Act-Age Illustrator Posts Statement On Manga’s Stoppage

Sexual abuse or molestation is not something that can just be dismissed. It is one of the darkest sides of our society and needs to be eradicated as soon as possible.

Victims of molestation are subject to not only a frightening experience but also lifelong trauma.

Tatsuya Matsuki, the writer of the famous manga Act-Age, was arrested by the police in Japan on the grounds of molestation.

CCTV footage acts as proof, showing Matsuki harassing two middle school girls.

Following this incident, the Act-Age manga stopped updating chapters, future promotions and plays.

Shiro Usazaki, the illustrator of the Act-Age manga, posted a statement regarding the arrest of Matsuki on his Twitter account.

Actage readers

English Translation, Twitter Translate

In the tweet, he showed support towards the victims and declared that the manga will be canceled.

Weekly Shonen Jump has tweeted a thread, which is an English translation of Usazaki’s statement.

The illustrator, first and foremost, sympathized with the victims and their families.

He encouraged the decision to report the incident and acknowledged the amount of courage that it takes to come forward with such an incident.

The judiciary has not yet taken a final decision, but Usazaki believes that the incident coming to light, in itself, is a matter which should not be taken lightly.

Weekly Shonen Jump has stopped the manga’s updates as well as the sale of its merchandise and volumes.

The upcoming live-action play for the series has also been canceled. Usazaki has accepted all of the measures that have been taken regarding Act-Age.

Usazaki then goes on to explain how sexual harassment affects the life of the victim. They will probably fear any similar-looking person on the streets.

The continuation of Act-Age in this situation might just act as a reminder of the incident to the victim. Thus, the ending of serialization is the best option available.

Shiro Usazaki then thanks fans for their continued support towards Act-Age and requests them not to push their disappointment onto the victim.

The victim merely did what was right, and they should not be blamed for it.

Even if fans have loved this series and are feeling down because of its ending, they should think everything over and not turn to violence.

Usazaki ends the tweet by wishing that the victims get justice and never experience the same treatment again.

About Act-Age

The main protagonist of the manga, Kei Yonagi, is a high school girl who strives to become an actress.

Her talent for method acting is so strong that sometimes she even loses track of reality while acting.

Despite getting comments such as, being this way won’t take her anywhere, she gets noticed by the highly acclaimed director Sumiji Kuroyama, who steps forward with the intent of bringing out her full potential.

Source: Shiro Usazaki Tweet

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