VIZ Media has announced the acquisition of Berserk: The Golden Age Movie Trilogy, which was produced by Studio 4*C and based on the popular seinen manga series created by Kentaro Miura (and published in North America by Dark Horse).  The ongoing Berserk manga, which Miura debuted in 1989, has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and was made into a TV anime series in the late 1990s (released here by Media Blasters).

 

The new trilogy of Berserk anime films is the first portion of a major project to adapt the entire manga in a series of anime movies using the latest advances in animation techniques.  The first three movies, which will premiere in Japan this year, adapt the manga’s Golden Age story arc.  The first film in the trilogy, Berserk Golden Age Arc I: Egg of the Supreme Ruler debuted in Japan on February 4th, while the second part, Berserk Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey premieres in Japan on June 23rd, and the final film in the trilogy, Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent will bow in Japan later in the year.  VIZ Media plans to release the first film to home video here in the fall of 2012.

 

With its ample supply of bloody action scenes, its foreboding European-inspired medieval setting, and an overlay of fantasy and horror, this is a property with a very strong appeal to viewers who enjoy “R” rated action and fantasy films.