Studio Eclypse’s fan-made Berserk anime is in the midst of controversy after the franchise’s copyright owning company called them out on X.
Kentaro Miura’s Berserk is considered one of the best manga of all time. The dark fantasy series is known for its gritty storyline and beautifully detailed art, as well as producing subpar anime adaptations.
But the manga’s bad-anime curse finally seemed to be lifted when the fan-run Studio Eclypse announced an anime show in 2023. They released the first subbed trailer on May 18, 2024, and got fairly positive responses from viewers.
The first episode of the fan-made anime series is scheduled to be released in 2025. But before the highly anticipated premiere arrives, the show has landed in the middle of a controversy.
読者の皆様へベルセルクのアニメーション製作が以下のXアカウント（https://t.co/gfZWTH3KUm ）及びウェブサイト（https://t.co/RvvTmchoof ）にて告知されていますが、著作権者である三浦建太郎（スタジオ我画）は許諾しておりません。また、使用されている映像も無許可のものです。… pic.twitter.com/z7cJ1gJg3i
— ベルセルク公式 (@berserk_project) September 11, 2024
On September 11, 2024, the official X account of Hakusensha Inc. – the company that owns Berserk’s copyright after Miura’s death – posted a statement against the upcoming anime, revealing that it has never been authorized by the late mangaka or his associated studio, Studio Gaga.
“To our readers, The production of a Berserk animation is being announced on the following X account (https://x.com/studio_eclypse) and website (https://www.studio-eclypse.com), but such production has not been authorized by Miura Kentarou (Studio Gaga), the copyright holder,” stated Hakusensha Inc. through the post on X.
They further continued, “In addition, the videos accompanying the announcements are being displayed without permission.”
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Studio Eclypse hasn’t responded to the accusation yet. However, netizens agree with the company about respecting copyright laws, blaming fan-made studios for making a profit from unauthorized IPs, and not paying respect to the manga’s late author.
“This fan-made anime invades copyright because they’re gonna make money WITHOUT any permissions from Berserk,” wrote one X user. “Hakusensha, a Japanese company which owns copyrights of Berserk, announced cautions officially. They don’t pay respect to the author. Don’t watch it.”
“I would agree if this was in fact non-profit but Studio Eclypse asked for money for the animation which immediately breaks copyright law,” commented another. “Most other fan animators know not to do this for this exact reason. Make your work a non-profit, then you can get donations separately.”
“Just heard about the actual Berserk guys addressing Studio Eclypse’s Berserk fan project. Honestly I never really had faith in the project seeing how their poor track record regarding AOT and the fact their Guts VA is saying the project is a lost cause with two people working on it,” added a third.
While you wait for Studio Ecplyse’s response to this, check out what’s happening in other franchises. Find out about the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen ending and One Piece’s Elbaf Arc. You can also give our My Hero Academia ending explainer a go.
