Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Crayon Shin-chan Author Missing

According to a story in the Mainichi Daily News, Crayon Shin-chan mangaka (comic creator) Usui Yoshito has gone missing, possibly in the mountains of Gunma prefecture. He left home on September 11th and Usui's worried wife reported him missing the next day after he failed to return. Calls to his cellphone have gone unanswered and police are combing the mountains in an effort to locate the missing artist.

Crayon Shin-chan is a popular comic book and television animation character here in Japan, a mischievous youngster known for driving people insane with his antics, which include dropping his pants at every opportunity. There have been numerous Crayon Shin-chan movies, including one called Crayon Shin-chan: The Legend Called: The Singing Buttocks Bomb. I remember a film trailer for one a couple of years ago where Shin-chan launches himself through the air, rocket-style, by lighting a fart so he can fight a giant monster. In one TV episode I watched, Shin-chan's halpless father attempts to take a photographic family portrait, only to have Shin-chan strip naked the moment he lays eyes on the camera. Bad little kid!

We can only hope Usui returns safely to his family.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

dude.... he died.....