fans cannot catch a break. A fan-made project is under threat of halting production after getting the attention of Berserk’s copyright holders.
For a long time, Berserk has been infamous for being “unadaptable”, unable to be translated into anime form, mostly attributed to the reputation of the 2016-2017 adaptations of the Conviction and Falcon of the Millennium Empire Arcs and their horrid use of CGI animation.
On June 2024, a fan-made trailer for the Black Swordsman arc, the very first arc of the Berserk series, was released, garnering more than 4 million views. “Berserk: The Black Swordsman” was aimed for release in 2025.
However, this project might be put on hold due to a potential legal dispute brewing between the creators, Studio Eclypse and Hakushensha Ltd., the owners of Young Animal magazine, where Berserk has been serialized since the magazine’s establishment in 1992.
According to the official Berserk project account on September 11, 2024, Studio Eclypse and its website have produced a fan-made anime without receiving permission from the copyright holders, specifying the late author Kentaro Miura, represented now by Studio Gaga.
In spite of the disclaimer at the start of the trailer, calling for support of the official release, the footage used is unlicensed.
読者の皆様へ
ベルセルクのアニメーション製作が以下の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— ベルセルク公式 (@berserk_project) September 11, 2024
This post has been made in over five languages.
Studio Eclypse is formerly part of the fan group infamous for a fan-made project for an alternate ending of Attack on Titan titled “Attack on Titan: Requiem” after some complaints from mostly Western fans about the concluding chapters of the manga in 2021.
Related to Studio Eclypse’s situation, the director of art and story for “Attack on Titan: Requiem” made this statement regarding their own project, saying that it is only a doujin work and therefore for free.
Given what's happening recently, I'll make a small announcement. AOTNR is 100% derivative work as we have created all art from scratch, and the project is free to everyone. There will never be a paywall, and it will continue to function as a fan-alternate ending / doujin work.
— K-Lionheart 👑 🍉🇨🇴 (@KlionheartArt) September 11, 2024
Some Japanese fans have pointed out how Western fans easily disrespect Japanese copyright laws if they insist on the existence of the fan anime project
Most of the people who support Studio Eclipse are non-Japanese foreigners. As a Japanese, I think they have no understanding of the law and no respect for Miura. Berserk is a Japanese MANGA. If you can't follow Japanese manners, don't read. Idiot. https://t.co/E7PZ5eEPq9
— うつしよ (@judith_who) September 11, 2024
About Berserk
Berserk is a dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura that began serializing in 1989, still continuing under Studio Gags’ care after Miura’s untimely passing on May 2021. Currently, the manga has 41 volumes and has sold over 60 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga in the world.
Berserk has seen three anime adaptations. The first is in 1997 by Studio OLM Team Iguchi, which adapts parts of the Black Swordsman and the majority of the Golden Age Arcs into 25 episodes.
The second is Studio 4c’s 2012 movie trilogy, which adapts the Golden Age Arc, including its epilogue left out in the 1997 anime. Studio 4c implemented the use of 3D animation in the creation of the movies.
The 2022 Memorial Edition converts the movies into 13 episodes from October to December 2022 and adds new scenes to the movie trilogy, including the Campfire of Dreams and “Wounds” chapters.
However, they did not return for the direct continuation, the 2016 Berserk anime by GEMBA and Millepensee, which adapted the Conviction Arc sans the first part, Lost Children, and the 2017 sequel that adapted the first section of the Falcon of the Millennium Empire Arc.
The 2016-2017 Berserk series acquired infamy due to its low quality use of CGI and camera work, leading to many calls for a reboot, one of which was attempted by Studio Eclypse.
Source: Twitter
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