"It is not always a happy thing."
May 20, 2021 7:01 AM Subscribe
The editors of manga anthology Young Animal Comics have reported that Kentaro Miura, creator of the seminal dark fantasy manga Berserk, passed away on May 6 of an aortic dissection, at the age of 54.
Miura had shown talent early on, with him beginning work on Berserk in 1989, and soon gaining prominence with what would become both his life's work and magnum opus. The series would become well known for both Miura's detailed artwork as well as the themes of loss, betrayal, grief, found family, and love done throughout the storyline, with the image of main protagonist Guts and his massive blade becoming an iconic scene in fantasy. As such, Berserk would go on to influence many other creators and franchises, from the Buster Sword of Final Fantasy VII to the mileau of Dark Souls, as well as becoming a multimedia franchise in its own right, with several anime adaptions as well as a well regarded video game on the Dreamcast.
(Post title taken from a panel from the series published recently.)
Miura had shown talent early on, with him beginning work on Berserk in 1989, and soon gaining prominence with what would become both his life's work and magnum opus. The series would become well known for both Miura's detailed artwork as well as the themes of loss, betrayal, grief, found family, and love done throughout the storyline, with the image of main protagonist Guts and his massive blade becoming an iconic scene in fantasy. As such, Berserk would go on to influence many other creators and franchises, from the Buster Sword of Final Fantasy VII to the mileau of Dark Souls, as well as becoming a multimedia franchise in its own right, with several anime adaptions as well as a well regarded video game on the Dreamcast.
(Post title taken from a panel from the series published recently.)
Anyone who's played Hidetaka Miyazaki's From Software's games, including Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, etc. -- should know that there's a big fat light drawn from them to Berserk. Read more about this here.
A big loss, and jesus, aortic dissection is such a Berserk way to go....
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:48 AM on May 20, 2021 [5 favorites]
A big loss, and jesus, aortic dissection is such a Berserk way to go....
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:48 AM on May 20, 2021 [5 favorites]
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\|/posted by paper chromatographologist at 8:04 AM on May 20, 2021 [10 favorites] It was long a running joke about Berserk often going on hiatus but...the schedules and workload manga creators are unbelievably brutal. Maybe regular breaks aren't such a crazy idea.
posted by star gentle uterus at 8:05 AM on May 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by star gentle uterus at 8:05 AM on May 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
I have a good friend who had an aortic dissection. Those things are no joke. Mortality is something like 90%. He was one of the lucky ones.
posted by slkinsey at 8:35 AM on May 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by slkinsey at 8:35 AM on May 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
I started watching Berserk back in college when I had a half decent Internet connection. The original animated series is still probably my favorite anime of all time and it pushed me to search out the manga version of Berserk which of course goes so much more in depth with the multiple story arcs of Guts, the Black Swordsman (hence my Mefi name: kuroi "black," kenshi "swordsman")
Fan groups like "Band of the Hawk" would digitally scan the original Japanese manga and replace the Japanese language bubbles with English, but they could only do so much. So my girlfriend at the time, as a beautiful birthday gift, got me the first 20ish manga in the original Japanese at a local Japanese bookstore. I couldn't read it but the illustrations were just so good that I still had a good idea of what was going on.
When I heard that Dark Horse was going to release Berserk in English I was so overjoyed (which I bought of course).
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If you look at any panel of Berserk, you'll see such detail and texture that is rarely found in manga. It's no wonder Berserk took such a long time and in so few number (as compared to "simpler" manga that is presumably easier to churn out in hundreds of volumes).
I feel such a profound sense of loss.
54! Too young.
posted by kuroikenshi at 9:31 AM on May 20, 2021 [8 favorites]
Fan groups like "Band of the Hawk" would digitally scan the original Japanese manga and replace the Japanese language bubbles with English, but they could only do so much. So my girlfriend at the time, as a beautiful birthday gift, got me the first 20ish manga in the original Japanese at a local Japanese bookstore. I couldn't read it but the illustrations were just so good that I still had a good idea of what was going on.
When I heard that Dark Horse was going to release Berserk in English I was so overjoyed (which I bought of course).
.
If you look at any panel of Berserk, you'll see such detail and texture that is rarely found in manga. It's no wonder Berserk took such a long time and in so few number (as compared to "simpler" manga that is presumably easier to churn out in hundreds of volumes).
I feel such a profound sense of loss.
54! Too young.
posted by kuroikenshi at 9:31 AM on May 20, 2021 [8 favorites]
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What dreadful news. Too soon, and too sudden. I wonder if he left behind notes for ending Berserk? The Griffith part seemed to be heading towards Eclipse 2: Electric Boogaloo
posted by coolname at 12:51 PM on May 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
What dreadful news. Too soon, and too sudden. I wonder if he left behind notes for ending Berserk? The Griffith part seemed to be heading towards Eclipse 2: Electric Boogaloo
posted by coolname at 12:51 PM on May 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
I saw an interview with him from 2019 this morning, in which he described Berserk as being nearly halfway-finished, which is mind-blowing. I doubt anyone else would finish the series -- an awful lot of people would find that disrespectful to a man who is deeply respected in his field -- but I do hope he had some notes and concept art that his assistants could polish up as a chapter in a tribute/biography book.
posted by rifflesby at 2:57 PM on May 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by rifflesby at 2:57 PM on May 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
In Final Fantasy XIV, spontaneous commemorations have sprung up across all the game servers, marking the passing of a giant.
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 3:43 PM on May 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 3:43 PM on May 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
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Beautiful music for anyone who hasn't heard the OST to the original show: https://youtu.be/vZa0Yh6e7dw
posted by Cpt. The Mango at 4:13 PM on May 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Beautiful music for anyone who hasn't heard the OST to the original show: https://youtu.be/vZa0Yh6e7dw
posted by Cpt. The Mango at 4:13 PM on May 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
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I read Berserk for the first time during the pandemic. I am not much of a manga or anime fan, but I became interested after enough people pointed out the Berserk influence on games like Dark Souls, which I do love. At the start, I expected to read a few issues and then drop it once my curiosity was satisfied.
I ended up reading the entire thing, or at least everything published up until the end of 2020. I nearly didn't finish it - I found the series to be sickeningly violent, and there are plenty of character issues that we'd call problematic today. What kept me coming back to it were the moments where I was surprised at the emotional response I had to it. Maybe the meticulously detailed world of sweeping cruelty and injustice makes the rare moments of respite, emotional vulnerability, and wonder seem sublime, I don't know. I do know it's the only graphic novel I've read that's made me cheer out loud for its characters. Can't wait to read it again, once I have the stomach for it.
posted by Transmissions From Vrillon at 5:13 PM on May 20, 2021 [7 favorites]
I read Berserk for the first time during the pandemic. I am not much of a manga or anime fan, but I became interested after enough people pointed out the Berserk influence on games like Dark Souls, which I do love. At the start, I expected to read a few issues and then drop it once my curiosity was satisfied.
I ended up reading the entire thing, or at least everything published up until the end of 2020. I nearly didn't finish it - I found the series to be sickeningly violent, and there are plenty of character issues that we'd call problematic today. What kept me coming back to it were the moments where I was surprised at the emotional response I had to it. Maybe the meticulously detailed world of sweeping cruelty and injustice makes the rare moments of respite, emotional vulnerability, and wonder seem sublime, I don't know. I do know it's the only graphic novel I've read that's made me cheer out loud for its characters. Can't wait to read it again, once I have the stomach for it.
posted by Transmissions From Vrillon at 5:13 PM on May 20, 2021 [7 favorites]
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I woke up this morning to see this as the lead banner story on Anime News Network, with 70+ comments already. When a mangaka passes, it's rare for the news to generate this sort of interest. I can't remember the last time that sort of thing happened.
My husband notes that his Twitter timeline is filled with memorials to Miura-sensei, often from people who he didn't think were into anime and manga. Berserk, like Akira and Ghost in the Shell, was one of those crossover manga in the West, garnering a lot of fans from outside the otaku sphere (that Dark Horse is its North American publisher certainly helped).
Miura-sensei's life work was truly something special to many people. My condolences to his family, friends, and fans.
posted by May Kasahara at 7:15 AM on May 20, 2021 [2 favorites]