Studio Taka Halts Berserk Fan Animation Project After Hakusensha’s Feedback

On Monday, September 16, 2024, fan-driven Studio Taka made the official announcement regarding the cancellation of their Berserk fan animation project, following recent remarks from publisher Hakusensha. Although Hakusensha specifically addressed Studio Eclypse’s anime fan project rather than Taka’s animated adaptation of the manga, Taka has ultimately chosen to voluntarily discontinue their series. At the time of writing, Taka’s social media account on X (formerly known as Twitter) has also been deactivated.

Currently, Taka’s Berserk fan animation project has not received any official recognition from Hakusensha, either positively or negatively. The publisher’s warning to Eclypse seems to have prompted Studio Taka to shut down their cherished project. Up until now, Eclypse has not commented on Hakusensha’s notice or Taka’s subsequent decision to close down.

Impact of Studio Eclypse’s Berserk fan animation project following Hakusensha’s comments

Taka cited that their decision was motivated by the implications of Hakusensha’s statement, indicating that it affects all Berserk fan projects, including their own, even though they were not directly mentioned. Taka’s motion comic has been available on YouTube for nearly six years, with likely a longer production timeline. The Taka YouTube channel also features various lore explanation videos and character analyses focusing on notable characters such as Casca and Griffith.

Furthermore, Taka seemingly continued their production of the fan animation without disruption, with the latest upload to their YouTube channel occurring on April 8, 2024. With the publisher’s notice not mentioning Taka by name, it remains unclear why Taka opted to dissolve as a studio and halt their project’s production. They specified that their decision was made “after thoughtful consideration and exploring all possible options.”

It is also possible that Taka was operating within a grey area that Hakusensha had not been closely monitoring until the notice regarding Eclypse was issued. This might explain why Taka chose to end the project themselves instead of waiting for Hakusensha to take action. However, these points remain speculative at this time, with Taka’s farewell note being all that fans currently have to go on, and likely the last information they will receive.

Studio Eclypse is unofficially adapting Kentaro Miura’s iconic manga series, Berserk. As previously mentioned, the studio has yet to provide comments on Hakusensha’s notice as of this writing. The most recent update on Eclypse’s Berserk project was the release of an English dub trailer on July 1, 2024, which teased a release window set for Summer 2025.

Miura’s original manga debuted in Hakusensha’s Monthly Animal House magazine in 1989 and was later transferred to Young Animal magazine in 1992. This beloved series is still ongoing and being serialized today following Miura’s passing in May 2021 at the age of 54. Miura’s Studio Gaga is currently producing the manga under the supervision of his childhood friend and fellow mangaka, Kouji Mori.

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