A 44-year-old doujin artist named Kuro Hekiten passed out while doing preparations along with his group during the busy Winter Comiket event that happen from December 29 to 31 at Tokyo Big Sight.
https://twitter.com/KuroHekiten/status/1078506256736768001
It was sadly revealed by a blog post written by the artist’s younger brother on Monday that he passed away on New Year’s Day in the hospital. The cause of his collapse in Comiket was due to a clotted blood vessel (coronary thrombosis).
Kuro Hekiten’s younger brother was in Comiket and shared the experience of those days in the post:
“By the time I noticed my brother had collapsed, the Comiket staff and other attendees were already administering CPR to him, someone had called the paramedics, and countless other people were doing what they could to help.”
“So many people, who’d never met my brother and didn’t even know his name, tried to save him, acting so quickly and earnestly. The staff and other attendees even formed a barricade to keep the walkways clear so that the paramedics could get to him, and transport him to the ambulance, as quickly as possible.”
However, it did not end well as the post continued on:
“In the end, my brother couldn’t be saved, but because of your efforts, his family was able to be with him in his last moments. Thank you all so, so much.
He was not lonely in his final moments, and I would like to express my family’s deep gratitude.”
While his post was filled with gratitude beneath sorrow, the last few paragraphs of the blog post was a reminder that he left for all artists like his late brother:
“My brother had not previously suffered from any major illnesses, but you couldn’t even generously say that he led a healthy lifestyle. He’d stay up all night for days on end trying to meet deadlines, then have to sleep through the day. He had poor nutrition and smoked a lot, and I think these things were major factors in his passing away at just 44 years old.
I think that there are many people who work in the art and manga fields who live similar lives, and I humbly ask that you take this as an opportunity to reexamine your lifestyle, for the sake of yourselves and those you love.”
Kuro Hekiten was notable for creating art and doujins centered on the popular shipgirl franchises Kantai Collection and Azur Lane.
https://twitter.com/KuroHekiten/status/1078216435220996096
For many doujin artists, Comiket is the most ideal event to showcase and sell your self-published works. It’s inevitable that such a big of an event can cause a lot of pressure and stress from the creation of the work to the preparation for the big days. This sad experience is a constant reminder for artists to not ignore a healthy lifestyle in the midst of beating the deadlines.
Source: Hachima Kiko, Kuro Hekiten’s Blog, KuroHekiten (Twitter), SoraNews24
