#5 - Return

Return

BERSERK IS BACK!!!!!

I woke up this morning to some unbelievable, amazing news. To my complete shock, Berserk will be returning with new chapters on June 24th, and then continuing to release chapters until the story concludes. The man at the forefront is Kouji Mori, Miura's lifelong friend, alongside Studio Gaga, the studio that Miura created and worked on Berserk with throughout the years. I was initially shocked and dumbfounded when I read the tweet for the first time, because back when I read Berserk myself and finished the final chapter, I had accepted and made peace with the fact that there would never be a "true" ending. I told myself, 'you know what, in a way, this is the perfect outcome for a dark story like Berserk; the fact that there isn't an ending at all is a perfect ending in itself.'  Although, realistically, I knew a small part of me was bluffing by saying this; deep down, it still really hurt knowing that, at the time, we'd never get a "true" ending since Miura had passed. This is why I was so shocked to wake up today and read that Berserk will, in fact, receive a "true" ending.

It definitely hurts knowing that Miura himself won't be here to see it play out. I am slightly scared of the possibility of these new chapters ruining, or tarnishing, Miura's legacy; I feel like there is a HUGE amount of pressure and responsibility on Mori and his team to complete Miura's story in his name, and to try and envision and recreate the story that Miura wanted to tell us, as well as Miura's passing coming at such a pivotal, crucial point in the story. However, if there was one group of people whom I would choose to entrust with the task of completing Berserk, it would be Mori and Studio Gaga, with all my heart.

Regardless of the next few months or years, however Berserk unfolds from this point, I'm just eternally grateful that we have fresh chapters coming out in the first place. To wake up to such shocking news, it still hasn't sunk in, a full day later. I genuinely believed we would never know how Miura's story would end, and yet here we are now. The one thing I am praying for is, please, don't ruin Miura's legacy. I have all the confidence in the world that they wouldn't do that, but just speaking generally, it would be heartbreaking for me to see Miura's work be damaged so late on. Despite my fears, I am more than confident that Mori and his team can pull off the overwhelmingly difficult task of finishing Berserk. Even if it isn't exactly what Miura envisioned, the fact that they have chosen to finish it in his honor in the first place is enough for me.

I will likely write some more posts expressing my thoughts on the newer chapters as release, and for now, I'll be waiting eagerly for Chapter 355. I really never thought I would type that again in my lifetime.

Thanks for reading! Until next time.

Connor Lunnon 07/06/2022