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Manga Creator Yū Asai Dies, Manga Creator Husband Motoyuki Asai Hospitalized After Traffic Accident

The Twitter account for manga creator Motoyuki Asai stated on Thursday Motoyuki and his wife, fellow manga creator duo Yū Asai, were in a traffic accident on March 2. Yū died on March 6 while Motoyuki is currently hospitalized with bone fractures and is in serious condition. A close relative, who made the announcement on Twitter, stated in another Twitter post that it will take considerable time for Motoyuki to recover.

A funeral for Yū was held by close family members.

Manga creator Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina) stated on Twitter on Friday that Motoyuki had suffered a stroke in 2015, and after Yū requested support at that time, Akamatsu had been working with them ever since. He expressed his condolences and added Motoyuki's rehabilitation after the stroke had been going well before the accident.

Motoyuki was the assistant to Game Center Arashi manga creator Mitsuru Sugaya. He debuted as a manga creator in 1984 with the Magnum Taishō manga in a special issue of Coro Coro Comics magazine. One year later he launched the Famicom Rocky manga (pictured at right) in the same magazine. He also drew the Sukebō Rocky manga.

Yū was a former assistant of Motoyuki's. The two worked together on manga under Yū's name. Yū is known for the Hoshi no Kazu dake Dakishimete, Kimagure Short Cut, Kakeru-kun Wake up!!, and Lovin' You manga, which were published in the 1990s.

Sources: Motoyuki Asai's Twitter account (link 2), Sponichi