Home Hakusensha Addresses Fan-Made Berserk Adaptation

Hakusensha Addresses Fan-Made Berserk Adaptation

Hakusensha, the publisher of the legendary Berserk manga, issued a statement regarding the fan-made animated adaptation of the story by Studio Eclypse. According to Hakusensha, the project has not been authorized by Miura Kentaro (Studio Gaga), the copyright holder for the Berserk manga, and as such the videos are being shared without authorization.

The fan-made adaptation began pre-production in 2023, under the BERSERK: The Black Swordsman title. Studio Eclypse labeled it as fan animation from the beginning and never went into specifics regarding the rights. The first teaser came alongside an announcement on October 2, 2023, while the first trailer was unveiled three months ago with both Japanese and English audio versions. The trailer also announced the 2025 summer premiere date.

Studio Eclypse funds itself through Patreon, describing the project as:
Studio ECLYPSE was founded by anime fans with the sole propose [sic] of making the animations studios were ignoring, made with love and the highest quality we could. It grew to be over 100+ people from all around the world working together, sharing their knowledge and passion for this medium.

The Studio displayed a disclaimer at the beginning of the trailer, but once again without mentioning official rights status. Anime Corner reached out to the studio for a statement.

In addition to Berserk, Eclypse’s only project is an unfinished animation of the fan-made Attack on Titan: Requiem, which changes the original Attack on Titan ending. This project was announced for this fall.

Berserk Anime Adaptations

Berserk has had multiple anime adaptations over the years. The first one, titled Berserk, was a TV anime animated by OLM (then known as Oriental Light and Magic) and directed by Naohito Takahashi. It adapted parts of the Black Swordsman arc and parts of the Golden Age arc. The Golden Age arc was adapted into a movie trilogy in 2012-2013 by Studio 4°C. The three movies were titled: The Egg of the King, The Battle of Doldrey, and The Advent. They were later remastered and broadcast on TV under the Memorial Edition title which later got an uncensored version of the Blu-ray release.

The second TV anime covered the Conviction arc in 2016 and continued with a part of the Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc. Both seasons had 12 episodes. Fans have criticized the adaptations for their lack of cohesive art style and at times clunky 3D animation. It’s important to note that most of the adaptations also skipped parts of the source material.

Berserk is a manga originally written by Kentaro Miura and published by Hakusensha. After Miura’s passing in 2021, the manga was on hiatus but has continued under Miura’s Studio Gaga and Koji Mori, Miura’s long-time friend. 

©Kentaro Miura (Studio Gaga)/Hakusensha/BERSERK FILM PARTNERS

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