Berserk

[puffing.cinema]

this news just hit me as hard as when Sir Pratchett's death was announced.

I wasn't aware of his health condition, I just assumed the pauses were a breather and a way to focus on other things after pouring so much into his work…so I'm really feeling like it came out of nowhere.

It's kinda funny how we can create some attacthment to someone we know very little off purely due to how massively impactful an art-work can be.

He left behind a colossal body of work that is a cultural staple in the genre. He did so much and I can only be thankful for the ride.

I really wish that he attains peace in his resting - every ounce of info that pop up about him reforced the idea that his work was very taxing on him, his death cause is quite a painful one too, so I really hope that whatever is next for him brings him peace and joy.

[Robby]

@Monquito:

Uh, Miura died two weeks ago(?)

Any particular reason they held on this for so long?

Privacy for the family.

Also to maybe figure out what exactly they as a publisher are going to do. There's likely still a chapter or two that were finished or mostly finished, and a team of assistants that can apparently match the style. Maybe figure out if there's enough notes to make an ending out of, or if there were still 10 years to go so its impossible. Discuss it with the anime house… and the estate.. business stuff.

They haven't made any announcements yet but those talks has to have been going on behind the scenes.

[Razh]

@Robby:

FF14 players lining up by the thousands as Black Knights to honor Muira. Line goes literally around the city. On multiple servers. Servers can't even hold everyone getting on. I.

!

! https://i.redd.it/hk5dqj6sy7071.jpg

I'm on the wrong server to get in the line, and never quite made it to Dark Knight, but I went and found a bunch of dark knights holding pose and kneeled as a witch for about an hour.

Damn that's really something. Get a sense of peace just following the line.

Wish I had time to invest into FF14, any little tidbit I find out about it makes me wanna play it more.

[Green_vs_Red]

Well this was news I didn’t need to wake up to.

Makes you realize how crazy and unpredictable life can be.

[Lord Gaimon]

just saw the news, devastating.
been reading this manga since i was 12 never expected this to happen so soon ,54 is too young. rip

[Silence]

I'm so crushed. Berserk meant so much to me.

[Satsuki]

@DoctorPhil:

Smoking can be a cause of aortic dissection, and Oda is a smoker too. Yikes…

SOMEBODY POST DOCTORS AROUND ODA RIGHT NOW.

@Robby:

FF14 players lining up by the thousands as Black Knights to honor Muira. Line goes literally around the city. On multiple servers. Servers can't even hold everyone getting on. I.

https://i.redd.it/hk5dqj6sy7071.jpg

I'm on the wrong server to get in the line, and never quite made it to Dark Knight, but I went and found a bunch of dark knights holding pose and kneeled as a witch for about an hour.

That's fabulous. I wonder if anybody in WoW is doing anything right now.

@puffing.cinema:

I wasn't aware of his health condition, I just assumed the pauses were a breather and a way to focus on other things after pouring so much into his work…so I'm really feeling like it came out of nowhere.

Nobody knew anything, this came very out of left field. Unless he had a history of heart problems and bad blood pressure, then this is totally unpredicted. Although smoking and over-work don't help.

[DatYute]

Absolutely heartbreaking.

The series is one of the best of all time. Guts and his journey mean a lot to me. Rest in peace Miura.

[wolfwood]

54 is way too young.

[juiceduphody3315]

Say what you want about the story, his art work was master class. That's what I enjoyed most about the series, the artwork. Breath taking stuff the amount of detail in some panels.

[KaizokuJinbei]

Been at work so late on it but

Never read and don't intend to read (sorry it's not my cup of tea) Beserk but even people like me know it's a juggernaut of it's genre and left a big impression on many readers and probably inspired many future authors. He will have a lasting legacy.

RIP Kentaro Miura

[Tarek]

This sucks. Rest in peace Kentaro Miura.

[HIDE][/HIDE]

[K466]

Sad irony that he met the same faith as his idol Kaoru Kurimoto of dying before finishing their work, part of me want to believe there must've been some sort of comfort in him before his death knowing such coincidence.

As for Berserk, what can I say, the depths and topics it tackles and what a way to execute. I wonder if there is any other manga that has a better psychological description of a character than Miura did with Guts. A textbook example of character development.

although unfinished as well, little series like Gigantomakhia are Duranki were just another great experience to read.

Rest in peace Kentaro Miura.

[Raffy]

@Piitan:

I'm sure Miura has left ample notes on how the Berserk story should go. What the editors do with this (hire an artist to continue the manga, or go the route of animated-only ending) should set a precedent for what will happen to HunterXHunter once Togashi passes away or passes on the manga industry.

Honestly they should just let it end. It just wouldn't be the same if they continued it without him. Just release a final "fan" book with these notes, some unpublished interviews/drawings and call Berserk finished :sad:

[Kfunk]

Still having a hard time accepting it…
RIP Miura

[auem]

Unbelievable! To woke up to this news!

[RoboBlue]

@Piitan:

I'm sure Miura has left ample notes on how the Berserk story should go. What the editors do with this (hire an artist to continue the manga, or go the route of animated-only ending) should set a precedent for what will happen to HunterXHunter once Togashi passes away or passes on the manga industry.

If Togashi passes away I think HXH should be finished in novel form. The current arc is already half-novel anyway.
That idea could work for Berserk too.

[Satsuki]

A novel or fanbook might be the best idea. After all, nobody could match his art.

[auem]

I hope he left enough pointers to finish the story in any form. GUIN SAGA is still running dcade after the author died. But there have to change in quality or general feel.
No matter what it won't be the same. So we have to harden our chest and move on. That will be hard too.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

Taken from Reddit.

"Miura Kentaro passed away from an acute aortic dissection on May 6th, 2021, at 14:48. He was 54.
We would like to express our thanks to all those who read Mr. Miura's works, beginning with those who paid great devotion to Berserk, and express our great sorrow at Mr. Miura's passing.
On behalf of the editors, I would like to express my great respect and thanks for Mr. Miura's works, and wish him deep happiness in the next world.
We offer our deepest condolences to the family members he has left behind.
A funeral has already been held by his family.
Plans for the publishing works that have not yet been collected in tankobon format will be posted to our website as soon as we have determined how we will be moving forward.
Young Animal Editors"
"There's one thing that comes to mind now. I remember when I was a young editor working on Berserk. While I was thinking that the original panel layout was great, and Mr. Miura turned to me and said "I'll do something about that layout." At the time I was a bit afraid but I think I understand what he meant now. Mr. Miura really loved to think of new things. Not in an exaggerated way, but the way that a child might explain a new idea. He enjoyed films and anime every day, and used those as sources for creating manga.
The things he liked and relationships he had throughout his life are packed into his works like treasures. He taught me time and time again that "real life becomes manga." Thank you very much, Mr. Miura.
And finally, to our readers. (TN: Not sure about this next sentence.) It was you that picked up, protected, and carried Mr. Miura when he had fallen down. And we also have a request. We ask that you respect the privacy of Mr. Miura's family and friends as they mourn. We express our deep gratitude for what he brought to us in life, and our deep mourning as we pray for his happiness in the next world.
Young Animal Editing Division Chief
Nagashima (first name I can't read, probably Takayuki?)"
"I can still remember shaking his hand right after I joined the company. It was the hand that had given us Berserk! After that, I became responsible for Berserk, and in every meeting he would always say something like "well I had an idea…" and share things that were unbelievably interesting, and I had to work hard to keep up with him. Experiencing the way that the things he saw daily, like manga, films, and news, influenced his own manga was the greatest lesson of all. He said it would take him at least 30 more years to get all of his ideas on paper, which makes it even sadder to have lost him so suddenly. Having worked on Berserk is a great pride of mine. Thank you, Mr. Miura, for everything.
Young Animals Editing Division
Work Supervisor Takamura Ryo"

[jyushinshuu]

Wow! I opened this thread since it was updated hoping for a good news(new chapter). RIP Legend!/

[zeltrax225]

Manga artists, Industry and Fans pay Tribute to Miura https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/05/20-1/manga-artists-industry-and-fans-pay-tribute-to-kentaro-miura

Hajime no Ippo, Kingdom, Fire Force, Sangatsu, and other artists.

I'm still sad

[John san]

Very sad news about Kentaro Miura… so young...

[Myu]

Shit like this makes you mad that you question your belief of rejecting the idea of afterlife.

I want to look at him in the eye and say a simple thank you.

Rest in peace. Whatever that fucking means.

[RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths]

Miura leaving so unexpectedly soon feels so cruel, it pains me so much that i dont have a chance to show how much i appreciate him and it hurts even more knowing that he probably didnt have time to prepare for his own journey's end (in general not just berserk). Grief is one of the most suffocating and exhausting emotions. Its a hole in your heart that can never be filled. Only way to relieve the pain of loss is by believing that someday you will see your loved one in the afterlife and exchange things that couldnt be said or done before, its such a human solution. I had similar thoughts and questions these past two days. I have removed myself from religion since highschool and only typically follow traditions, tho i might pray from time to time when im extremely fearful of a future outcome. Learning about Miura's death made me hope that he was somewhere beyond space and time watching all the positive thoughts and unity of the community towards him. I have to believe because the pain would be so overwhelming otherwise

[Satsuki]

@zeltrax225:

Manga artists, Industry and Fans pay Tribute to Miura https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/05/20-1/manga-artists-industry-and-fans-pay-tribute-to-kentaro-miura

Hajime no Ippo, Kingdom, Fire Force, Sangatsu, and other artists.

I'm still sad

Absolutely fabulous. I'm a little surprised Oda hasn't released a statement.

Also excellent Berserk fanart there by Dave Raposa (Marvel).

[Nilitch]

Shit, we all know what this means. Togashi is next. Fuck! Fuck death !

[Myu]

@RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths:

Miura leaving so unexpectedly soon feels so cruel, it pains me so much that i dont have a chance to show how much i appreciate him and it hurts even more knowing that he probably didnt have time to prepare for his own journey's end (in general not just berserk). Grief is one of the most suffocating and exhausting emotions. Its a hole in your heart that can never be filled. Only way to relieve the pain of loss is by believing that someday you will see your loved one in the afterlife and exchange things that couldnt be said or done before, its such a human solution. I had similar thoughts and questions these past two days. I have removed myself from religion since highschool and only typically follow traditions, tho i might pray from time to time when im extremely fearful of a future outcome. Learning about Miura's death made me hope that he was somewhere beyond space and time watching all the positive thoughts and unity of the community towards him. I have to believe because the pain would be so overwhelming otherwise

Salut brothers of 16 characters.

[uniaka ikuzakas]

Oda needs to finish this in 5 years….

[killerbee1000]

Fuck, I'm still sad. Oda and George R.R. Martin need to be covered in bubble wrap until they're finished with their respective series.

[Green_vs_Red]

Considering that R.R. Martin has been procrastinating for awhile he might need the whip.

[RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths]

I dont care for ASOIAF nearly as much as Berserk but i hope Martin can finish it

[Ivotas]

@zeltrax225:

Manga artists, Industry and Fans pay Tribute to Miura https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/05/20-1/manga-artists-industry-and-fans-pay-tribute-to-kentaro-miura

Hajime no Ippo, Kingdom, Fire Force, Sangatsu, and other artists.

I'm still sad

I cannot open this. Is there any alternative way to access this?

[auem]

@killerbee1000:

Fuck, I'm still sad. Oda and George R.R. Martin need to be covered in bubble wrap until they're finished with their respective series.

GRRM won't finish it I bet. But since he keeps plenty of side notes, someone will end it posthumously. Also we already got the generic ending, since I fully believe Danearys dying and John getting banished are given.
On topic I think Miura's assistants will continue the story.

[RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths]

@auem:

GRRM won't finish it I bet. But since he keeps plenty of side notes, someone will end it posthumously. Also we already got the generic ending, since I fully believe Danearys dying and John getting banished are given.
On topic I think Miura's assistants will continue the story.

Miura said in an interview that he was pretty fast with storyboards so i imagine he's completed at least a few chapters. Hopefully the assistants can push out two more volumes. As far as notes go im not sure. He seemed like the type of author who focused completely on the present story and let it unfold itself. From his interviews its not clear whether or not he had everything from the final arc set in stone.

[Robby]

Really it depends on if he knew his health was failing or if it came out of nowhere. Some authors, if they know their time is short and they might not finish their life's work, leave extensive notes… but the creative field is such that its extremely rare they'll have spent too much time actually scripting or writing the ending. (And often if they do, its an ending that was written far in advance, and is no longer really appropriate to how the story actually shaped up.)

Robert Jordan was pretty far into the final Wheel of Time book and had the last pages written, and most of the first 1/3... plus notes, so it was relatively doable to finish his story. Game of Thrones, Martin certainly has notes, but they might not be any more extensive than what the show had to work with.

Muira has assistants that he felt were ready to do more work to get chapters out faster, and editors that surely knew at least the gist, so it's feasible that it could be continued short term to reach some sort of ending, but it won't be quite right.

The Guin saga is still going on a decade after the author's death, but I don't know how the quality is there, and those are novels... slightly easier to transition. Hitchhiker's Guide got a single volume follow up to give things a slightly happier ending. It's not unprecedented.

Ideally, if they continue, they finish it in a completely different medium, like one more movie, so that its clear and distinct that it's a creative team rather than Muira... and the change in style is more acceptable.

It's just a shame all the animated Berserk stuff except the 97 version has been... not good.

[zeltrax225]

@Ivotas:

I cannot open this. Is there any alternative way to access this?

Probably you can try changing your browser or use incognito.
Either way, I found alternate sources for you, see whether it works? If not, I'll see if I can do a copy paste.

Mirror 1:
Berserk: Kentaro Miura's Passing Prompts Tons of Emotional Tributes (comicbook.com) 2:
Famous mangakas and members of allied industries paid a mournful tribute to Kentaro Miura – Explica .co
and Mangaka and companies pay tribute to Berserk's Kentarou Miura - SGCafe
The first link is missing all those twitter images and KOEI's tribute but the last link is not translated but has screen captures of the mangaka posts.
Would be great if you can open both.

[Shift]

@Ivotas:

I cannot open this. Is there any alternative way to access this?

I saved the webpage in Chrome. It's not perfect, but it should have all the links to the Twitter tribute posts: https://mega.nz/folder/c6BgQZYY#cjBZWqUYLXQqEYdeJA1_9Q

[cubo]

(pasting from an Italian website)

Kentaro Miura (1966-2021) died on 6 May. He leaves no wife or children. Cause of death is aortic dissection. In practice, the internal tissue of the aorta tears and creates a sac. When the pouch in turn breaks, the outcome is fatal. Causes include high blood pressure and excess stimulants. Only early diagnosis can save lives. But what was Miura's life like? Let's try to read the autobiographical notes he left in his comics …
I got a fever of 40. Looking back, I only had two days off this year. (1993)
I lost 5 kilos without doing anything. I wonder why. (1993)
For the past two months, I've slept an average of less than four hours a night. (1993)
I will turn 27 in July. Looking back, it's been 27 years of comics. Is this what I want? (1993)
Since I moved, my hours of sleep have been less than four. (1994)
It's the same every year, I have to work on Christmas and New Year. I would like to celebrate, once in a while. (1994)
I had a day off for the first time in a month and a half and when I got out, I had heat stroke. (1995)
I bought new shoes and clothes for the New Year. I only have a pair of sneakers. (1996)
I was in Okinawa for my first mangaka vacation and for the first two and a half days I was sick with heat stroke. (1998)
In the past month and a half, I've been out for two hours to have dinner at a club. (2001)
If I haven't seen people for a long time, my mouth no longer works as it should. (2002)
My days off are half a day every two months. I haven't taken two consecutive days off in four years. I'm getting tired. (2004)
I had another collapse from overwork. (2005)
My thirty years are about to end. My life is a mess, made up only of manga. But it can't be returned to me, so I'll go ahead! I will stay indoors again this year. (2006)
After all, I will not be locked in the house, because I feel alone. (2006)
I haven't been able to go out for a week and chocolate has become a precious food. (2006)
Two thirds of my body is made of energy bars. Does that mean that Berserk is two-thirds sponsored by the manufacturer? (2009)
I haven't been able to see live cherry blossoms this year either. (2011)

[Raffy]

one possible cause of aortic dissection is high blood pressure (which in turn can be caused by stress). Most of that list reads like a bunch of stressful situations …

[Robby]

…I need to hop on my exercise bike.

[Satsuki]

Right? I should probably throw out these Hershey Kisses.

Miura wasn't the first artist to ignore his health for his art.

[Robby]

One of Muira's assistants has spoken out on that issue. He WASN'T unhealthy.

https://www.dualshockers.com/berserk-continuation-kentaro-miura-health-assistant-comments/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Because of a certain comment from over 20 years ago and its outdated info, I’ve seen a lot of misunderstandings and people believing my teacher followed a bad lifestyle.

I want to correct this to protect his honor. My teacher, for the last 15 years or so, followed a pretty decent diet, and also regularly exercised, (including muscle training). He was physically and mentally healthy and had no chronic illnesses.”

There's also no official decision yet if they'll be continuing, but it sounds like its maybe possible if they're not dismissing it outright.

[Satsuki]

Well, just goes to show you that heart attacks/heart problems can come out of nowhere, as much as aneurysms or unfortunate accidents.

. . . should probably still throw out these chocolates.

[Nobodyman]

Yeah, it certainly does help your chances if you live a healthy lifestyle. But, unfortunately, sometimes your body just gives you a shit hand.

[auem]

@Robby:

One of Muira's assistants has spoken out on that issue. He WASN'T unhealthy.

https://www.dualshockers.com/berserk-continuation-kentaro-miura-health-assistant-comments/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

There's also no official decision yet if they'll be continuing, but it sounds like its maybe possible if they're not dismissing it outright.

Unless Miura himself categorically forbade it( is it even possible in manga contract?), they will try to finish it. Corporate interest is hard to ignore.That said,I doubt they will risk to run it too long and face the backlash over quality of the story particularly.

[Dark-Abel]

@killerbee1000:

Fuck, I'm still sad. Oda and George R.R. Martin need to be covered in bubble wrap until they're finished with their respective series.

If RR Martin ever finishes the current book I doubt he will even start with the last one.

[Satsuki]

Unless he's suffering from some serious health issues (mental or physical), I think it's really shitty of an author to drop a series when it's super popular. It's like betraying your fans.

Now, if Martin is dealing with physical or psychological problems, I'm more forgiving. You can't properly write a book if your brain/body isn't working.

@Nobodyman:

Yeah, it certainly does help your chances if you live a healthy lifestyle. But, unfortunately, sometimes your body just gives you a shit hand.

True dat. I have a seizure condition and we have no idea where it comes from. I don't have a brain tumor, no sign of an aneurysm, no serious head trauma, no ancestral brain problems (that we know of), just randomly started one day. Years in we're still trying to find the source and the best treatment. sigh

[The D.]

Since Miura will never be able to finish his story himself, how do y'all think berserk would have ended if he was able to complete it?

[Robby]

Martin's isuse with Game of Thrones is he's been working on it for 26 years without breaking away to do anything to refresh himself. He wants to get it done and keep the fans happy. He certainly wants it to be done more than any reader does.

But if the juices and passions aren't there they just aren't there. If he'd stopped to write a short sci-fi book inbetween volumes he might be a lot further along now.

Patrick Rothfus is the real asshole. He claimed his entire trilogy was done before the first book came out, and lo, its been 11 years since his last volume as well and nothing.

@The:

Since Miura will never be able to finish his story himself, how do y'all think berserk would have ended if he was able to complete it?

They leave elf island to find there's been a timeskip without them. They meet adult Rickert leading an army in the final grand war. Big battle happens, Guts teams up with Zodd because. Fights a few of the big generals. Fights Griffith, kills him, it's not as satisfying as anyone would have hoped because while Griffith is Gut's foe he's not the true evil.

Guts gets pulled into bullshit anime ending time where he's sent ot an alternate realm and speaks to the disembodied spirit of evil.. thing. Smacks it with his sword. Guts dies, but all the demons and god hand die in pretty much the same stroke.

[Desperado]

What they still have to explain is how Griffith turns back to being genuinely evil as things go too smoothly for him now to cause much harm.