Drawing a series published in the country's biggest weekly manga magazine is a dream for many, but became a reality for Shiro Usazaki at the bright young age of 20. Act-Age was fast becoming one of the more popular recent series in Shonen Jump, with a planned stage play and even rumors of an anime adaptation. But after the manga's writer was arrested for the sexual assault of two junior high school girls, that dream came to an unfortunate end. Act-Age was dropped from online stores, pulled from shelves and discontinued in Shonen Jump, all due to one man's actions.
A few weeks after writer Tatsuya Matsuki's arrest and the subsequent fallout, Usazaki came to Twitter with a message for her fans that were let down by Matsuki's actions and its effect on the manga. She said:
On August 8, Tatsuya Matsuki, the original creator of the manga series Act-Age, which I am the artist for, that I, Shiro Usazaki, am the artist for, was arrested and detained on charges of indecent behavior and sex crimes against a junior high school girl.
First, I would like to express my sincere sympathies to the victim and her family. I think it took great courage to overcome the shock and fear she was feeling, and to raise her voice in anger at the affront to her dignity.
No judicial ruling has been handed down yet, but as a result of the victim notifying the police, this has become a criminal matter requiring arrest and detainment, so I am taking the situation very seriously. I comprehensively accept the decision of the Jump editorial division to cancel the serialization of Act-Age, and to take [similar] actions regarding the sale of collected tankobon volumes, merchandising, and other promotional/collaborative planning for the series.
The damage from sexual offense does not heal on its own with the passage of time. From now on, the victim will have a sense of fear that should not be necessary, tensing up when she passes by a person of similar appearance [to Matsuki], increasing the speed she walks at, and feeling frightened walking on the street at night. It is possible that even seeing Act-Age itself could result in her feeling frightened, and considering this, I have decided that the decision to cancel the series is appropriate.
In addition, I have a request for all fans who have enjoyed Act-Age. Thank you for supporting the series. Act-Age ending only part-way through its story, under these circumstances, is something I find as regrettable as all of you do. However, expressing lament about the end of the series will make the victim feel pressured, and so it absolutely is something that should be avoided.
This is obvious, but the series ending is not the victim’s fault. Making her voice heard after the incident, instead of silently bearing the pain of sexual offense, is definitely not a mistake. What has transpired since then is a result of her doing the right thing. I believe that statements that make light of her courage and actions, or look down on or shame her for them, should not be made.
I do understand the feelings of those for whom manga is a life-saving source of emotional support, and fans for whom Act-Age gave them something they could feel passionate about in this life. I too draw life-saving emotional support from manga, and what has happened fills me with sadness. But please do not turn that love in ill-advised directions of violence. Please think clearly, consider various perspectives, don’t let yourself get wound up over baseless rumors, and consider what should and shouldn’t be said.
In closing, I solemnly hope that the victim will receive the necessary psychological care and can live a peaceful life in which nothing like this will ever happen to her again.
It's unlikely that we'll be seeing more Act-Age any time soon, but Usazaki's heartfelt and mature message should be enough to give fans what they need to move on. Hopefully in the near future she'll be able to shake off the stigma of being assosciated with a sex offender and start working on bigger and better things.
