Studio Taka has announced it is ending its work on all future Berserk animation projects. The fan-run studio is well-known for delivering one of the best animation adaptations of the Berserk manga.
In a statement released on social media, Studio Taka cited Studio Gaga's recent statement regarding the release of Berserk content without proper authorization as the reason behind the decision. For those who have not been keeping up with the Berserk news, last week Studio Gaga, the rights holder of Berserk, posted that the Berserk: The Last Swordsman anime adaptation by Studio Eclipse was being made without authorization.
Although Studio Gaga's statement specifically called out Studio Eclipse's adaptation, Studio Taka acknowledged that "this has implications for all Berserk fan projects, including ours."
"After thoughtful consideration and exploring all possible options, we have made the very difficult decision to bring this project to a close," Studio Taka's statement reads. "While we are extremely passionate about continuing the project, we recognize the potential legal risks involved and feel that it's important to respect the intellectual property rights of Studio Gaga/Hakusensha."
"This decision was not made lightly," the statement continues. "For many years, this project has been a significant part of our lives, and we are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support and enthusiasm you've all shown for the episodes we've created. It's been rewarding journey, and your positive feedback has meant the world to us."
Studio Taka is a fan-run studio "driven by passion to bring top-quality videos to manga and anime fan community." The studio' released Part 1 of its Berserk: The Animated Manga back in December 2021. It currently has nearly 500,000 views. Part 2 was released just five months ago and already has close to 200,000 views.
In the statement, Studio Taka acknowledges that following Kentaro Miura's passing, they became committed to honoring his legacy by introducing new fans to Berserk and encouraging others to read the manga. "However, recent events have made it clear that fan projects, no matter how well-intended, are not exempt from legal considerations," the studio said. "While it's incredibly difficult to step away from something we love so much, we believe it's the right thing to do in order to honour the rights holders and their wishes."
Studio Taka is bringing its adaptation to an end
byu/Cesped2 inBerserk
Although many consider Berserk to be one of the best manga of all time, the anime adaptations released have left much to be desired. Many fan projects, including Studio Taka's aim to deliver a proper adaptation, and Berserk: The Animated Manga was considered to be one of the better ones.
It's worth noting that Studio Taka's Berserk: The Animated Manga was not specifically mentioned by Studio Gaga in its statement. Instead, the rights holder specifically named Studio Eclypse for its project, Berserk: The Black Swordsman. Many have blamed Studio Eclypse for the recent crackdown on fan-made projects because the studio was asking for money from fans to help fund the project (which would make it an unauthorized use of copyright material for commercial purposes).
As of this writing, Studio Eclypse has not yet publicly responded to Studio Gaga's statement regarding Berserk: The Black Swordsman.