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Berserk: The Black Swordsman Fan Animation Aspires to be Everything the 2016 Anime Wasn't

Online animation group Studio Eclypse announced in early October that its team has begun pre-production on a BERSERK: The Black Swordsman fan animation. The staff of the project expressly stated the animation will not include the "Golden Age arc" of Kentarō Miura's manga and will focus on "The Black Swordsman arc." The project will include "adaptation of the stories that have been neglected of this medium."

Considering that many fans felt the 2016-2017 anime adaptation left much to be desired, fans are rightfully excited to see what an adaptation of the "The Black Swordsman arc" for fans and by fans might look like. The studio has stated the adaptation will be a wholly 2D project with no 3D CGI used for character animation. While the 2016 anime was heavy on 3D CGI, it drew criticism for everything from art style to writing. From the above trailer, it seems the fan project is off to a good start.

The trailer features a preview of the song "Omens" by Zach Jackson of Depths of Aetherium, part of the original soundtrack featured in the project. The studio has also announced the English voice actor and staff for the project, stating the animation will have both English and Japanese voice acting.

It certainly seems ambitious for a fan project, but BERSERK: The Black Swordsman has some solid talent lined up. Studio Eclypse has further promised that there "won't be any censoring or toned down scenes" in the animated project. So it will need some seasoned talent and a lot of creativity to bring Miura's artwork to life. There's a reason why even big-budget animation studios struggled to capture the intricacies of Berserk's artwork in an animated medium, so Studio Eclypse has taken on a daunting task.

We don't know how long it will be before we get to see some animated footage, but the basic membership tier for Studio Eclypse's Patreon account promises early access to key animation, promo materials, and concept art.

That said, fans hoping for a full series adaptation might be disappointed. When Studio Eclypse polled fans on Twitter about what its next project should be, the studio noted "the winner will have a short anime adaptation done by us in the upcoming months." Studio Eclypse previously worked on the "Attack on Titan: Requiem" fan animation.

Miura passed away on May 6, 2021 due to acute aortic dissection. He was 54. His manga went on hiatus after his passing, but then resumed in Young Animal in June 2022. The manga now has the following credits: "Original work by Kentarō Miura, manga by Studio Gaga, supervised by Kouji Mori."

The 1997 anime adapted the the "Golden Age arc" as did the three-part film retelling of the arc that opened in Japan in February 2012.

Source: Studio Eclypse's Twitter account and YouTube channel