Berserk’s publisher Hakusensha is currently onto something.
As discovered by reddit user u/BigChungusUserlol in this reddit post Hakusensha recently registered the domain dai-berserk-ten.com. The website is currently password-protected which indicates that it is still being set up. A quick whois lookup reveals that Berserk’s publisher is indeed its registrant and that it was created just 32 days ago.
What strikes me as odd is the fact this is a .com domain rather than a .jp domain, which implies the website that is about to emerge here is one with a global reach.
This is very likely connected to the announcement the Young Animal magazine released on their website two days ago:
The panels shown here are taken from all over the manga, such as key moments in the Golden Age, Conviction, Falcon of the Millenium Empire and even Fantasia. In the middle we see an illustration of Guts swinging his sword, which appears to be in Kentaro Miura’s new art style (the hair is a big giveaway). This implies it is a completely new illustration, which is very likely from the new chapter. Most promotional art usually is colored or painted, so this is rather unusual!
The Great Berserk Universe
In the Berserk reddit post I linked above it is pointed out that the domain’s name means something along the lines of “The Great Berserk Universe” in Japanese.
“A new beginning”? What could this possibly mean? What could they possibly want to start over? Can’t be the horribly-made 2016/2017 anime, or can it?
More importantly, what does this mean in regards to “The Great Berserk Universe”?
Generally, what is done here seems like a new marketing strategy or approach. Both domain name and announcement make it seem like there is a strong emphasis on the series as whole. I am under the impression the publisher wishes to expand their portfolio regarding the series, e.g. with additional merchandize or other special projects. This likely includes Berserk-related product lines, such as the recently announced Berserk Whiskey in collaboration with Whiskey Mew.
In the face of the anouncement on Young Animals website, people (including me) have been hoping for a new anime adaption. Looking at all this information, however, I believe this is Hakushensa trying to establish a central platform for their Berserk-related products and projects on the Japanese market. It might include future projects such as anime or movie adaptions, considering Adi Shankar voiced interest in producing a Berserk adapation, but we are not sure about that yet.
What’s for sure is that Hakusensha is on the move.
Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think about this topic in the comments section below!
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Berserk Analysis 