Tokyo: Japanese Manga Creator best known for Sand Chronicles and Sexy Tanaka-san, Hinako Ashihara, Dies of Apparent Suicide.
Hinako Ashihara, a well-known Japanese manga creator, has been found dead after being reported missing. She was best known worldwide for her Sand Chronicles manga, published by VIZ Media.
What happened to Hinako Ashihara?
Hinako Ashihara was reported missing on Sunday, January 28, 2024. She was found dead on Monday, January 29, 2024, in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Eastern Japan. Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the heart-wrenching incident as a suicide, as a note has been found at her home, as per sources.
The content of the note has not been released to the public at the moment. The exact cause of death is still unknown. The authorities will release more information regarding her untimely death once they have concluded their investigation.
Hinako Ashihara’s Death and NTV Controversy
NTV adopted her manga Sexy Tanak-san into a live-action series. But Ashihara was not happy with it. She expressed her disappointment in her blog just two days before she went missing. She complained that NTV broke its promises to keep the adaptation accurate to her manga, and the changes they made were not minor and were at the “core” of the story.
However, she quickly took the blog down and apologized, saying she did not intend to attack anyone. Soon after this, she went missing. It is still being determined if these events had any connection. An investigation is still ongoing.
Who was Hinako Ashihara?
Hinako Ashihara was Japanese manga artist. Born as Ritsuko Matsumoto on January 25, 1974, she made a name for herself with her creativity and talent. Hinako worked as a professional manga artist for thirty years and wrote and illustrated various manga series, including Homemade Home, Forbidden Dance, Sand Chronicles, SOS, and many more.
She won the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award for her manga series Sand Chronicles and the 58th Shogakukan Manga Award for Pece: Kanojo no Kioku. She also authored “Sono Hanashi Okotowari Shimasu” (That Sweet Organ Song), which premiered in Bessatsu Shojo Comic in 1994 and was featured in SOS.
Suicide Prevention Helpline
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please reach out and get help, which is always available. In America, you can call 1-. In Canada, you can call 1-. In Japan, you can call . For other countries, numbers and sources are available on this website.