A little earlier in the month, we shared this statement from Léon Marchand with you as the famous French swimmer revealed some of his favorite manga, among which we could notably find Berserk. And while many are impatiently awaiting the continuation of the adventures of the famous Guts, it is KÅ ji Mori who recently spoke about the difficulties that he and the Studio Gaga team may have encountered in continuing the work of the late KentarÅ Miura.
Berserk: the heavy legacy of Kentaro Miura
While shonens certainly remain the most popular genre with the general public, there are manga aimed at a more mature readership that have managed to carve out a special place in the hearts of fans: seinens. And one of the most cult works of this genre is obviously Berserk.
Launched in 1989, Kentaro Miura’s manga quickly became a must-have for many fans across the globe, many having been seduced by the dark Guts and the dark fantasy universe as violent as it is gloomy in which the protagonist evolves. And while Miura’s death in May 2021 suggested that we would never know the end of the story, it was Koji Mori and Studio Gaga who finally took over the reins of the project in June 2022, in order to continue the adventures of Guts.
A project which is far from being an easy task if we rely on Mori’s recent statements on this subject. Indeed, it is in a new interview shared by Magmix (via CBR) that the mangaka spoke about the difficulties encountered, explaining that recreating Miura’s iconic art style had been particularly difficult for him and the team Berserk from Studio Gaga.
There is one particular element in Guts’ appearance that he considers to be one of the most difficult parts of the hero to draw, and this is his armor, but any: that of the Berserker. Mori then declared on this subject:
I tried to draw her several times, but even professional manga artists find it difficult. It must have been crazy to move such complicated armor with so much ease. I think the Berserker armor is the most complicated armor in Japan.
In particular the shape of the Berserker armor Guts wears is so difficult to draw that it feels like it was done on purpose. The shoulders are hexagonal and the hexagonal armor overlaps like an accordion and is held together by an intricate curved shape.
As explained CBRit is Yoshimitsu Kurosaki, the head of Studio Gaga, who is generally responsible for drawing Guts and the other characters of Berserk. Mori then praised Kurosaki’s workstating that the quality of his illustrations was comparable to that of Miura.
There are times when his drawings are so beautiful that they give you goosebumps… Kurosaki is particularly good at drawing the female characters in Berserk, and Farnese and Schierke are almost perfect. However, I feel like it’s difficult to draw Guts and other middle-aged “square” characters in Miura’s style. Kurosaki’s characters are slim and sleek, so I once asked him to make Guts a little stockier so he wouldn’t be too skinny.
I think the pressure is immense because (Kurosaki) is taking over from Miura, who is known for his incredible drawing skills and is considered the best in Japan and the world. However, Kurosaki is a truly talented artist, and I feel like he has evolved since the series was revived.
And to learn more about the anime The Black Swordsman from Studio Eclypse, find out what this big decision was made by the fan studio following the threats it had to face recently.
Source: hitek.fr
