So it was announced two days ago that one of the most prolific author/creators of one of the BEST manga of all time, Kentaro Miura died and it happened way back on May 6th. His "best" manga I am referring to is (if you don't know who Kentaro Miura is) the brutal, amazing, gory and all around phenomenal sensation that started its serialization back in 1989 and continued to the day he died (so alas, the story will NOT be finished at this point obviously and sadly) and is now never to be concluded and this manga is the one, the only Berserk. It is SUCH a prominent and influential manga and I remember reading the very first episode/chapter back in 1989 when I was in the 8th grade (holy fuck I am getting old!) and was blown away by the insane and utterly amazing work that was Berserk. It was and continues to be one of the most popular and widely distributed/sold manga of all time clocking in during this year at a whopping 50 million plus copies in circulation! That's an astronomical number! As many of you know whom have read Berserk and/or watched the original anime and then the three "Golden Age Arc" movies know just how profound and riveting this story was!
Kentaro Miura died of acute aortic dissection on May 6th and as I said, it was only announced two days ago. For those that don't know or don't want to Google what an acute aortic dissection is, it is basically your Aorta's inner layer/wall (one of the biggest and most important blood vessels in your body) just up and tears. Upon this happening, since the Aorta branches off directly from your heart, it sends blood rushing through the tear and basically separates the inner layer/wall of the Aorta and the middle layers of the Aorta and is why it is called "dissection" since it literally separates the layers of one of your major blood vessels and that's the end of you within a matter of seconds due to the massive blood loss from the amount of blood hemorrhaging through the layers of the Aorta.
Having explained that all, Kentaro was known for other manga he co-wrote with another very prolific manga creator but none of them were ever nearly as popular as Berserk was. They were good, don't get me wrong. They just weren't Berserk. So sadly, we've lost one of the most amazing people to ever make manga and it was literally one of the longest running manga still being actively worked on at a steady and rapid pace up to the time of his death as well as being one of the most iconic manga series of ALL time. It was up there with long running manga like the Dragon Ball series (original Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super) as well as others so that gives you some idea of just how long this manga ran and just how popular it was. As I said above a few times, we will sadly never get to see the end of Guts' journey and the insane things that had happened and were continuing to unfold to the current year however, it shouldn't overshadow the loss of the man, Kentaro Miura himself.
You will be sorely missed Kentaro Miura. You were one of the shining examples of just how in depth and fantastic a manga can be as everyone that loved Berserk was and is still a rabid fanbase that would eagerly await the release of the next chapter with theories and emotions flying around the fanbase on discussion boards and when you would meet up with other Berserk fans in real life, at manga/anime conventions, message boards and chat rooms for Berserk specifically as well as general manga/anime message boards and chat rooms. That's how prolific this creator and his work truly was!
Rest in peace good sir. It's a shame that we cannot know how you envisioned Guts and the rest of the cast of Berserk finally reaching the end of Guts' torturous and epically long journey littered with betrayal, devastation, heartbreak and straight up maddening events. You are remembered fondly and you were certainly taken from this world far too soon. Kentaro Miura was only 54 years old. It is truly a saddening and heartbreaking fate for someone so talented and whom still had SO MUCH more story to tell concerning Berserk. If you loved Berserk like I did, I am sure you feel the same pain and loss that I do. He was a very important figure in the world of manga and his work and world building in Berserk will be talked about for a very, very long time into the future as one of the greatest and shining examples of absolute perfection in the world of manga.