Like many Japanese illustrators, Kuro Hekiten’s plans for late December were to exhibit and sell his works at Comiket, Japan’s largest convention for self-published dojinshi anime/manga-style art and comics.
“My brother had not previously suffered from any major illnesses, but you couldn’t even generously say that he led a healthy lifestyle.
“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.
He’d stay up all night for days on end trying to meet deadlines, then have to sleep through the day.