Kouji Mori’s Berserk Manga is destined to be mediocre. Still, we must support it.

Many fans wondered if they would ever see another chapter of Guts' adventure. Let alone a meaningful resolution. After the sudden death of Kentaro Miura, the much-loved author of Berserk.

Then, after months of silence, the fate of Berserk's Manga was finally unveiled by Young Animal. Studio Gaga, which was previously headed by Miura himself, will take on the challenge of continuing the manga with the focus of producing Miura's signature art style. And a mangaka named Kouji Mori, a close friend to Miura and the only person who knew the ending, would supervise its narrative.

For those unfamiliar, since high school, Mori and Miura have been best friends. At Miura's memorial, he talked about how they would chat about the series' future for hours. He even helped Miura with the pilot version of the Berserk's manga, and now he would help close the curtain on its ending. He is, without a doubt, the perfect mangaka to take over and finish the project.

However, there has been substantial debate in the community about whether or not Mori's is even capable of shouldering the manga, because of the monumental challenge of filling Miura's shoes.

Why Can't Kouji Mori Fill The Shoes Of Kentaro Miura?

From a young age, Kentaro Miura proved he had a remarkable talent for manga creation. Before Berserk became the masterpiece that it is, Miura dazzled the manga industry. He wrote his first manga at the age of ten and went on to publish 40 volumes. He was studying under Buronson, the mangaka of Fist of the North Star, when he wrote the initial draft of Berserk.

But what made him great is not his notable career, the way he delivers the story. He mastered the art of incorporating small nuances with a bigger vision into the story, all wrapped up in beautiful poetry like dialogue.

Let's take a look back at the last chapter of Berserk. At the end of Chapter 364, Guts and Casca have attained some semblance of stability. Something they've been yearning for years. In the land of elfhelm, the pair found a chance to be a family, and even see past their scars with the help of the moon boy and friends.

But, in a twist, at the final moment, the long-awaited identity of the boy is revealed and shocks the readers. In the ending moments, Moonlight Boy took the form of Griffith, the series antagonist, robbing them of their serenity once more. As he conveys these melancholies yet cryptic words to Guts and Casca;

"I had a dream. Under the full moon, I was a child embraced by nostalgic warmth. But once I wake from the dream, only a vague sense of longing remains. That too will soon disappear, with a single tear like morning dew. "

This level of writing is what causes readers to be hesitant about supporting the manga's continuation. Will the reader see this kind of nuanced character interplay with Mori? And this isn't the only factor to consider. In Miura's world, there are many delicate minute details that he lays down. All of this begs the question of how valuable Kouji Mori can be to the remaining Berserk manga story. Without the whole context, how will the team approach the elements? Will it be worthwhile at all?

That's why many believe that no one can surpass Miura's brilliant artwork or provide an ending like his. So, it's fruitless to even try. Hence, the many argue that we should put Berserk to rest as it is. An Incomplete Masterpiece!

Then Why Support The Continuation At All?

It won't be the same gritty, intricate, or genuine world we adored. Perhaps to get to the important parts of the story that Mori believes he must tell. Readers might get blunt, direct speech with no undertone, enough to get to the next event, but with no underlying meaning. Or perhaps not even that; maybe Mori is here only to wrap up everyone's story. Then why should we continue to support it?

We support it because; nothing matters more than the completion of the Berserk saga at the end of the day. To finally let Guts find the family, love, and serenity that he deserved so much. So, he won't feel tortured by the thought of failing to complete his lifelong quest. This is, in some ways, Miura's story right now. Thus, we must support Mori, not because he may be able to keep Berserk alive in the lives of readers for a few more years. But also because he will be able to fulfill the promise he made to his late close friend.

"I wasn’t on board with the idea either, but I thought, if I ran away now, Miura would say: 'I talked to you about it so much, but you didn’t do it!' So, I decided, "All right, I'll do it properly." Mori said in a personal statement.

True fans of Kentaro Miura sat through the worst adaptations of Berserk. So it might be worthwhile to put up with this one last rendition. Because, who knows, it might even bring a smile to Miura's face in the afterlife.