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A Sad Day for Shin-Chan Fans
Yoshito Usui, creator of the famous manga character Shin-Chan, died suddenly while on a hike. |
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 Shin-Chan |
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Movie theater’s in Japan these days are running a film called Ballad, based on the official Shin-Chan film. It’s a live-action film set in the time of the Samurai and there’s a boy in it that was inspired by Shin-Chan. It’s a touching film.
Shin-Chan is a manga character who is 5-years old, very mischievous and is constantly mocking adults. But, deep down, he’s a very warm and friendly boy, as was his creator, cartoonist Yoshito Usui. A calm and shy man, unlike Shin-Chan, he always loved making people laugh.
Sadly, while the film Ballad was reaping success, Mr. Usui died. On September 11th, he went out for his usual hike and was never heard from again. He was finally found dead in the mountains on the 20th. It seems he slipped and fell off a cliff while he was taking pictures. He was only 51-years old.
After working at different jobs, Mr. Usui began drawing when he was about to turn 30. The Shin-Chan comic started in 1990 and it instantly became very popular. It started airing on television and became a mass phenomenon, although parents and teachers have always considered it the worst possible TV show for children.
The Futabasha publishing house still has 2 unpublished episodes of the Shin-Chan comic strip. We still don’t know whether these will be launched. With a little luck, we’ll once again appreciate Shin-Chan’s huge popularity. It’s a shame, but we’ve lost a great cartoonist.
Via Gigazine & Chugoku
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