A new chapter of the Berserk manga will be published in Young Animal magazine.
According to Anime News Network, new chapter will memorialize creator Kentaro Miura, who suddenly passed away in May at age 54 due to an acute aortic dissection. The contents and author of this new chapter are currently were not announced, so it's still unknown if publisher Hakusensha will continue the series with a new author, or if this new chapter is made from Miura's unreleased work. The new release will feature a full color page, and will also come packaged with a poster featuring some of the most iconic scenes from the Berserk manga. The issue will also come with a booklet entitled "Messages to Miura," which will feature commentary from fans and other manga and anime creators who were touched by Miura's work. The new chapter will be published with the 18th issue of Hakusensha's Young Animal magazine, which is where the Berserk manga was serialized in recent years. The issue goes on sale in Japan on Sept. 10.
Berserk tells the story of Guts, a powerful warrior with a massive sword, who wanders the land as he seeks revenge on a former comrade who took everything away from him. Miura's epic was first published in 1989 and has since sold over 50 million copies worldwide. The dark-fantasy series has spawned multiple anime and video game adaptations, and is widely cited by other modern creators and artists as a huge influence on their work. Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama has stated that Berserk was a major influence on his series, as has Castelvania producer Adi Shankar. News of Miura's unexpected passing in May was greeted with an outpouring of sympathy from professionals across the entertainment industry.
Interestingly, Hakusensha describes the memorial chapter as only the "latest" release in the Berserk series. Fans are currently divided on the topic of whether the series should continue without Miura; some want Guts' journey to be given a proper conclusion by another author, while others argue that Berserk was so closely defined by Miura's vision that no other creator could possibly continue his legacy.
The Berserk manga is localized and distributed by Dark Horse Comics in North America. The 2016 Berserk CG anime is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
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Source: Anime News Network
