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Beherit music box

This Beherit music box was commercialized in 1999 by Animate (アニメイト) for 4500 yen. It plays a short version of the song "Forces" by Susumu Hirasawa (you have to really pay attention to hear it). It was produced as a late tie-in to the 97-98 animated series.I've shot a video of it so you can see (and more importantly hear) it in action, and I've also attached pictures of it from all angles. Little bit of trivia: in Japane...

Size comparisons between various versions of Berserk

Here are a few pictures showing how different editions compare in size. While the perspective may not show it well, they're all perfectly aligned, so we can see that the MyBestRemix (MBR) volumes that were sold in convenience stores in Japan during special periods aren't quite as large as Dark Horse's deluxe edition, which is exactly the same size as Young Animal (B5 JIS). That means it is double the size of a standard volume (tankôb...

Messages to Kentarou Miura: Nico Nicholson (1)

This post is now available to Bronze and Silver patrons.Memories about Miura-senseiIt was 2010 when I met him first.At that time, I was a completely obscure mangakaIt’s the same now though…Even with no major ((well-known) work.Onomatopoeia: Teeth chattering<< Editor-sanIn this situation, I got to draw a manga about a raid-like coverage of the popular mangaka in Young Animal.And Miura-sensei was the first (subject) of my serialization.(I felt ...

Podcast #14: From Software & Berserk

With the recent release of Elden Ring, with which From Software seems to have broken into the mainstream, Walter & Aazealh go over the oft evoked connections between the studio's games and Berserk.Want more of the podcast? Click here for the public episodes.

Learning Japanese with Berserk: Demon Child

Introduced early on in volume 1 and the heart of the drama in the last episode of volume 41... It's Guts and Casca's son, of course. In his early, misshapen form, we call him the "Demon Child". That comes from the title of episode 92 (at the beginning of volume 14), when we see his tragic birth.In Japanese, it's 幼魔, pronounced ようま (YOUMA). 幼 means a young child or an infant. As for our old friend 魔, you must be f...

Translation schedule

Hi everyone,Here's the order in which the remaining tributes from the "Messages to Kentarou Miura" booklet will be translated:-Nico Nicholson-Shizuya Wazarai-Katsu Aki-Satoru Akahori-Tamami Momose-Ena MoriyamaOnce we are done with it, Puella will move on to the long interview Miura gave for the "Artwork of Berserk" catalog that is being sold at the Big Berserk Expo.Afterwards we will resume translating the long interview with ...

Messages to Kentarou Miura: Akkiu (2)

Part 1 of this translation can be found here.Page 3 Now that I think of it. <--- While my husband was going to the bathroom Miura: Hey heyMiura: Does Mori-chan really sleep better than before?Miura: (I’m asking) since (his sleeping pattern) often gets messy.Akkiu: Yes, kind of… He was worried about him every time we met… When it came to himselfMiura: Me? I don’t have any (health) problem at all!!Miura: I’m very healthy～!!Miura: Ha ha ...

A page that was redrawn in volume 10

It was not uncommon to see changes between the prepublication in Young Animal and the release of the episodes in a volume. However it was often details, and cases where a full page was added (or removed!) stayed rare throughout the years.Today I'm showing you a page that was completely redone for the volume. It's in episode 55, in volume 10, as Guts completely annihilates the royal guards sent to stop Griffith's escape from jail. The ...

Messages to Kentarou Miura: Akkiu (1)

Page 1It’s already been more than eighteen years since I met him first…When I had still been dating with my husband, we went to Miura-san’s house.<--- Mori KoujiMori: Yo— Akkiu: Sorry to intrude!! Mori: Miura～ this is Akkiu～Onomatopoeia: *Dead-drunk* Akkiu: Nice to meet you!!Akkiu: Wow, fresh manuscripts, wooow!! Furthermore, (it was) an onslaught of big drunkards!!The first greeting with very bad manners But Miura-san wasn’t distur...

About the name "Vortex of Souls"

Where does the name "Vortex of Souls" come from exactly? As any Berserk fan knows, it refers to the giant whirlpool at the bottom of the astral world. We learn in volume 3 that it is, essentially, hell. It's where human souls with bad karma end up after death (gleaned from Flora in volume 24). And it forms an abyss at the bottom of which lies the Idea of Evil.But is it ever actually called the Vortex of Souls? Well, not exactly. Puck ...

Messages to Kentarou Miura: Umino Chica

On the days that we met, he always let me have sweet biscuits when we went back (home).He always wore a smile and never showed a pained expression.When the day to see him again comes, I want to talk a lot about manga once more.

Alternate cover for volume 1 and volume 38

Young Animal redesigned the covers of Berserk's volumes in 2016, with the release of volume 38 (on June 24th). It coincided with them renaming their publishing label Young Animal Comics from the original Jets Comics. In addition to all of that, Miura also drew a new cover for volume 1, mirroring that of volume 38.A limited edition alternate cover was released alongside volume 38 that features both of those illustrations, one on each side. It ...

Messages to Kentarou Miura: Last page

With the utmost respect for Miura Kentarou sensei—Young Animal editorial department

Messages to Kentarou Miura: Kouji Mori (5)

This post is now available to Bronze patrons. Thank you for your support!Part 1 of this translation can be found here.Part 2 of this translation can be found here.Part 3 of this translation can be found here.Part 4 of this translation can be found here.Dear readers and fans of Miura,Thank you for having read this story.I’m sorry that it has become a collection of somewhat inconsistent memoirs…As written in this manga, I had a friendship with ...

Learning Japanese with Berserk: The Golden Age

Before Guts' wandering days as the Black Swordsman was the period of his life known as the Golden Age. In Japanese, that's 黄金時代, pronounced おうごんじだい (OUGONJIDAI). It is a rather straightforward translation with English, since the term originates from Greek mythology and commonly refers to a prosperous era of the past (e.g. the 80s were the golden age of action flicks!).Of course in Berserk it's not a past quite as...

Request for comments: SkullKast 10th anniversary

Hi everybody!A Simpsons joke? Why the hell not.EDIT: The podcast is now live! It's almost 5 hours long and was a lot of fun to make. We hope you'll enjoy it!We're preparing a special episode of the SkullKast for the 10th anniversary of the show. Can you believe it's been 10 years already? Well my receding hairline can, that's for sure. Anyway, because you guys have been supporting us the most, we wanted to give you a sneak pee...

Podcast #13: 80s movies

Join us as we time warp back to the 1980s, when action movies were king. We discuss what made this era of movies special, their influence on us, and naturally — their influence on Miura and the creation of Berserk.Want more of the podcast? Click here for the public episodes.

A rare illustration of Guts

A little while ago I posted what I believe is the first published painting of Kentarou Miura. Today I'm sharing the first published painting he did of Guts (although it looks more like a charcoal drawing). It's quite rare because it was only published in a special issue of Animal House and never reprinted afterwards.Said issue was dedicated to Miura and featured both the entirety of Ourou (King of Wolves), which he did with writer Buronso...

Messages to Kentarou Miura: Kouji Mori (4)

This post is now available to Bronze patrons. Thank you for your support!Part 1 of this translation can be found here.Part 2 of this translation can be found here.Part 3 of this translation can be found here.Page 15Miura: Made into an anime, made into a TV drama. We’re competing for the first place in the magazine, huh?Miura: Now we’re…Mori: For me… I have still a long way to go.Miura: Please draw it.Mori: Eh?Miura: Draw this story.Miura:...

Understanding the name "Idea of Evil"

Today let's talk about a name that isn't in any of Berserk's volumes but that looms large over the series.That name is "The Idea of Evil". In Japanese, the God of the Abyss (深淵の神, SHIN EN NO KAMI, from the episode title of ep 82 & 83) refers to itself as 魔の源形, MA NO GENKEI (not pronounced 'KAYE' but 'KEH' with a long EH sound). Furthermore, the kanji for GENKEI has furigana that indicates it sho...

Looking back on the promotion of volume 41 in three newspapers worldwide

Here are some pictures of the newspaper ads for volume 41 that ran in Asahi Shimbun, the New York Times and Le Monde on December 24 & 25.The collage at the beginning is at scale, although the NYT was scanned flat by Walter (while everything else is from a single photo I took) and so the perspective isn't perfect. For reference, the NYT is 55.88 x 31.75 cm as measured by Walter while the Asahi Shimbun is 55 x 40 cm and Le Monde is 47 x 32 cm.B...

Learning Japanese with Berserk: The Brand

The Brand of Sacrifice is a key element in Berserk that gets developed in the eponymous second segment of the story. In Japanese, it's called 生贄の烙印, pronounced いけにえのらくいん (IKENIE NO RAKUIN).烙印 (RAKUIN) is the word for "brand" or "mark" and refers to a pattern applied on something, from simple stamping of a document all the way up to cattle branding. 生贄 (IKENIE) means a living sacrifice, lik...

Messages to Kentarou Miura: Kouji Mori (3)

This post is now available to Bronze patrons. Thank you for your support!Part 1 of this translation can be found here.Part 2 of this translation can be found here.Page 12For 7 years, while I was frustrated, Miura never asked me “don’t you want to draw manga?”He just called me as usual and did his manga consultation,Just (that)…No matter how busy he was, he never let me help with his manuscripts.[He had long hair because he was too busy to...

Learning Japanese with Berserk: Abyss

"Abyss" in Japanese is 深淵, pronounced しんえん (SHIN EN). The Abyss of the Astral World is a seldom talked about but significant place in Berserk. It is where the entity that created the God Hand resides and where beherits come from.We first learn of it in volume 13, when Griffith sinks down there during his rebirth as Femto. That episode is aptly titled 深淵の神, meaning "God of the Abyss". As you no doubt know, the s...

Podcast #12: The Dragon Slayer

On this episode of our Patreon-exclusive podcast, we talk about Guts' weapon: the Dragon Slayer. From its core concept to its stripped down design and of course its depiction and the story, we go over why it's essential to Berserk and how it has shaped the series.Want more of the podcast? Click here for the public episodes.

A rare Casca poster from Young Animal

This special poster depicting Casca was painted by Miura in 1999 and served among other things to advertise the Dreamcast game (ads for the game, OST and artbook are at the bottom, but I cut them out at the time). It was published in Young Animal but never reprinted anywhere else.I scanned it and posted it on the forum in 2014 to thank the people who supported the launch of this Patreon, however I realized recently I had never actually published ...

A message from Puella for 2022 and going forward

Hi folks, First, I want to show my sincere gratitude to you for your continuous support. It really boosts me up and I feel l'm not alone in trying to keep Miura's legacy alive. When Miura was with us, I translated Berserk-related texts as a kind of side job. However, these days I've been thinking more and more that it should be my main activity. The reason is simple: translating faithfully and qualitatively takes time.Currently, I&#39...

Messages to Kentarou Miura: Kouji Mori (2)

This post is now available to Bronze patrons. Thank you for your support!Part 1 of this translation can be found here.Page 8Superficially, it may sound strange butSharing information or thoughts was quite a common thing between us.Anyway, when we were young, we talked (together) almost every day, all year long.Pointed arrow: That’s me. I didn’t hesitate to ask for another bowl of rice in Miura’s home.To tell an unbelievable story, I was eve...

Wishing you a happy new year

2021 was not a good year for Berserk fans. In fact it was the worst of all, with the untimely passing of Miura-sensei on May 6.Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of you for your support, and we hope our modest efforts have brought you a modicum of solace during this most dreadful of years. Let us hope that 2022 will only bring good things.To not start the year on too gloomy a note, here is the earliest new year card from Miura-sensei ...