Fans of up-and-coming actor and singer Haruma Miura were shocked to hear of his death, which was announced at noon yesterday, due to suicide. The actor may have been known to anime fans for frequently appearing in live-action anime adaptions such as Kimi ni Todoke, Attack on Titan and Gintama 2. He also provided the voice for the CGI adaption of 2013’s Captain Space Harlock. He was only 30 years old.
Fans of Japanese actor Haruma Miura, who some might now from the live action Kimi ni Todoke movie, died today due to suicide at age 30.
So sad and pointless. He had several successful films and had just started a singing career.https://t.co/aJlI3z9zNr pic.twitter.com/DGaZbchxUZ
— J-LIST (@jlist) July 18, 2020
Miura began acting at the age of four, appearing in an NHK morning drama in 1997, and had a strong career, appearing in dozens of films and TV dramas including the above mentioned live-action anime adaptions. He had also appeared as the lead in several stage productions including Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, which Mrs. J-List saw while it was running. The actor had even started a promising singing career, with his second single scheduled to be released this fall.
As usual, fans are grieving and asking why how such a thing could happen. Miura’s management staff have been quoted in the media as saying he seemed normal, the same stoic and professional persona they worked with every day.
One theory being discussed is that he became depressed as a result of “bashing” by followers on Instagram and Twitter after he stated his opinion that Japan’s media is overly obsessive about subjects like famous people having extramarital affairs. Whenever a member of Japan’s entertainment world is caught stepping out with someone who isn’t their spouse, the media and fans all go crazy, calling for their heads and usually causing them to pause their careers until the fervor blows over, or sometimes leave the entertainment world forever. When Miura criticized the reaction by the media and fans over an affair by actor Masahiro Higashide and model Erika Karata on his social media accounts, he received a harsh backlash from his followers.
The Japanese actor spoke Chinese and had a strong following across Asia thanks to appearing in Chinese-language films like Five Minutes Before Midnight and The Confidence Man JP, a genius film series set in Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia. By coincidence (?), this film had already been scheduled for a prime-time slot on Japanese TV last night, giving fans a chance to see the actor a final time.
I have an article on the Japanese media’s obsession with adultery scandals here.
