Several weeks ago, it was discovered that the official website for the late Kentaro Miura’s Berserk had posted a countdown timer online. While no information has come out on what to expect from the impending announcement, fans are becoming incredibly anxious and excited about what the potential news may be.
2022 saw Berserk return to serialization, under the watchful eye of Miura’s longtime, real-life friend, Kouji Mori. Since taking over, Mori has begun the descent of the Elfhelm section of the Fantasia arc, and possibly the Fantasia arc as well.
As such, fans are torn between whether the upcoming announcement in December will have to do with a long-awaited anime adaptation or if there will be news about the next manga arc.
Berserk’s upcoming announcement to be made on Saturday, December 10
Without a doubt, one of the biggest topics of discussion among the franchise’s fandom is that a new, high-quality, anime adaptation is announced for the series. Almost every anime adaptation since Berserk ‘97 has been greatly flawed in some way, whether by animation style, adaptation practices, or a less-than-ideal structuring of events and the series’ timeline.
This, understandably, has led to many begging and truly hoping for another new anime adaptation, one done the way it should be. Many fans have already begun expressing their dream studios for this hypothetical project, with some popular choices being MAPPA Studios, Bones Studio, Ufotable Studio, and Wit Studio.
One of the biggest roadblocks to getting a new Berserk anime is, ironically, the fans themselves. Given how mercilessly previous adaptations have been critiqued in the past, even high-quality ones such as the Golden Age arc film trilogy, studios may think the fanbase is hard to please. As a result, many studios that would do a good job with the adaptation may not think it is worth their investment.
As a result, a much more likely announcement to be made on Saturday, December 10 at 10:30 am EST is about the series’ upcoming arc. The next chapters of the series are set to be published in the weeks leading up to the announcement. This may present Mouri with the perfect opportunity to end the Fantasia arc, or at least the Elfhelm section of it, and begin anew.
However, this next Berserk manga arc could very well be its last, which fans should certainly keep in mind while waiting for the announcement. With Kentaro Miura’s tragic passing, Mouri may be looking to wrap up the series as soon as possible in order to preserve the series as Miura intended to the greatest degree possible.
However, this is all speculative, with no official or unofficial word on what’s to come with the series’ announcement. Nevertheless, fans should keep an open mind and expect everything and everything regarding the series’ future to be on the table.
Be sure to keep up with all general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2022 progresses.