Mangaka Rin Inumaru commited suicide this weekend, apparently worried about her work. She created the character “Ojarumaru” which we weren’t familiar with, but Googling reveals it appear to be a popular children’s anime, featuring incredibly cute characters who are merchandizing widely, Sanrio-style. The Mainichi Daily News has the story:
Popular cartoonist Rin Inumaru jumped to her death from the roof of a 14-story building in Tokyo after leaving suicide notes to her mother, police said.
Inumaru, 48, plunged from the roof of the apartment building onto the roof of a five-story building in Musashino, Tokyo, on Sunday afternoon.
She suffered serious injuries and died shortly after, police said. Her suicide notes indicate she had been having trouble with her work.
I hate to snark — well, not really, but — isn’t the illustration a tad inappropriate for a story about someone leaping to her death?