Studio Taka announced on Sep 17, 2024, that they are canceling their animation project of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk manga following a copyright warning from the franchise’s rights holders.
Studio Gaga and Hakusensha, who control the intellectual property of Berserk, had recently issued a legal notice to another fan project, Studio Eclypse, prompting Studio Taka to reevaluate their own work.
Studio Taka had been adapting Berserk as a motion comic series on YouTube.
In an official statement released on their YouTube account, Studio Taka explained the decision to shut down the ongoing project.
Check out the statement below:
To our lovely fans,
We’ve recently had an important discussion following the developments within the Berserk online community. As some of you may know, Studio Gaga, the rights holders of Berserk recently took a public stance regarding the release of Berserk content without proper authorization. Naturally, this has implications for all Berserk fan projects, including ours.
After thoughtful consideration and exploring all possible options, we have made the very difficult decision to bring this project to a close. While we are extremely passionate about continuing the project, we recognize the potential legal risks involved and feel that it’s important to respect the intellectual property rights of Studio Gaga/Hakusensha.
This decision was not made lightly. For many years, this project has been a significant part of our lives, and we are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support and enthusiasm you’ve all shown for the episodes we’ve created. It’s been a rewarding journey, and your positive feedback has meant the world to us.
After Kentaro Miura’s passing, we committed even more deeply to honouring his legacy with the hope of introducing new fans to Berserk and encouraging others to read the manga through exposure to our videos. However, recent events have made it clear that fan projects, no matter how well-intentioned, are not exempt from legal considerations.
While it’s incredibly difficult to step away from something we love so much, we believe it’s the right thing to do in order to honour the rights holders and their wishes.
Thank you all once again for your incredible support over the years. It has meant more to us than words can express.
Studio Taka
Berserk manga’s publisher Hakusensha issued a formal statement on Sep 11, 2024, warning fans about an unauthorized animation project being promoted by Studio Eclypse, clarifying that neither the original author Kentaro Miura nor Studio Gaga, which now manages the IP, had given any approval for this project.
Berserk, which first debuted in 1989, has become a global phenomenon, selling over 55 million copies and inspiring several anime adaptations.
Despite Miura’s passing in May 2021, the manga continues under the supervision of his close friend, manga artist Kouji Mori, and the team at Studio Gaga.
Berserk was adapted into a 25-episode anime television series by OLM, which covered the Golden Age story arc, and was broadcast from October 1997 to March 1998. The Golden Age arc was also adapted into a trilogy of theatrical anime films; the first two films premiered in 2012 and the third film premiered in 2013.
A second 24-episode anime television series adaptation was broadcast for two seasons in 2016 and 2017.
Source: YouTube