Dur-An-Ki
While Kentaro Miura’s masterwork “Berserk” is the series that he’s best known for, it’s not the only manga he was responsible for in his lifetime. He previously collaborated with writer Buronson on “King of Wolves” and “Japan” while also delivering the one-volume “Giganto Maxia” late in his career. The man had ideas for many more series but his premature death ensured that we were never going to see them. However, “Dur-An-Ki” represents something of a compromise as it’s a series that was based on an idea from Miura and whose production was supervised by him, but was actually produced by his Studio Gaga team.
It starts off with a baby being born to some gods in hiding who immediately send it away to be raised by an old man and woman in some highlands. The baby, Usumgal, is intersex, and becomes a very beautiful, and equally clever child who has a knack for inventing and a curiosity about the world around them. It isn’t long before they, and their satyr friend Pan, encounter some boys from the kingdom below them and Usumgal’s world becomes that much bigger.
“Dur-An-Ki” is a manga drawn with an impressive level of visual detail and clear storytelling. Even if Miura wasn’t responsible for the art, Studio Gaga draws it with enough style that you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between his and their work. Though most of the focus is on kids having adventures in an ancient Grecian/Mesopotamian setting, there are enough fantastical elements that allow the crew to show what they’re really capable of. Were I a betting man, I’d assume that this is one reason why the decision was made to continue “Berserk” under their artistic guidance.
That isn’t to say this series is some kind of lost gem. The storytelling here is simple and straightforward and ends with the narrative still in its setup phase as we’re still getting to know Usumgal, their friends, and the kingdom they’re a part of. It all ends rather suddenly, implying that Miura’s passing put an end to the future of the series. While I’m glad that we got this in English to further see what other ideas the mangaka had, I can’t say this would’ve been worth checking out if he hadn’t been involved.
More interesting are the copious notes regarding “Dur-An-Ki’s” original form included after the main story. Originally it was called “Amazones” and was an isekai story where a pretty boy from modern Japan finds himself send back to the mythical time of the Trojan War and becomes part of the tribe of legendary female warriors. Naturally he has to keep the fact that he’s a man secret from them, but his knowledge of modern-day technology becomes a real boon to those around him.
“Amazones” is outlined as a four-part story with part one being described in great detail here, and the remaining parts given brief summaries. It sounds fine for what it is and I’m grateful to have more notes regarding a project that Miura had set up himself. Still, the most interesting thing about it is how it eventually morphed into “Dur-An-Ki” and little discussion or analysis is made regarding that. It’s possibly relevant that the editorial note from Young Animal (the manga magazine that was the home to “Berserk”) states that the story underwent significant changes when it was decided that Studio Gaga would provide the art. Which seems to me like a polite way of them saying that they were allowing this series to be published so long as it didn’t interfere with the production of “Berserk.”
That series is continuing on courtesy of Studio Gaga and Kouji Mori with vol. 43 having arrived in Japan earlier this year, and hopefully headed our way in 2026. I can’t really see anyone picking up the cause of “Dur-An-Ki”and continuing it on their own, however. What’s here is pleasant enough, but it doesn’t offer anything on its own to stand out beyond the involvement of its respective creatives. It’s possible that this could’ve eventually evolved into its own special thing and the most disappointing thing about it is that we’ll never know if that was going to be the case.