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NEWS: Ojaru Maru Creator Dead at Age 48

How sad. I have a friend who's not suicidal but is similar in other ways; she's WONDERFUL at what she does (act) but she's always declaring herself to be terrible. It drives me nuts because she's deaf to praise and encouragement. Still, she doesn't link her life's worth so totally to her gig; she knows that her marriage, her friendships, her church are all part of what makes her life worthwhile.

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You're specifically targeting Japan as if it's the only place that has suicide, first of all. You can say you weren't, but the way you wrote it speaks differently. "Japan is sick" is a sick thing to say.

Is it not? a society that push you to please others regardless of your inner feelings, to pose an image of ultimate politeness, to be number one, to be the best in an overpopulated country when nobody will be? to take 20 minute power naps in a 14 hour day because "the company wants it" regardless of your family, Im just saying that this particular society has a tremendous influence on her suicide, and why japan alone, because (if you haven't notice) anime and manga is a japan worshipping world, when Japan can't do no wrong...

You merely act high and mighty, while apparently doing nothing to help. I mean, COME ON! You preach that human life is precious, but then say that you have no pity for those same lives? Try thinking outside the box.

Do I? so because I love life Im such a fool, Im sorry, I didn't know that it was so cool to be suicidal, I do not have pity of DEAD PEOPLE by suicide, they don't deserve my mourning, and how do you expect me to help somebody that can't even value their own life? is up to them to reach out the society to get the help they need, if you come to me and tell me "give me a reason to stay alive" I will pour millions of reasons but I will not stop you (because being born is not a choice but your death is) Suicide is a tremendous freedom for the person, but is a unending dirge to the family until the end of their own time, is a sad song that will not stop repeating.

we are not judging if she is a good or a bad person, being stupid, irrational and coward makes you do awful things like this.

are you defending their right to kill themselves?

if people kill themselves because they can't do a good job, don't you think there is something awfully wrong in their country?

He made his movie regardless of anybody's comments and good or bad, thanks to anybody but him, the movie went forward and now is an international success, good or bad you have to deal with it Troll, if you don't like it, you may as well go back to France with all the other pu$$ies....

9-12-06 (6:48AM EDT)---- Rin Inumaru Death Deemed Suicide
On September 10th, 48 year old mangka Rin Inumaru, known for her children's manga Ojaru Maru, was deemed to have commited suicide by jumping from the roof of her 14-story apartment building building in Tokyo. She left a note behind saying she was competent / good at her job.... etc.. Her health was questionable at best in recent years, after repeated hospital admissions and releases. A Hommachi local spotted her body which fell 19 meters and actually landed on a 5th floor roof of an adjacent building at around 1:30PM, she was still alive, but died soon thereafter, she was rushed to a hostpital. "Rin Inumaru" is a Pseudonym, the creator's real name was Noriko Yamazaki. Her mother later found the note. Living alone, police of said concluded she probably jumped to her death. The Ojaru Maru TV series, which is still running and now in it's 9th season, was first produced and supported by NHK educational television in 1998. Enoki Films holds or held a master license to the work in North America although it was never released there. The long running animation has been successful in Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian nations. As to why she really did it? An unnamed source who claimed to be close to the author says they believed her suicide was a result of constant stress over a fluxuating health condition which has stretched back about 6 or 7 years. She was thought to have suffered from sleep depravation and to have taken anti-depressants in the past. After being released from hospital last month the anonymous aquaintance says her voice was shakey and related she said she may have to put a halt to work due to physical condition. Inumaru, who had created the character, was involved at first involved with story composition for Ojaru Maru TV at the begininng. Her role was later changed to advisor from the fifth series. NHK's official response to the news included that the producer's shock was great. Debuting in the pages of kodansha's "Morning" in 1990, she had just completed a visual transmission design master's course at Tsukuba University graduate school. She was known widely for not only manga but also essay and short story writings. Source: Sankei Sports

'Societal pressure' is the nebulous term usually attributed to the manga suicides, but what kind exactly, and who within society is most responsible for applying that pressure?

Maybe the best illustration of Nekojiru's disillusionment with working in this society is her spirit-crushing short story "Tankobu (head lumps)". Here we witness a youthful monkey who is repeatedly whacked over the head with a mallet, and has the resulting swollen bruises cut off his head and served as a novelty item in a snack shop. He keeps a pliant grin on his face throughout the whole agonizing process, only breaking down in tears when his inquiry of "well, I'm tasty, aren't I?" is met with an indifferent "Eh. You're just average," from taste-tester Nyako. If that doesn't characterize society's low opinion of the comics creation process, I don't know what does. Let's hope that future Nekojirus persevere long enough to turn that low opinion on its head

I'd propose a different situation: one in which a Japanese population simultaneously praises its manga as an inimitable cultural treasure, and damns it as a corruptor of traditional values. It's true: 76% of Tokyo residents recently cited comics as being central to the corruption of youth, and even more dangerous to the kids than the internet. This same set of mixed attitudes towards comics extended to a friend of mine, who refused to import the volumes I was missing from the Nekojiru back catalog, on the grounds that "it would be embarrassing." I could have sworn this same individual was singing Nekojiru's praises a few months before the fact.

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Maybe the best illustration of Nekojiru's disillusionment with working in this society is her spirit-crushing short story "Tankobu (head lumps)". Here we witness a youthful monkey who is repeatedly whacked over the head with a mallet, and has the resulting swollen bruises cut off his head and served as a novelty item in a snack shop. He keeps a pliant grin on his face throughout the whole agonizing process, only breaking down in tears when his inquiry of "well, I'm tasty, aren't I?" is met with an indifferent "Eh. You're just average," from taste-tester Nyako. If that doesn't characterize society's low opinion of the comics creation process, I don't know what does. Let's hope that future Nekojirus persevere long enough to turn that low opinion on its head

Miki was a very cute japanese friend that I had and we both expressed a taste in anime and manga that was over the average non manga reader, we spent hours talking about slam dunk, hayao miyazaki, the prince of tennis (even though not my personal favorite, I went and see it to comment over it) and I always kept lending her my tankoubons and tapes of stuff she didn't see in Japan.

One day she gave me a call saying that she need me to lend her my car for her DMV test here in USA, I said "well, sure but did you practice driving enough?" she said she didn't but she can improvise, In offered myself as "driver teacher" and we practiced driving for almost 4 days (mostly sunday mornings) and then 3 days going to the DMV because she failed the first 2 tests but she pass the 3rd one, but I offered that out of friendship, nothing else.

Then she had this trip to Tokyo and the only thing I wanted were this 3 books of Grappler Baki after the anime story ends, she just had to go to any comic store and ask the clerk "Hi I want the next 3 books of Grappler Baki that goes after the Saidan tounament" there are tons of guides and baki is quite popular there so she would find info in no time, I gave her money in advance for the price of the books "and she say yes when I ask for this favor" instead, the whole time she was in tokyo she didn't write me once, she took 2 months in japan and when she came back, she gave me back the amount that I gave her IN YEN CURRENCY!!! why the heck I want yen money here in america? and she didn't talk to me ever since, I knew she flew back to Las vegas to study, but why she didn't say no in the first place? then I discover that I was an annoying person to her, that she didn't give a crap about anime and manga, but gladly went for 7 days to use my car.

That is how I think of japanese society, they are only for themselves, they don't give a crap about socializing or making friends or stepping forward to say "sorry you know, I can't because I don't like this" I will just point my view on this experience, I know all the people in japan is not like this, but the peer pressure, the society demands and the overall cinism creates individuals with these tendencies,

also we have the case of the guy in a home depot that went and kill with a shotgun his supervisor and two employees after he was fired, and then kill himself...so there Troll, come back from France to defend his rights too!!!

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Okay, Im back, ignore me, bear with me, but please don't say Im wrong and then proving my point afterwards, to feel enlightened, I went and read this piece of text and I found it very interesting...and yes, Japan (the society) and her own weakness are at fault of her suicide.

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'Societal pressure' is the nebulous term usually attributed to the manga suicides, but what kind exactly, and who within society is most responsible for applying that pressure?

So society apply that pressure, not the american, not the russian, not the chinese society.... Is the japanese society to blame!! there are tons of jobs over there, nobody puts a gun on you to make manga, also nobody will put another gun and shoot it if you are burnt out and wanna quit your series, but killing yourself because "your work is no good" Im not blaming her for killing herself, Im just laughing at the fact that she couldnt in his narrow little mind, find herself a way out where she could find true happiness, all you guys say Im wrong, yet proving me right with your arguments.

Now, in the term of the suicidal author, the japanese society in his own words, from the creator of "nekojiru"

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Maybe the best illustration of Nekojiru's disillusionment with working in this society is her spirit-crushing short story "Tankobu (head lumps)". Here we witness a youthful monkey who is repeatedly whacked over the head with a mallet, and has the resulting swollen bruises cut off his head and served as a novelty item in a snack shop. He keeps a pliant grin on his face throughout the whole agonizing process, only breaking down in tears when his inquiry of "well, I'm tasty, aren't I?" is met with an indifferent "Eh. You're just average," from taste-tester Nyako. If that doesn't characterize society's low opinion of the comics creation process, I don't know what does. Let's hope that future Nekojirus persevere long enough to turn that low opinion on its head

Also in other note:

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I'd propose a different situation: one in which a Japanese population simultaneously praises its manga as an inimitable cultural treasure, and damns it as a corruptor of traditional values. It's true: 76% of Tokyo residents recently cited comics as being central to the corruption of youth, and even more dangerous to the kids than the internet. This same set of mixed attitudes towards comics extended to a friend of mine, who refused to import the volumes I was missing from the Nekojiru back catalog, on the grounds that "it would be embarrassing." I could have sworn this same individual was singing Nekojiru's praises a few months before the fact.

Japanese people does that all the time, they smile at you, they say they want to be your friends until you sense inside of them that they are only "forcing themselves Sympathy " over you, because they have an image to maintain or they simply want something from you, my personal example:

Miki was a very cute japanese friend that I had and we both expressed a taste in anime and manga that was over the average non manga reader, we spent hours talking about slam dunk, hayao miyazaki, the prince of tennis (even though not my personal favorite, I went and see it to comment over it) and I always kept lending her my tankoubons and tapes of stuff she didn't see in Japan.

One day she gave me a call saying that she need me to lend her my car for her DMV test here in USA, I said "well, sure but did you practice driving enough?" she said she didn't but she can improvise, In offered myself as "driver teacher" and we practiced driving for almost 4 days (mostly sunday mornings) and then 3 days going to the DMV because she failed the first 2 tests but she pass the 3rd one, but I offered that out of friendship, nothing else.

Then she had this trip to Tokyo and the only thing I wanted were this 3 books of Grappler Baki after the anime story ends, she just had to go to any comic store and ask the clerk "Hi I want the next 3 books of Grappler Baki that goes after the Saidan tounament" there are tons of guides and baki is quite popular there so she would find info in no time, I gave her money in advance for the price of the books "and she say yes when I ask for this favor" instead, the whole time she was in tokyo she didn't write me once, she took 2 months in japan and when she came back, she gave me back the amount that I gave her IN YEN CURRENCY!!! why the heck I want yen money here in america? and she didn't talk to me ever since, I knew she flew back to Las vegas to study, but why she didn't say no in the first place? then I discover that I was an annoying person to her, that she didn't give a crap about anime and manga, but gladly went for 7 days to use my car.

That is how I think of japanese society, they are only for themselves, they don't give a crap about socializing or making friends or stepping forward to say "sorry you know, I can't because I don't like this" I will just point my view on this experience, I know all the people in japan is not like this, but the peer pressure, the society demands and the overall cinism creates individuals with these tendencies, also we have the case of the guy in a home depot that went and kill with a shotgun his supervisor and two employees after he was fired, and then kill himself...so there Troll, come back from France to defend his rights too!!!

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