To be fair, the workload for Berserk is immense and is hardly comparable to…literally any other manga series. Or any series actually.
There, I've said it. One Piece comes close but Oda gets away alot because he's not drawing realism/semi-realism and can stylized his creatures and characters into shapes.
What Miura does is insane and the work commitment he has put in (reflected in the author's notes) shows and I think we are only halfway through the story he has in mind.
There are so many elements in Berserk that is the first of its kind and there's no other Berserk, no other dark fantasy that could compare in terms of inventing and then re-inventing, to what Miura has done.
There's no way Berserk would have been possible had he not given his life away. I''m not just talking about the plot but also the technical skills necessary.
And a lot of the same fans that came in because of this work ethic in the first place are now criticizing the same work ethic that made them a fan.
I'm not advocating that somehow driving your body to become a half corpse should be the norm but I'm just saying, I hope at least people can see why works that are close to perfection exist the way they do.
It's almost a form of obsession that is unhealthy and insane but produces something life and world changing.
In a way, I feel like the long hours and the driven obsession he put into his work was something he was proud of even if it was ethically "wrong" for a person to do this, I feel like saying that he is forced to do this because of societal pressure or whatnot is an insult to a man who clearly has a mind and mental will strong enough to live a life he can be proud of.
Rather than your average job who would collapse at societal and workplace toxicity, I believe that Miura make his own decisions in spite of what the circumstances requires him to and he does it without that adherence to the overwork culture but that he truly loves his work. Thinking anything else annoys the shit out of me.
Of course, no one knows the truth but at least that's how I want to honour the master.
The industry is problematic but with the success of Demon Slayer and Chainsaw-man, the industry seems to be transiting into a more progressive work life balance era. Or at least, I hope so.