Ask John: Is New Berserk Anime in Production?

Question:
What is your opinion of the recent screenshots of the “new” berserk sequel supposedly by 4°C shown on a messageboard with screenshot of Casca (post eclipse), Guts, Puck, & the Nosferatu Zodd?

Answer:

The mystery of the supposed new Berserk anime screenshots that surfaced this past weekend is certainly delicious. The person who first released the images on the NeoGAF Forum has stated that the four shots are a year old and hinted that they’re the work of studio Bee Train. Prolific online discussion associates the images with Studio 4°C, possibly because the anonymous Japanese animator said to have provided access to the footage works for 4°C. Note that important distinction. The original uploader never said the images were the work of Studio 4°C – only that they were obtained through an animator who works for Studio 4°C. The content of the images seems authentic beyond suspicion. It’s unmistakeably Berserk imagery, and the color, detail, and design evident in the shots clearly looks to be the work of a professional Japanese studio. The shots don’t originate from either of the Berserk video games nor the 1997 TV anime, so they seemingly have to be excerpted from unreleased animation. This is particularly mysterious because there are still no known rumors of a new Berserk anime production in Japan’s fan community. The leaked images have been available online for a few days. And especially if this footage is actually a year old, it would be natural to assume that some word of its existence would have surfaced in Japan by now.

The art design of the imagery doesn’t give away its origin, but it could plausibly have come from either Bee Train or 4°C. Bee Train has animated violent swordplay anime including Murder Princess and Blade of the Immortal. 4°C, despite being associated with dramatic and esoteric productions, has animated mainstream action anime including the Spriggan and First Squad motion pictures and the opening anime for the Sengoku Basara X fighting game. So, at this stage, what’s more important than determining who created the footage is what the footage portends. On the assumption that the footage is real, it could be an exerpt from a new Berserk anime production – a movie, TV series, or OVA/OAD. It could also been footage created for inclusion in a new Berserk video game. It could also be tentative pilot footage created to gauge the viability of a new Berserk anime production. Initial speculation may be that the footage is too graphically violent for use as a short promotional video, but that possibility also can’t be excluded since the three-minute long X² music video that Madhouse released back in 1993 is quite gruesome. If this footage actually is a year old, as it’s described, the fact that it’s existed for a year without a breath of rumor about a new Berserk anime in Japan would logically suggest that it’s nothing more than a brief bit of new animation made for internal studio use only – not footage ever intended for public release nor footage culled from a forthcoming commercial release.

Like everyone that’s seen the four leaked images, I’m fascinated by them and the possibility they suggest. However, these images have been circulating in public for several days and there’s still no solid word of a new Berserk anime planned or in production in Japan. Moreover, if this footage was actually completed and screened a year ago and there’s still no word of a new Berserk anime after 12 months or more, I think it would be appropriate to consider this a mysterious unproduced project like the “Operation Aliens” cartoon based on James Cameron’s movie, TMS Entertainment’s Lupin VIII anime TV series, and Kiddy Grade 2 – all of which had footage produced but never saw full realization.