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Ashita no Joe Creator Tetsuya Chiba Successfully Undergoes Heart Surgery

posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Manga creator had admitted himself to hospital last November after feeling unwell

82-year-old manga creator Tetsuya Chiba revealed in a blog post on Saturday that he had heart surgery to put a stint in his coronary artery on Thursday. The surgery ended successfully, and he was released from the hospital on Friday.

Chiba had revealed in November that he admitted himself to a hospital in Tokyo after he started feeling unwell after summer ended last year. He stated that he started having abnormalities one after another in his heart valve, coronary artery, and throat. He then started treatment for a tumor in his throat.

Chiba stated on his blog that while it is hard for him to walk right now, he's still feeling energetic. He added that depending on the situation, he should be going back to the hospital one more time in February for rehabilitation. He also added that because of the pandemic, he and his elderly dog Jirō are taking care and are refraining from going out much.

Chiba's Hinemosu Notari Nikki manga went on hiatus for this year's third and fourth issues of Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine, and will resume in the fifth issue on February 25.

Chiba debuted as a manga creator in 1956. He is perhaps best known for his Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow's Joe) boxing manga, which ran from 1968 to 1973, and has remained a mainstay in Japanese popular culture for decades. The manga has inspired two television anime in 1970 and 1980, as well as two anime films in 1980 and 1981. Most recently, the manga's story was re-imagined in a new sci-fi setting with new characters in 2018's Megalobox anime, which credits the original manga as its origin. The sequel series for Megalobox, Megalobox 2: Nomad, premiered in April 2021.

Chiba's Kaze no Yō ni manga inspired a 2016 anime film.

Most recently, Chiba has been posting the Akudama manga on his MANGA Day to Day Twitter account. The manga centers on everyday life in the midst of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). He published the manga in Kodansha's Morning magazine in July 2020.

Update: While this year's third issue of Big Comic had said the Hinemosu Notari Nikki manga would return on March 10, the fourth issue stated the manga will return on February 25 instead. Source: Big Comic

Image via Chiba Pro

Sources: Chiba Tetsuya's blog, Sponichi Annex via Otakomu, Big Comic issue 3


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