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Mangaka Have Questions Following the Death of Hinako Ashihara

By Dylan Acres



Sexy Tanaka-san side by side with the actresses in its adaptation.
The Sexy Tanaka-san manga side by side with the actresses in its adaptation.


The manga community was shocked when Hinako Ashihara (芦原妃名子), mangaka behind the series Sexy Tanaka-san (セクシー田中さん) was found dead from suicide on January 29th. Ashihara had publicly discussed her dissatisfaction and stress with the Nippon Television adaptation of her manga. [1] She had written in a since deleted blog post that she had the guarantees of NTV and Shogakukan that she could have final say regarding the scripting of the show that was adapting her manga. When she voiced her dissatisfaction with the scripts presented to her, and failed to hear back from producers regarding her requested changes, she herself had to write the scripts for the final two episodes while working within the deadlines of her manga production schedule.

Ashihara made the blog post detailing her frustrations on January 26th, deleting it a short time later. Afterwards, she made a final post to X/Twitter, stating, "I didn't mean to attack you. I'm sorry. [2] She was reported missing on January 28th, and her body was discovered on the 29th.

Manga artists have offered many opinions on workplace bullying, known as “power harassment” (パワー・ハラスメント) in Japan, as well as their thoughts about the adaptations of their own works. Tomoko Ninomiya, author of Nodame Cantabile (のだめカンタービレ) posted to Twitter after Ashihara's death was made public:

"It's painful... It's too painful." [3]

"People trying to blame someone now. I really wish they would stop." [4]

Mayu Shinjo author of Sensual Phrase (快感 フレーズ/Kaikai Phrase) wrote:

“If an author gives their opinion about media (adaptations of their work), people will say they’re being obnoxious and picky. Publishers too will tell you, ‘We can tell the producers once, but it’s a difficult situation’. You come to believe that you’re the only one suffering. You’re told, ‘others authors are handling it well.’ No they aren’t. The bulk of us are just argued down.” [5]

Makoto Raiku author of Zatch Bell (金色のガッシュ!!/Konjiki no Gash!!) stated:

When I open X, I still see a few more tweets by manga artists and writers about the Ashihara-sensei incident. It was such a regrettable and shocking event for manga artists and writers, and a truly frustrating event for me as well. I have been writing tweets about Ashihara-sensei's case, and then deleting them again. Still, there is too little information about the case, and what I feel about this case is only speculation based on my experience, not a post. That's how I feel. I can say one thing. Both NTV and Shogakukan are organizations. And manga artists are individuals. This alone shows how hard Ashihara-sensei had to fight. I've been watching the news, and it was said that there is an investigation into this case. I'd like to wait for the result of the investigation and hope that the result discovers the truth. [6]


Raiku has had his own battles with Shogakukan over his treatment while working at Shonen Sunday which resulted in a lawsuit between him and the publisher. [7] He would eventually leave to work at Kodansha and now self-publishes his work.

Urusei Yatsure Beautiful Dreamer
A scene of Lum and Onsen Mark from Beautiful Dreamer, written and directed by Mamoru Oshi based on the manga Urusei Yatsura by Rumiko Takahashi.


Comedian Koji Higashino appeared on ABC Radio's Koji Higashino's Honmono Radio broadcast late on the night of February 16th. He touched on the issue of the Nippon Television drama Sexy Tanaka-san, and related it to the long rumored hard feelings from Rumiko Takahashi on Mamoru Oshii’s second Urusei Yastura film.
　“I received an email from a listener about the movie Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer.
　This movie has a very different world view from the original Urusei Yatsura, and many fans are known to have expressed their discomfort with it.” Higashino also said, "I like it, or rather, I thought, "What the heck is this?" I love the anime Urusei Yatsura, and it was being made into a movie. So, I went to see what was going to happen in Part 2. I remember thinking, 'Huh? What is this?'" he recalled.

　He went on to say, ``Mamoru Oshii was a first-time director. That's the question now. The original work is a belly-dancing manga, and it is being serialized and dramatized by NTV," he said, pointing out the similarities with the Sexy Tanaka-san issue.

He then added, "Of course, the story is the author's own, since he or she came up with it. But it's a question of how to adapt them into a TV show. If I were a producer, I would never meet with the scriptwriter and the author. It would be a problem if there was a dispute. This is an early-stage story with such problems," he added.

　Looking back on the "rumor" that Rumiko Takahashi, the author of the original work, left the theater without saying a word after seeing a preview of the film, "But if you ask me, I think it's true. If I were drawing Urusei Yatsura, that would be my response. On the other hand, if you like animated science fiction, it’s an interesting film. It's a typical situation where you can’t have it both ways," he said, speaking about his dilemma as both a TV personality and anime fan. [8]


There have long been rumors of a serious rift between Rumiko Takahashi and Mamoru Oshii over the anime adaptation of Urusei Yatsura. And while some quotes of specific instances that Takahashi has had issue with have come out in past interviews, most recently she has said any talk of a rift was untrue. “There are rumors that we didn't get along, right? (laughs) Though that's not true. Though society finds that way more interesting so I don't correct them. When the DVD and Blu Rays came out I'd be asked by others “You okay with this?” And I always respond with “What's wrong with it?”” [9]

Creators like Akira Toriyama have taken a significantly more hands on approach to working with those adapting their works due to poor adaptations in the past. In an interview with the Asahi Shimbun regarding his scriptwriting duties on Dragon Ball Z Battle of the Gods, Akira Toriyama stated, "Also, at the time when the Hollywood adaptation of Dragon Ball (ITALICS!!!) was being made, the script had too little grasp on the world and its characters. On top of that it had a conventional plot that I didn't find interesting. So, I cautioned them and suggested changes; but in spite of that, they seemed to have a strange confidence and didn't really listen to me. What ultimately came out was a movie that I couldn't really call an adaptation of Dragon Ball that lived up to my expectations." [10] The amount of time and effort on already taxed mangaka busy with their deadlines is greater than ever. Eiichiro Oda famously exercised complete creative control over the Netflix adaptation of his manga One Piece after the critical and commercial failure of Hollywood’s adaptation of Dragon Ball Evolution. “Various manga had been made into live action, but there was a history of failure; no one in Japan could name a successful example." [11]

The adaptations of manga are at a crossroads of sorts. The relationship between publishers, authors and the film and anime industries who are adapting these works will likely be watched more closely than ever following the tragic suicide of Ashihara. Sales of magazine editions of manga continue to fall year by year, but the manga industry as a whole has never been more popular. As such, publishers will want to see the financial benefits of adapting a series no matter what,which will continue to collide with the author's desires that their works be treated with the respect they deserve. In a statement following the tragedy, Shokakugan announced they were conducting an investigation to prevent something similar from happening in the future, while the editorial staff of Ashihara's magazine, commented about the "moral rights" of the author to have their works adapted as they see fit. [12] [13]

Footnotes

Dylan Acres is a psychology professor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston. He has previously written about Rumiko Takahashi's involvement in the Crusher Joe anime film.

 

Cover

Rumic World
Published: February 25, 2024
Author: Dylan Acres
Translated by: ---
ISBN/Web Address: https://www.furinkan.com/ features/articles/ashihara.html
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