Japanese manga artist Hinako Ashihara was found dead in an apparent suicide. Ashihara, 50, was first reported missing by relatives on January 28. According to a report from Nippon News Network (NNN), Osaki Police Station police found her body along with a wonderful letter. fate.
In the days leading up to the discovery, Hinako Ashihara expressed dissatisfaction with the live adaptation of her sexy manga Tanaka-san. In her now-deleted blog post from January 26, she outlined how she wanted the adaptation to be truly faithful to the source material. And although the previous seven volumes had certain elements that were similar to the manga, she noted that there were “core” stories in the manga that were cut or not depicted properly and character traits were change. Despite all of this, she was still not given a satisfactory reason by the production team as to why this happened.
She added that she ended up writing the script for the final two episodes due to significant changes in the live-action plot, but apologized that she had to rush to write the script as a the scriptwriter is amateur and can’t elaborate further, because she’s the same. work on deadline for manga. She ended her blog post by thanking all the actors and staff who made the live-action adaptation possible.
She later deleted the blog post as well as the corresponding responses on her official X (Twitter) account, with the tweet translated as “I did not mean to attack. I’m sorry” was posted later on January 28, the day she went missing.
Nippon TV, which broadcasts the live adaptation of Sexy Tanaka-san, released a statement on its official website expressing sadness over Ashihara’s passing and offering condolences to his family and friends. her friends.
We are saddened by the passing of Ms. Hinako Ashihara [and] We extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends. Regarding the Sunday drama “sexy Tanaka-san” to premiere in October 2023, NTV, through representatives of Shogakukan, discussed with Ms. Ashihara, the author of the original story, to propose a film adaptation. from the story, and worked with her on the script. NTV discussed the script production process with Ms. Ashihara, the author of the original story, through Shogakukan, the representative of the original story, and finally obtained her approval for the script that is currently being broadcast. . We are very grateful to Ms. Ashihara for her efforts in making this work possible.
Statement from Nippon TV (Official website, ACN Edit)
Besides the sexy Tanaka-san series serialized in Shogakukan’s Anekei Petit Comic since 2018, Ashihara also wrote other manga including Forbidden Dance (1997), Derby Queen (1999), Sand Chronicles (2003), Butterfly Cloud (2006), Piece : Kanojo no Kioku (2008), and Bread & Butter (2013).
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or is going through a crisis, know that you can ask for help. Dial your country-specific hotline, found here, and seek immediate help.