Hakusensha, the company behind Kentaro Miura’s popular Berserk, recently released a statement on Twitter criticizing a fan-produced anime version of the manga titled Berserk: The Black Swordsman. The publisher clarified that the adaptation is not official and, most importantly, uses the IP and its copyrighted images without authorization from Studio Gaga or the deceased Miura.
Berserk: The Black Swordsman is presently in production by Studio Eclypse, a fan animation group located in the United States. Funding for the project comes from Patreon subscriptions that vary from $5 to $20 per month. A preview is now available, and the first episode is set to premiere in 2025.
After Hakusensha made a statement last week, many Berserk fans expected Studio Eclypse to issue a response or for the publisher to take legal action. Despite this, the fan project has not made any public statements regarding the issue, even when their Berserk-related tweets continue to garner attention from the community.
How is the Fan Animation Community Taking the News
On the other hand, other fan projects related to Berserk have reacted to the situation. Studio Taka, a fan group devoted to producing motion comic videos for Berserk, recently announced to their audience that they have halted their adaptation due to Hakusensha’s statement.
The Studio declared their decision to halt all forthcoming Berserk animation endeavors. The studio created by fans is famous for producing a top-notch animated version of the Berserk manga. Studio Taka also functioned based on contributions from users, having 258 Patreon subscribers who paid for access.
Studio Taka mentioned Studio Gaga’s recent statement on social media as the cause for their decision regarding the unauthorized release of Berserk content. While Studio Gaga’s statement explicitly targeted Studio Eclipse’s interpretation, the Studio believes “this has implications for all Berserk fan projects, including ours. We believe it’s the right thing to do in order to honor the rightsholders and their wishes.”
After thoughtful consideration and exploring all possible options, we have made the very difficult decision to bring this project to a close. While we are extremely passionate about continuing the project, we recognize the potential legal risks involved and feel that it’s important to respect the intellectual property rights of Studio Gaga/Hakusensha.
This decision was not made lightly. For many years, this project has been a significant part of our lives, and we are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support and enthusiasm you’ve all shown for the episodes we’ve created. It’s been rewarding journey, and your positive feedback has meant the world to us.
About the Fan Loved Studio Taka
Studio Taka is a fan-run studio “driven by an unwavering passion to bring top-quality videos to the manga and anime fan community.” The studio released Part 1 of its Berserk: The Animated Manga back in December 2021, which has garnered nearly 500,000 views. Part 2 was released just five months ago and already has close to 200,000 views.
Studio Taka recognizes the importance of honoring Kentaro Miura’s legacy by introducing Berserk to new fans and promoting the manga for others to enjoy.
Berserk: The Black Swordsman Was Disavowed by Copyright Holders
While Berserk is widely regarded as one of the top manga series ever, the anime versions that have been produced have not met expectations. Numerous fan endeavors, such as Studio Miura’s, strive to provide a faithful adaptation, and Berserk: The Animated Manga was deemed one of the superior ones.
Studio Gaga did not specifically mention Studio Taka’s Berserk: The Animated Manga in its statement, which is something worth noting. Instead, Studio Eclypse was specifically mentioned by the rights holder for the project, Berserk: The Black Swordsman. Studio Eclypse has been accused by many for the recent crackdown on fan-made projects due to their request for money from fans to finance the project, which would constitute unauthorized commercial use of copyrighted material.
At the time of writing, Studio Eclypse has not made a public statement in response to Studio Gaga’s statement about Berserk: The Black Swordsman.
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