'Berserk' Announces Hiatus Ending

Berserk is reportedly making its return to Young Animal Magazine, ending a hiatus of nearly three [...]

By Michael Hein

Berserk is reportedly making its return to Young Animal Magazine, ending a hiatus of nearly three months.

The most recent chapter of Berserk, "Jötunn," was published on May 25, 2018. It ended with a cliffhanger and an indistinct promise to return, with most translations reading simply "continues next time." After taking the summer off, the series will reportedly return in Young Animals issue 17, which will be released on Aug. 24, according to the company's website.

There is no telling when exactly the new chapter will get an official English translation. Berserk is published in North America and the U.K. by Dark Horse Comics, as well as Digital Manga Publishing. The English version is released in full-sized tankobon volumes, so a chapter-by-chapter translation is not available for purchase.

While fans who keep up with each chapter have been waiting since May, those that follow Berserk through its official English-language releases actually have not been holding out for too long. The most recent volume, 39, was published in English just a couple of weeks ago, on July 24. It featured chapters 343 through 350, meaning that those readers are only a few short issues behind.

Another volume is likely close at hand. The next chapter will be number 357, hopefully giving publishers enough pages to fill out a volume. This may infuriate collectors in Japan, where volume 39 came out in June of 2017. They have been waiting over a year for a new addition to their shelf.

For those unfamiliar with Berserk, it is a beloved series dating back to the 1980s. Kentaro Miura created Berserk while he was studying at the Comi Manga School. He wrote and illustrated a 48-page-long version of the epic tale, which won him a prize as a student.

After that, Miura took his series to a magazine called Monthly Animal House, where it was serialized. The publishers kept Berserk going even after the magazine dissolved and was reborn as Young Animal, where it has found a home ever since 1992.

The story is a dark fantasy, set in a medieval European style world. It follows two mercenaries -- primarily a man named Guts, and, to a lesser extent, Griffith, the leader of the Band of the Hawk. It has been both praised and criticized for its employment of graphic violence and sexual content, especially since it is marketed toward young men.

Berserk has had two anime adaptations -- one in 1997 and another in 2016. There were also three animated films made between 2012 and 2013. Now is a great time to catch up on this long-running series!

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