November 18, 2023 12:00 pm
Do we really need it, though?
Summary:
- Berserk has been named the greatest manga of all time, but it's yet to receive a proper anime adaptation.
- Some fans believe that it's too hard to properly translate Berserk into anime.
- The anime adaptation serves as an ad to boost the sales of the original and its merch, and Berserk doesn't need it.
- Those who own the rights to Berserk probably don't feel the need to once again animate Guts' adventures.
Berserk is crowned as the most influential manga of all time, and for a reason: the world-building, the character development, the topics it covers entwine together in a beautiful, intricate work that captures the hearts of many, both readers and manga authors alike. The nods to Berserk can be seen in many works, including Hunter x Hunter, My Hero Academia, and many others, and not only manga authors have been inspired by Berserk: it can be seen in some Hollywood works, notably Mulan.
Yet as much as the manga is praised, the anime adaptation of the series is ridiculed and is in dire need of a proper, big-budget reboot. But it's not coming yet, leaving fans to wonder: why?
A few years ago we could've explained that by Berserk being a seinen manga, targeted at the older audience, and the anime for this demographic wasn't as popular. But now seinen works are on the rise, their adaptations racking millions and millions of views, the way they deal with the heavy topics is commendable.
Some believe that properly adapting Berserk is just too much work: the manga itself is too hard to translate into anime, and it would not only be costly but also require a lot of effort from the studio to create a work of art that is worthy of the original. To capture the flow of the frames, to translate the motion into animation, to give the decisions a proper weight — it's not an easy task and not just a question of budget but a question of passion.
For a lot of manga adaptations, the anime serves as an advertisement for the manga itself, a driving force behind the merchandise sales that forces people to spend money on volumes, figurines, and other trinkets. But Berserk is already popular enough, so maybe the owners of the rights don't feel the need for another anime adaptation. This creation is very much alive on its own.
And not to mention that the manga is not finished: Kentaro Miura's magnum opus, as he stated before his untimely passing, is 60-80% finished, and those whom he entrusted with the creation of the ending of the story have not yet shared their plans. We don't know when the manga will be finished, so maybe studio executives are just waiting for that moment.
The first adaptation was great in terms of quality and truthfulness but it skipped a lot of chapters that broke the pacing. The more recent one, the 2016 one, is clowned upon because of the total mismanagement. So the most probable answer is that the production company that holds the rights to Berserk doesn't feel the need to adapt it. Maybe one day they will change their minds and we'll have this masterpiece grace our screens. But so far, we can only wait and reread Guts' adventures.
Would you like to see a newer, bigger Berserk anime?
Do we really need it, though?
Summary:
- Berserk has been named the greatest manga of all time, but it's yet to receive a proper anime adaptation.
- Some fans believe that it's too hard to properly translate Berserk into anime.
- The anime adaptation serves as an ad to boost the sales of the original and its merch, and Berserk doesn't need it.
- Those who own the rights to Berserk probably don't feel the need to once again animate Guts' adventures.
Berserk is crowned as the most influential manga of all time, and for a reason: the world-building, the character development, the topics it covers entwine together in a beautiful, intricate work that captures the hearts of many, both readers and manga authors alike. The nods to Berserk can be seen in many works, including Hunter x Hunter, My Hero Academia, and many others, and not only manga authors have been inspired by Berserk: it can be seen in some Hollywood works, notably Mulan.
Yet as much as the manga is praised, the anime adaptation of the series is ridiculed and is in dire need of a proper, big-budget reboot. But it's not coming yet, leaving fans to wonder: why?
A few years ago we could've explained that by Berserk being a seinen manga, targeted at the older audience, and the anime for this demographic wasn't as popular. But now seinen works are on the rise, their adaptations racking millions and millions of views, the way they deal with the heavy topics is commendable.
Some believe that properly adapting Berserk is just too much work: the manga itself is too hard to translate into anime, and it would not only be costly but also require a lot of effort from the studio to create a work of art that is worthy of the original. To capture the flow of the frames, to translate the motion into animation, to give the decisions a proper weight — it's not an easy task and not just a question of budget but a question of passion.
For a lot of manga adaptations, the anime serves as an advertisement for the manga itself, a driving force behind the merchandise sales that forces people to spend money on volumes, figurines, and other trinkets. But Berserk is already popular enough, so maybe the owners of the rights don't feel the need for another anime adaptation. This creation is very much alive on its own.
And not to mention that the manga is not finished: Kentaro Miura's magnum opus, as he stated before his untimely passing, is 60-80% finished, and those whom he entrusted with the creation of the ending of the story have not yet shared their plans. We don't know when the manga will be finished, so maybe studio executives are just waiting for that moment.
The first adaptation was great in terms of quality and truthfulness but it skipped a lot of chapters that broke the pacing. The more recent one, the 2016 one, is clowned upon because of the total mismanagement. So the most probable answer is that the production company that holds the rights to Berserk doesn't feel the need to adapt it. Maybe one day they will change their minds and we'll have this masterpiece grace our screens. But so far, we can only wait and reread Guts' adventures.
Would you like to see a newer, bigger Berserk anime?
