Mangaka Majuro Kaname, author of Can You Just Die, My Darling?, passes away

Writing the final period of a story is the greatest desire of any creator. Unfortunately, destiny sometimes interrupts the pen long before reaching the last page. This Tuesday, the editorial department of Weekly Shonen Magazine, belonging to Kodansha, issued an official statement announcing the passing of mangaka Majuro Kaname. According to the information shared by the company, the Japanese creative passed away during the past month of February.

The editors kept the medical causes of his death, as well as his exact age, in absolute privacy. The author's family organized a private funeral to bid him farewell in the company of his closest loved ones. At the time of his death, Kaname was actively working on the drafts for the fourteenth chapter of his current project, which he was producing in direct collaboration with illustrator Takahiro Obata.

After holding an emergency meeting with the mourning family and the artist in charge of the illustrations, the publisher made a final decision regarding the orphaned material. The manga will be concluded exactly at chapter 13, respecting the last portion of the story that Kaname managed to complete in life. The team will compile these final episodes and publish a second compiled volume that will mark the official closure of the work.

About his career

The name Majuro Kaname was etched into the Japanese literary industry thanks to the creation of narratives with strong psychological suspense overtones. His bibliography stands out mainly for two projects that defined his time at Kodansha magazines:

• Can You Just Die, My Darling? (Konya wa Tsuki ga Kirei desu ga, Toriaezu Shine)

His most recognized work internationally. He worked on the scripts alongside the art of Soso Sakakibara from 2015 until January 2021, successfully publishing a total of 10 physical volumes that captivated thousands of readers.

• Doku o Kurawaba Sakura Made

His final work in life. It had begun its serialization on the Getsu Maga Kichi website just last October.

The story that catapulted him to fame follows the disturbing daily life of Taku Kamishiro, a young student who leads a completely ordinary school life. His routine revolves around his deep and unrequited love for his childhood friend, Mika Hanazono. However, his world fractures when a strange epidemic begins to alter his mind. What was once an innocent romantic affection transforms into a dark, lethal, and uncontrollable murderous impulse directed specifically toward the girl he loves, forcing him to fight against his own psyche to keep her safe from himself.

Did you have the chance to read any of the intense chapters of his main work while it was in active publication?