Studio Eclypse’s highly anticipated fan anime project, Berserk: The Black Swordsman, has highlighted its faithfulness to the original manga series in a video that compares the anime’s trailer and the source material with side-by-side shots.
Following Studio Eclypse’s recent Berserk: The Black Swordsman trailer release, a comparison video hyping its faithfulness was released on July 22, 2024. Via X (formerly Twitter), the video has nearly 170k views and over 8.4k likes, with the general fan sentiment overwhelmingly positive ahead of the series’ upcoming release. Readers can check out the comparison footage below.
Studio Eclypse’s Berserk: The Black Swordsman Shows Off Source Material Comparison
Studio Eclypse dropped its first Berserk: The Black Swordsman trailer on May 18 after weeks of build-up with posts and stunning teaser art. The English dubbed trailer followed on July 1, with some changes to the animation. Eclypse added, “Thanks to the feedback received, and our supporters, we have upgraded a number of cuts, added more in-between cels, and revamped some of the animation in hopes of making the experience more enjoyable. Thank you for the support strugglers.”
As the name suggests, Studio Eclypse’s upcoming series will adapt the original manga’s “Black Swordsman” arc. Set after the Eclipse, Guts had left Casca at Godot’s home for a personal journey, with the arc marking an unconventional storytelling choice by creator Kentaro Miura. By the end, fans understood that Guts was an angry and vengeful yet traumatized character, with the following “Golden Age” arc going back in time to give his heartbreaking backstory.
The latest — and most expensive — Berserk collectible is a statue that depicts one of the iconic manga series’ most brutal and tragic scenes.
Berserk Fans Have Long Wished for an Anime True to Miura’s Original Manga
The Berserk fandom has long retained a desire for an accurate adaptation; one of the most common responses to questions about the anime’s faithfulness is to simply “read the manga.” Its first volumes routinely rank among North America’s best-selling graphic novels and manga, again making the list in June. Berserk was also North America’s fifth best-selling manga series in 2023.
Dark Horse Comics licenses Berserk, describing it: “His name is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a feared warrior spoken of only in whispers. Bearer of a gigantic sword, an iron hand, and the scars of countless battles and tortures, his flesh is also indelibly marked with The Brand, an unholy symbol that draws the forces of darkness to him and dooms him as their sacrifice. But Guts won’t take his fate lying down; he’ll cut a crimson swath of carnage through the ranks of the damned – and anyone else foolish enough to oppose him! Accompanied by Puck the Elf, more an annoyance than a companion, Guts relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death…or vengeance.”
