Summary
- Denji Yutai won the Dengeki Grand Prize but tragically passed away before his debut manga could be published.
- Yutai's work, titled Fairy Physics, will still be published following consultation with his family.
- Toshimichi Uzuo, a fellow artist and friend of Yutai, shared how Yutai inspired their own writing career.
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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, which is the only name that has been shared at this time. He was the winner of the Dengeki Grand Prize, a manga award, in the fall of 2024. Now, he will not have the chance to see his work formally published.
The news came via the X (formerly Twitter) account of Dengeki Bunko, the organization behind the award. They posted the announcement on December 27th, 2024, stating that the winner of this year's award had passed away. In the statement, Dengeki Bunko said they would still publish the work that was available from Yutai in a manner respectful of his death, and following what was known of his wishes.
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Denji Yutai's Only Work
An Award-Winning Debut
The Dengeki Grand Prize, or Dengeki Novel Award, is an award given to both long and short stories sponsored by manga giant KADOKAWA. The award has been around since 1994, and Denji Yutai (whose pen name translates to "Electromagnetic Ghost" was the 31st recipient of it. There were 3,819 works submitted for the 2024 award, and Yutai's work, titled 『妖精の物理学―PHysics PHenomenon PHantom―』(Fairy Physics: PHysics PHenomenon PHantom) was the winner.
The manga world thus had their eyes on Yutai, who was set to begin publishing his works officially in 2025. Sadly, the new artist died on December 12th, 2024, due to a previously undisclosed illness. Fairy Physics: PHysics PHenomenon PHantom was meant to be published as part of winning the Dengeki Grand Prize, and still will be after consultation with Yutai's family, who have given permission for the work to still be published as planned.
Regarding Yutai's sudden death, Dengeki Bunko posted (as quoted by livedoor News, translated from Japanese),
Denji Yutai passed away suddenly due to illness last Thursday, December 12, 2024.
All of us involved with the Dengeki Grand Prize and the editorial department of Dengeki Media Works are stunned and deeply saddened by this sudden news. We are deeply saddened by his sudden passing just before his debut.
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An Inspiration to Others
A Friend from the Past Speaks Up
Some other light novel and manga artists have since 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 gone on to write several other stories. Uzuo posted that they were friends with Yutai, and while they did not share details abotu what they were working on together, they had been friends for a long time.
Uzou also shared that Yutai had wanted to be a light novel writer for many years, even before Uzuo had started to write anything themselves. It was not until Yutai convinced Uzuo to try writing as well that Uzuo even tried. Inspired by Yutai, Uzuo submitted their first work for the Dengeki Grand Prize, and was luckily able to win even though it was their first attempt. According to livedoor News, Uzuo said regarding 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 more distant in later years, but Uzuo reported that they did not deny that they had been friends in their youth. Now that Yutai has passed away, Uzuo has spoken more about him and their relationship, revealing that they felt Yutai was always the more talented writer. They have also said that as long as they continue their career has a light novel writer, they will continue to remind everyone else about what Denji Yutai was able to contribute in his short time as a writer, too, and not let the world forget about Yutai's accomplishment before his death.
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Source: livedoor News
