SkullKast - A Berserk Podcast

Berserk is a difficult series to discuss critically because a significant portion of its audience was introduced to it through the 1997 anime adaptation, and not everyone has engaged with the manga to the same extent. This distinction matters when discussing the continuation, because Berserk is fundamentally Kentaro Miura’s work, and its identity extends far beyond its characters, plot developments, and major narrative events. I can understand why some readers appreciate the continuation being produced by Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga. There is an understandable desire to see the story reach some form of conclusion, especially after Miura’s passing. However, that desire should not place the continuation beyond criticism or make it equivalent to the work Miura himself created. I find many of Skullkast’s criticisms well-founded, particularly regarding the continuation’s storytelling, characterization, pacing, and ability to preserve the subtleties that defined Miura’s writing. Even if Mori is working from conversations he had with Miura, knowing the broad direction of a story is not the same as possessing the creative judgment necessary to execute it. Miura’s use of visual storytelling, character psychology, and thematic nuance was inseparable from his authorship. These are not qualities that can necessarily be reconstructed from “remembered” plot points. There is also a legitimate discussion to be had about the commercial interests involved in continuing Berserk. Hakusensha is a publisher with a financial interest in maintaining one of its most valuable properties. That does not, by itself, prove that the continuation is motivated by profit rather than a sincere desire to honor Miura. However, neither should the stated intention of honoring his legacy exempt the project from scrutiny. Good intentions do not automatically justify the artistic decisions being made, nor do they guarantee that the resulting work faithfully represents its creator’s vision. For me, Episode 364 marks the conclusion of Berserk as a work directly authored by Kentaro Miura. Everything published afterward belongs to a fundamentally different category: an interpretation of his unfinished story by other creators. Readers are free to appreciate that interpretation, but I reject the idea that it should be treated as an unquestionable extension of Miura’s work. Episode 386 has only reinforced my concerns about the direction of the continuation. My objection is not simply that Berserk is being continued without Miura, but that the differences in execution are substantial enough to undermine the very qualities that made the original work exceptional. And as those differences become increasingly apparent, I find it harder to accept the continuation as a satisfying or artistically faithful conclusion to Berserk.

Great depth but holy smokes so negative now

They clearly love the source material and they have valid criticisms of the new chapters. However, they also look for every single little thing to complain about. It goes from legitimate concern to speaking about what miura would have hypothetically done. They rip on things that the average fan wouldn’t even think about. They’ll even say, this is no longer berserk. It just comes across as bitter.

This podcast about berserk is just as meticulously detailed and admiring of the work of Berserk as Miura was in creating his masterpiece which paid homage to so many other artists and so many other works. If you don’t understand why Miura’s passing was so devastating and why the handling of Berserk today by Mori and the staff at Studio Gaga is such a disappointment then sadly you were never truly connected to what made Berserk so great in the first place. In a way, I actually envy you for that. For the rest of us or at least for me this Podcast continues to carry a torch for those who Berserk connected with in its many depths and many layers that went deeper than the surface, Berserk had a soul and unfortunately not even the essence of that soul exists in todays depiction. This group of Podcasters helped me to understand even more the immense amount of work that one man put into something he loved which is carried on in every episode as they take the time to review and admire a great work they all still clearly love to read and to discuss and if they, like me, continue to return for nothing else but to admire and review and share the work of this once in a lifetime artist, they have my support. Continue please to dissect and interpret where the work was going and what sets it apart from what we are getting today.