Again, no snark, no jokes, here. This is serious time, folks.
Earlier today, Shueisha announced that they are putting the Rurouni Kenshin manga on hiatus. The title is being suspended due to series creator Nobuhiro Watsuki’s recent charges for possession of child pornography. Jump SQ magazine will cease publication of the title starting with the Janaury 2018 issue, which hits retailers on December 4.
Shueisha’s official comment states that the company is taking the matter seriously, and that they haven’t decided what they will do with volumes already in print. The matter is currently under discussion within the company. Shueisha also noted that Watsuki expresses deep regret for his actions. (Note: In his deposition, Watsuki stated that he “liked girls aged from late elementary school to the second year of junior high school.” Sankei News notes that Watsuki also stated “I like the nudity of children, I bought it.”)
Nobuhiro Watsuki was charged by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police today with Simple Possession of Child Pornography. According to investigators, Watsuki possessed numerous DVDs, which contained nude footage of girls as young as their early teens. He stored the discs in a Tokyo office, with authorities confirming that he maintained the collection at the office through October.
Formal charges against Watsuki allege that he possessed pornographic videos of children from July 2015. If convicted, Watsuki will face up to one year in prison, along with a one million yen ($8,892.18 USD).
Nobuhiro Watsuki, real name Nobuhiro Nishiwaki, was born on May 26, 1960. The author is best known for his work on Rurouni Kenshin, which ran from 1994 through 1999 in Weekly Shonen Jump, and sold over 60 million copies across the globe. The series inspired a 95-episode anime series, which ran from January 1996 through September 1998, as well as numerous anime films and OVAs. A live-action film trilogy was also produced, which hit Japanese theaters from 2012 through 2014.
Watsuki recently launched a new arc of the Rurouni Kenshin manga with his wife, Kaoru Kurosaki. The ongoing series launched in September, and was receiving an English simulpub from Viz Media.
Sources: Mainichi Shimbun, Anime Herald
