Hakusensha disclaims Studio Eclypse's Berserk anime fan project

Modified Sep 12, 2024 22:16 GMT

Hakusensha disclaims Studio Eclypse's Berserk anime fan project (Image via GEMBA, Millepensee, Liden Films)

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 saw Hakusensha officially disavow Studio Eclypse’s previously announced Berserk anime fan project via the series official X (formerly Twitter) account. The publisher stated that the production was not authorized by copyright holders Kentaro Miura and Studio Gaga, which was Miura’s studio that worked on the series with him.

The statement also confirmed that the videos being used in Studio Eclypse’s Berserk anime project are being used without permission. In essence, the announcement confirms that Hakusensha or the copyright holders have authorized no aspect of Studio Eclypse’s project. The statement was posted in several languages beyond Japanese, including English, Korean, Chinese, and French.

Studio Eclypse yet to respond to Hakusensha’s announcement regarding the Berserk anime fan project

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As of the writing of this article, Studio Eclypse has yet to post a response to Hakusensha on its official website or social media platforms, such as X, Patreon, and YouTube. It’s likewise currently unclear whether or not Hakusensha’s notice will influence Eclypse to halt production on their Berserk anime fan project.

The latest activity from the studio on any of their social media platforms came earlier this week via their YouTube channel’s community section, sharing an illustration also posted to their X account. The latest update on the project came in the form of an English dub trailer, shared on Eclypse’s various social media platforms on July 1, 2024.

This trailer claimed the project was aiming for a Summer 2025 release window. The project was initially announced in October 2023 and is officially titled the BERSERK: The Black Swordsman fan animation. The original statement claimed the project would include “adaptations of the stories that have been neglected of this medium.”

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While it’s unclear whether or not Eclypse plans to continue with the project, Hakusensha’s vocal disavowment of it will likely impact fan reception and viewership. Although Hakusensha doesn’t announce any intent of legal action against the project, this latest announcement may be a warning shot on the path to that eventuality. However, this is purely speculative as of this article’s writing.

The fan project is unofficially adapting author and illustrator Kentaro Miura’s original manga series of the same name. The manga began publication in Hakusensha’s Monthly Animal House in 1989 before moving to the Young Animal magazine in 1992, where it remains and is still ongoing today.

Creator and original mangaka Kentaro Miura died on May 6, 2021 at 54 years old due to an acute aortic dissection. Miura’s childhood friend and colleague Kouji Mori resumed the manga in June 2022 after a hiatus following Miura’s initial passing. The manga now credits Miura with the original work, Studio Gaga with the manga’s production, and Kouji Mori with supervising the series.