The Man Behind the Berserk Revival - Kouji Mori & Holyland
A couple of weeks ago, we were given the news that the iconic manga Berserk is going to be revived after author Kentaro Miura's tragic passing in 2021.
The man behind the comeback is Kouji Mori, a fellow renowned mangaka and one of Miura's most trusted best friends. In fact, the only person Miura trusted to tell the entire storyline of Berserk, from start to end.
While most of you are aware of Berserk and Miura, some of you might now know who Kouji Mori is. Born 1966 in Tokyo, Mori's relationship with Miura dates back to high school, where they met and became friends. Mori stayed at Miura's place for a while for family reasons, where they would go to school and create manga together. But he couldn't stay at their place forever, which led him to hang out in the streets of Shimokitazawa, and often engage in fights.
After entering university with Miura, Mori enrolled in the boxed karate club, which later has an impact on his manga style. Although he worked as an advertisement designer after university, a huge bike accident led him to pursue his goals as a mangaka once again. In 2000, he started his most famous manga to date, "Holyland", based on his own experiences and stories.
Holyland follows the story of Yuu Kamishiro, a bullied student who can't find his place in society. He begins to skip school and stroll the night streets of Shimokitazawa, in an attempt to fit in somewhere. During this time, he comes across a boxing guide at a book store and begins to practice in his room. After a few months of training, he takes back to the streets, where he defeats a group of delinquents that approached him. Word spreads quickly that there is a "Thug Hunter" in Shimokitazawa, but nobody is aware that it is Yuu at first. But more and more people begin to find out, leading to many people seeking him for fights. Yuu becomes stronger with each fight, and gets closer and closer to his "Holyland".
His relationship with Miura and his passion for manga and life in general have us all on our toes.
Check out Mori's works, and stay tuned for the Berserk revival starting 6/24.
