The manga artist passed away before the debut was published

summary

  • Denji Yutai won the Dengeki Grand Prize but tragically passed away before his debut manga was published.

  • Yutai's work, titled Fairy Physics, will still be published after consultation with his family.

  • Yutai's fellow artist and friend Toshimichi Uzuo shared how Yutai inspired his writing career.

Quick links

    • A friend from the past speaks

An up-and-coming new mangaka died last week before their debut was set to be published next year. The new artist's pen name was Denji Yutai, the only name shared at this time. He was the winner of the Dengeki Grand Prize, Manga Prize, in the fall of 2024. Now, he won't get a chance to see his work formally published.

The news came via the Dengeki Bunko X (formerly Twitter) account of the award-giving organization. They posted an announcement on December 27th, 2024, stating that the winner of this year's award had passed away. In a statement, Dengeki Bunko said the work available from Yutai will be published in honor of his death and upon learning of his wishes.

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Denji Yutai's only work

An award-winning debut

The Dengeki Grand Prize, or Dengeki Novel Prize, is an award for long and short stories sponsored by manga giant Kadokawa. The award has been in existence since 1994, and Denji Yutai (whose nickname translates to “Electromagnetic Ghost”) was its 31st recipient. 3,819 works were submitted for the 2024 award, and Yutai's work, titled 『妖精の移动学―Physics phenomenon Phantom―』(Fairy Physics: The Physics Phenomenon Phantom) was victorious.

Thus the eyes of the manga world were on Yutai, who officially began publishing his works in 2025. Sadly, the new artist died on December 12, 2024, of a previously unknown illness. Fairy Physics: The Physics Phenomenon Phantom It was intended to be published as part of the Dengeki Grand Prize winnings, and will still be after consultation with Yutai's family, who gave permission for the work to be published as planned.

Regarding Yutai's sudden death, Dengeki Bunko posted (quoted by Livedoor News, translated from Japanese),

Denji Yutai passed away suddenly last Thursday, December 12, 2024 due to illness.

All of us associated with Dengeki Grand Prize and the editorial department of Dengeki Media Works are shocked and deeply saddened by this sudden news. We are deeply saddened by his sudden demise before his debut.

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An inspiration to others

A friend from the past speaks

A few other light novel and manga artists have posted about the tragedy of Yutai's death before he could see his work published. Among these is Toshimichi Uzuo, a previous winner of the Dengeki Grand Prize, who has written many other stories. Uzuo posted that they were friends with Yutai, and although they didn't share details about how they were working together, they had been friends for a long time.

Uzou also shared that Yutai wanted to be a light novel writer for many years, even before Uzuo started writing anything. It wasn't until Yutai convinced Uzuo to try writing that Uzuo tried too. Inspired by Yutai, Uzuo submitted his first work for the Dengeki Grand Prize, and fortunately managed to win, even though it was his first attempt. According to Livedor News, Uzuo said of Yutai's suggestion to start writing (translated from Japanese), “Looking back on it now, it was a turning point in my life.”

The two became distant in later years, but Uzuo reported that they never denied being friends in their youth. Now that Yutai has passed away, Uzuo has spoken more about him and their relationship, revealing that they felt that Yutai was always a very talented writer. They also said that as long as they continue their career as a light novel writer, they will continue to remind everyone that Denji Yutai was able to contribute in his short time as a writer, and not let the world forget. Yutai's achievements before his death.

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Source: livedoor news

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