Making its English debut this month is Dur-an-ki – a fantasy manga produced by Berserk creator Kentaro Miura. In ancient times, a wondrous child is born of the gods. Neither human nor god, neither male nor female, Usumgal has an inventive mind that can create solutions where they are needed most. Descending from the holy mountain, Usumgal finds friends among humans, and with each fateful encounter comes adventure and perhaps . . . their destiny!
The impact of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk cannot be understated and the hole his far too early passing left behind is impossible to fill. Any chance to see new work from him and his team at Studio Gaga is a special treat and Dur-an-ki is a more than welcome addition to Miura’s legacy of work. As his main focus was on Berserk right up to his death, Miura took a much more hands off approach with this manga. Acting as the series “director”, he handled the general plot and storyboarding whilst Studio Gaga handled the lion’s share of the work including the final art and inking. In some ways, it was a precursor to how Berserk would be handled following Miura’s death.
Those expecting the dark storytelling and violence that was so prevalent in Berserk might be shocked by the more light-hearted approach this manga takes. Miura completely immerses himself in the mythological setting that was inspired by Greek and Mesopotamian myths. Likewise, his genderless protagonist Usumgal is far different from the stoical Guts. Usumgal’s inquisitive nature and their interactions with humans provides an entertaining hook and likewise is a great exploration of the relationships the ancient Greeks had with the Gods. Usumgal is also a reflection of Miura’s desire to explore an androgynous character in a leading role as he saw it as the next step after he was inspired by a variety of projects featuring strong female leads – particularly Mad Max: Fury Road and Frozen.
The art is largely handled by Studio Gaga who Miura obviously was finely in tune with. They have a through understanding of his style and it’s clear to see why no one doubted the team taking on Berserk after Miura’s passing. The work is insanely detailed and benefits greatly from the manga’s mythological setting which gave both Miura and the team a lot to sink their teeth into. At times, the detail gets so intense that you’d be remiss to think you’re looking at full on paintings.
Dur-an-ki undisputedly deserves to be in all Miura fans’ collections. It’s a perfect example of where his imagination would take him and also a strong reflection of the art team he trained in Studio Gaga.
Dur-an-ki is out 23 September from Dark Horse (9781506746388, p/b, £13.99)
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