Anime sequel heralded by Berserk countdown ending in December 2022?

The Berserk Season 3 launch date could be developing over the horizon. In early October 2022, a Berserk countdown heralded the pending announcement of one thing associated to the Berserk anime TV collection.

The Berserk countdown is on the official web site for Berserk: The Golden Arc – Memorial Version (Berserk Ougon Jidai-Hen Memorial Version), which was launched on Crunchyroll and Hulu on October 1, 2022. The Berserk timer is at the moment set to finish on December 11, 2022.

There is no such thing as a indication of what announcement can be made when the Berserk countdown ends. Above the timer is the phrases “あと” which could be translated as “after” or “one other factor”, which may very well be a touch that it’s a Berserk sequel.

Clearly, anime followers are hoping for a Berserk Season 3 announcement that lastly continues the story after 5 years of ready by ending the Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc after which leaping into the Berserk Fantasia Arc. Though, some followers are hoping that the Misplaced Youngsters, Berserk Conviction, and Falcon of the Millennium Empire arcs can be rebooted as a remake of Berserk 2016.

In spite of everything, Berserk Season 3 is each feared and desired by followers of the collection primarily based on the way in which that the Berserk 2016 anime turned out. Fortunately, there’s good motive to consider that mistake received’t occur a second time.

The anime first began with the Berserk 1997 anime produced by animation studio OLM, which tailored the Black Swordsman Arc by the Golden Age Arc. The three Berserk motion pictures by Studio 4°C that have been launched from 2012 by 2013 lined the 11 manga volumes of the Golden Age story arc.

For Berserk 2016 and 2017, the Berserk anime collection switched studios once more to GEMBA, a subsidiary of Digital Frontier (GANTZ: O). Anime followers hated this adaptation because it closely relied on poorly animated 3D graphics and even the skilled critics mocked it in opinions.

In Fall 2022, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc was tailored into TV episodes by returning Studio 4°C. This new Berserk anime is meant to honor Kentaro Miura’s dying. It’s not an enormous enchancment in animation high quality because it’s merely a remastered recut of the films that initially relied on a slipshod mixture of uneven CG and conventional 2D animation.

Nonetheless, the Berserk memorial version anime additionally launched a number of new scenes that weren’t tailored by the unique film. One spotlight is Griffith and Casca within the Bonfire of Goals (Yume no Kagaribi) scene that was minimize from the unique.

READ: High 10 details about Berserk: Golden Age Arc Memorial Version to air in October: new scenes and extra [Trailer]

The entire new Berserk scenes will use conventional 2D animation. It’s attainable that the producers realized from the Berserk 2016 backlash. Thus, the Berserk Season 3 anime might solely use CG when needed.

Arguably, 3D animation in anime has superior quite a bit over the past 10 years. Though anime purists nonetheless want that CG is used minimally, Japanese animators have realized how one can use these new instruments in methods the place the CG isn’t essentially distracting from the expertise.

The principle employees and studio producing Berserk Season 3 haven’t been introduced but. If Studio 4°C returns to supply the third season it’s attainable it might characteristic the same employees to the Memorial Version venture.

Toshiyuki Kubooka directed Berserk: The Golden Age Arc motion pictures at Studio 4°C, whereas Yuta Sano directed the Memorial Version TV model. Author Ichiro Okouchi dealt with the scripts.

Chief Animation Director/Character Designer Naoyuki Onda supervised the remastering course of and any extra new work. Satoshi Iwataki was the Animation Director. Akiko Saito, Chiaki Imanaka, Takayuki Kusaki, and Yusuke Hirota have been the CGI administrators. Composer Shiro Sagisu created the music.

The Berserk Season 3 OP (opening) and ED (ending) theme track music hasn’t been introduced but.

The Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Version OP track was carried out by Susumu Hirasawa whereas ED track “Want” was carried out and written by Mika Nakashima.

The TV remake’s finale, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Version Episode 11, was launched on December 11, 2022.

This text supplies all the pieces that’s identified about Berserk Season 3 (Berserk 2023) and all associated information. As such, this text can be up to date over time with information, rumors, and evaluation. In the meantime, let’s delve down into what is understood for sure.

Berserk Season 3 launch date in 2023 attainable?

As of the final replace, producer Aniplex, Studio 4C, or any firm associated to the manufacturing of the anime has not formally confirmed the Berserk Season 3 launch date. Nor has the manufacturing of one other Berserk anime sequel been introduced.

As soon as the information is formally confirmed this text can be up to date with the related info.

Within the meantime, it’s attainable to take a position about when, or if, the Berserk Season 3 launch date will happen sooner or later.

Berserk 2017 ended with Episode 24, Metropolis of People, and completed with a 2D scene that arrange the following a part of the story. Whereas it could have simply been a blatant name to learn the manga, Studio GEMBA additionally left audiences with the message, “The story continues….”

Again in 2017, there have been loads of manga chapters out there for Berserk Season 3 to be produced instantly, so why have anime followers been ready so lengthy for a continuation? Sadly, the Berserk 2016 reboot offered very badly, with solely 803 copies of the Blu-ray/DVD offered in its first week!

In fact, Blu-Ray copies offered in Japan are only one issue. Streaming income has turn out to be the 800-pound gorilla within the fashionable anime trade and the collection was widespread internationally on Crunchyroll.

However there wanted to be some restructuring of the anime manufacturing committee because the final initiatives didn’t carry out as much as expectations. Notably, NBC Common Japan was concerned within the 3D Berserk anime venture as one of many main manufacturing companions within the anime manufacturing committee. In 2017, a press launch even mentioned a partnership between Crunchyroll and NBC Common Japan for co-developing anime and the press launch even talked about the Berserk anime by title.

Clearly, the brand new Beserk anime venture by NBC Common Japan by no means got here to fruition. As an alternative, they dropped out of the anime manufacturing committee for the Memorial Version venture whereas producer Aniplex has stepped as much as the plate.

That’s most likely a superb signal since Aniplex has been producing a whole lot of anime sequels as of late. Confirmed notables embrace Demon Slayer Season 3 (and doubtless Demon Slayer Season 4: Infinity Citadel Arc), Sword Artwork On-line -Progressive-, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Woman Senpai Season 2, My Costume-Up Darling Season 2, Kaguya-sama: Love is Warfare -The First Kiss By no means Ends-, Rating of Kings: Treasure Chest of Braveness, The Misfit of Demon King Academy Season 2, The Irregular at Magic Excessive Faculty Season 3, and SK8 The Infinity Season 2.

It’s additionally attainable that anime unique tales by Aniplex like Interact Kiss Season 2 and Lycoris Recoil Season 2 may very well be renewed.

Now, when there’s a significant change in producers, manufacturing employees, and studio it would take years to carry an anime venture from the pre-production stage to starting precise animation work. Animators are usually contractors who shift between studios and initiatives are scheduled out years prematurely since many studios are fully booked up for the foreseeable future.

As such, if Aniplex started pre-production a number of years in the past and Berserk Season 3 is introduced on December 11, 2022, then it’s attainable that the Berserk Season 3 launch date can be in mid-to-late 2023. Nonetheless, if pre-production solely started extra just lately then anime followers ought to count on to attend till 2024 or 2025.

Berserk 2016/2017 – What went incorrect

To say that anime followers hated the animation type of Berserk 2016 is sort of an understatement. There was a lot gnashing of tooth on Reddit and plenty of a meme bemoaning the TV present’s visuals, which resembled the purposefully old-school graphics however not within the good-feeling nostalgic form of approach as supplied by the 2022 Uncle From One other World OP video trailer.

The 3D animation rendering type always switched between CGI and cel-shading, which was particularly jarring. Essentially the most notorious scene had Guts “strolling” away from his group and the animation actually had him scooting away South Park type. The Berserk 2016 Blu-ray version had the studio making an attempt to repair a few of the most egregious moments, however the finish end result nonetheless left a long-lasting impression that CG in anime needs to be averted.

So, how might the Berserk anime have gone so horribly incorrect? It began with Studio GEMBA and anime producer Tetsuro Satomi eager to go along with 3D laptop graphics for the animation. The issue was that GEMBA had solely finished manufacturing help up till that time. So, GEMBA was tasked with doing the complete manufacturing for the primary time.

On the helm was director Shin Itagaki, who had beforehand directed Satan Could Cry along with being an episode director for quite a lot of widespread anime together with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Itagaki needed to duplicate the excessive element of the manga artwork with a 3D/2D hybrid.

Sadly, this imaginative and prescient prompted the studio to waste a whole lot of time looking for a stability that was possible primarily based on their time and finances. Many high-detail 3D fashions have been scrapped and simplified variations needed to be recreated.

By the point the fashions have been being animated, GEMBA solely had 4 months to spare earlier than the large premiere in Japan. The time crunch meant it was unattainable to 3D render the lighting results for environments as initially meant.

Studio Millepensee (which was serving to GEMBA) needed to manually apply texture results in lots of circumstances as a result of the software program wasn’t robotically monitoring all the pieces as meant. The employees was pressured to compromise on quite a lot of technical points, leading to low-quality animations that anime followers will bear in mind for years.

Or will they? The ultimate scene of Berserk 2017 was memorable simply because it was totally finished utilizing 2D animation. It’s attainable that GEMBA produced that scene in recognization of anime followers’ outcry. It’s additionally attainable the 2D scene is a promise of issues to return and Berserk Season 3 may very well be produced in that artwork type.

Berserk manga ending quickly? Studio Gaga picks up the banner and begins working

The story for the anime is predicated on the long-running Berserk manga collection by Kentarou Miura. Whereas the Berserk hiatus is notorious within the manga fandom, the mangaka managed to output 41 volumes and 364 chapters since beginning serialization approach again in 1989.

The official English translation is supplied by Darkish Horse Comics. New volumes often come out inside a yr after the unique Japanese launch. As of November 2, 2022, the English translation can be caught up with Berserk Quantity 41, though a number of chapters haven’t but been launched within the tankobon format.

As all Berserk manga followers know by now, Miura suffered an premature dying in Could 2021 (Berserk artwork director Shichirou Kobayashi additionally died in 2022). In Summer season 2022, it was introduced that Studio Gaga (Miura’s crew of assistants) will resume the story with Miura’s shut good friend and fellow manga artist, Mori Kouji, main the cost.

Again of their highschool days, Miura and Mori co-authored a sci-fi doujinshi, which was despatched to Weekly Shonen Sunday however didn’t make it previous the final spherical of choices. Miura’s mates and apprentices understand how he needed to finish Berserk, which implies Guts’ story may have the ending Miura envisioned.

What’s extra, when Miura began the Fantasia story arc with Chapter 308 he estimated again in April 2009 that his progress amounted to about 60 to 70 p.c completion towards reaching the Berserk manga’s ending. Nonetheless, the Berserk creator admitted that he himself doesn’t “know something for certain on the subject of the long run.”

As such, it’s unsure what number of chapters there can be till the Berserk manga’s ending is reached. A really tough progress estimate can be that the manga collection was previous the 80 p.c mark in 2022.

Berserk Chapter 364 was the ultimate chapter labored on straight by Miura. The chapter centered on the Moonlight Boy and the thriller of his origin.

It’s attainable that Studio Gaga will solely persist with what they know for sure Miura had meant for the ultimate story arc fairly than increase on the concepts as Miura himself may need finished if he have been nonetheless alive. Regardless of the case could be, the manga resumed with Berserk Chapter 365: Lull of a Waning Moon on June 24, 2022.

Since then new Berserk manga chapters have been persistently launched each month. After the Berserk Chapter 370 launch date on October 14, 2022, there was a quick hiatus. Berserk 370 lastly completed the Fantasia Arc/Elf Island Arc that started in Chapter 308. The Berserk Chapter 371 launch date was scheduled for December 9, 2022, in Younger Animal Problem 24, 2022.

At that progress charge, the Berserk manga’s ending might probably come out inside a number of years assuming that Studio Gaga doesn’t take any main breaks.

Due to this fact, the Berserk manga’s ending ought to present room for even Berserk Season 4 sooner or later.

Berserk 2017 left loads of room for extra anime episodes

Anime-only viewers who jumped into the collection with Berserk 2016 have been very confused. The primary episode dropped audiences into the center of the motion with out offering a recap despite the fact that it had been a few years because the final anime adaptation of the manga collection.

Even worse, GEMBA made the choice to skip the following brief story arc, the Misplaced Youngsters, and bounce straight into the Conviction story arc of the manga collection. That story arc began with Chapter 95, resulted in 82 chapters with Chapter 176, and was lined by Volumes 14 by 21.

All in all, Berserk 2016 skipped some manga chapters nevertheless it lined the main occasions of the Conviction story arc with 12 episodes.

Berserk 2017 lined over half of the Falcon of the Millenium Empire story arc, which was contained in Volumes 22 by 35 (or Chapters 177 by 307).

Fortunately, the manga collection at the moment has loads of chapters out there for producing Berserk Season 3. There are 57 chapters left within the Falcon of the Millenium Empire story arc for the third season to adapt.

Within the best-case situation, the variation pacing of the Berserk Season 3 anime might end off solely the Falcon of the Millenium Empire arc fairly than try and discover a stopping level in the course of the Berserk Fantasia arc.

Warning: The next 2 paragraphs have descriptive spoilers.

If the studio goes the latter route, Berserk Season 3 will most likely discover a stopping level someplace close to the defeat of the Sea God in Berserk Quantity 37: Chapter 327, which takes place proper earlier than a mini flashback arc. The arrival at Skellig Island by Guts and his celebration doesn’t happen till Berserk Quantity 38: Chapter 342.

Berserk Season 4 might then decide up within the subsequent a part of the story the place the group makes an attempt to revive Casca’s sanity. They’re astrally projected into her thoughts as a part of a dreamscape journey.

The present Fantasia story arc remains to be unfinished even by Studio Gaga. Started again in October 2009 with Berzerk Chapter 308, the Fantasia arc remains to be ongoing with 62 chapters accomplished as of September 9, 2022.

For anime watchers who want to learn forward within the manga, Berserk 2017 completed off with the occasions described in Berserk Chapter 249.

Berserk 2023 TV anime spoilers (plot abstract/synopsis)

Whether or not or not anime audiences cherished Berserk 2017/2017 or bemoaned the CG animation, it may be argued that Studio GEMBA picked an amazing stopping level within the Falcon of the Millenium Empire story arc.

Guts and his celebration have been staying at a canteen whereas looking for any ship keen to sail them to Skellig, the island house of Puck the place Elfhelm is positioned. They hope to have the ability to remedy Casca of her dementia as a result of the island exists between planes and is house to clever elves and mages.

Such a easy quest to discover a ship shortly escalates as a result of Farnese goes to her household, the Home of Vandimion for assist. Farneses’ father, Federico de Vandimion III, initially rejects her request for a ship as a result of it’s claimed that she tarnished the household title together with her actions. They’ll solely grant her request if she marries her brother’s childhood good friend, Roderick of Ys.

Not solely is the household squabbling, Guts is challenged to a duel and a monster out of the blue invades the banquet corridor. The face of Emperor Ganishka kinds itself out of the fog and declares struggle on the Holy See. All of this motion is simply preparation for an invasion by the Kushan Empire, which has attacked the town and a number of other ships within the harbor on hearth.

Roderick is Farnese’s childhood good friend and seeks to assist her by providing his ship, the Sea Horse, to Guts and his celebration. They have to combat their technique to the harbor and Guts even kinds a short-term alliance with the sword grasp, Nosferatu Zodd, to fight Ganshika’s fog apparition.

The variety of opponents is so overwhelming that Guts nearly loses himself to the Berserker Armor. He permits the Beast of Darkness to take over his physique, permitting him to combat again towards the hordes. With the assistance of Schierke, Guts doesn’t give up fully to his inside darkness and regains his sanity.

Though the Kushan Empire suffers a defeat, Emperor Ganshika makes use of the life power of these killed by the fog to carry out a ritual sacrifice so he can achieve extra energy from the astral world. Ganshika transforms into an enormous monster and faces off towards Griffith and his Neo Band of the Hawk.

The Emperor is dropping his thoughts and turns into obsessive about killing Griffith. The corpses of the stomped troopers turn out to be monsters on the battlefield. In response, Griffith and his Apostle follower cost into battle whereas turning into their true kinds, astonishing the human Falcon members.

The battle culminates in Griffith inflicting Cranium Knight to by accident redirect a swing from the Sword of Actuation at Ganshika. The slash opens a fissure deep into the astral airplane and the Emperor transforms right into a white tree. The Falcons see a brand new metropolis mysteriously seem close by the ashes of Wyndham and Griffith dubs the town Falconia.

The minimize into the astral airplane causes a world transformation occasion the place the supernatural world overlaps with the bodily world. The members of the God Hand seem within the bodily world together with creatures straight out of fantasy. Trolls, giants, unicorns, dragons, hydras, and different legendary creatures now stalk the earthen airplane, inflicting people to flee to Griffith’s kingdom of Falconia to search out an escape.

Guts’s Band of the Hawk comrade Rickert journeys to the town of Falconia, the seat of energy for Griffith, the resurrected former Hawks commander. However the glittering towers of Falconia forged the darkest of shadows, and a legion of demonic monstrosities dwell within the darkness!

Rickert meets Griffith inside this new capital. Upset that Griffith was keen to sacrifice allies to construct this utopia, Rickert slaps Griffith throughout the face. Rickert is ultimately pressured to flee the town and he kinds his personal firm.

In the meantime, Guts and his celebration are touring worlds aside to achieve their vacation spot in Skellig. The blast of brilliant white mild from the astral world attributable to Ganshika’s dying envelopes the bodily world. Felt even distant by Guts and his celebration, they really feel just like the world is being break up aside. Guts’ model even begins bleeding.

Journeying on the Sea Horse, Guts confronts Captain Bonebeard and his ghostly pirates. They also have a run-in with a Sea God. Reaching Skellig doesn’t reduce the hazard since they discover themselves befuddled by numerous traps that shield Elfhelm from intruders.

Sadly, anime followers must wait till the Berserk Season 3 launch date to observe what occurs subsequent. Keep tuned!