Nippon TV has published the findings of an internal special investigation team into the sudden death of Sexy Tanaka-san manga author Hinako Ashihara.

The report, released on May 31, 2024, highlighted significant communication breakdowns between Ashihara and the drama's production team, leading to a breakdown in trust.

According to the investigation, the drama adaptation was proposed to Shogakukan in late February last year.

Nippon TV's production staff believed that Shogakukan had agreed that they could have an original ending for the drama due to the manga being incomplete.

In contrast, Shogakukan's intention was to base the original ending on Ashihara's suggestions to avoid affecting the unfinished manga, indicating a miscommunication from the beginning.

Shogakukan representatives claimed to have emphasized the need to have a scriptwriter who respected the original manga. However, the production side claimed they had no knowledge of this.

Despite this, the production team maintained a respectful stance, stating that they would not ignore the author's opinions.

Ashihara insisted on faithfully adapting his manga into a drama, as he detailed in his blog before his death. The author outlined three conditions for the adaptation:

1. stay true to the manga
2. ensure that the original parts do not affect the future of the unfinished manga by having the author provide the plot and dialogue.
3. do not alter what the author has provided, with the expectation that the original parts of the drama would be scripted based on the author's material, potentially involving the author in writing the script.

However, the investigation revealed that during subsequent meetings in March 2024, these conditions were not communicated by Shogakukan, either verbally or in writing, to the drama production team.

As a result, key members of the production team were unaware of these conditions and this intent was not conveyed to the screenwriter.

Consequently, Ashihara became increasingly suspicious of the production side due to the continued lack of communication.

In addition to the communication breakdown, the investigation also highlighted potential shortcomings in the production schedule, with the drama being developed in a relatively short period of time before its broadcast.

To avoid similar problems in the future, the report recommends early design decisions.

Other preventative measures included advance contractual agreements between the broadcaster and the author and the request for direct meetings between the production team and the author to avoid misunderstandings.

Nippon TV President Akira Ishizawa apologized for the incident and expressed a commitment to improving communication and production practices.

“This investigation report highlights differences in understanding and miscommunication between the drama production team and the original manga team. Issues such as the drama production schedule, production system, and the timing of contract signing are areas that Nippon TV will need to address more rigorously in the future. Nippon TV is committed to responsibly addressing the issues identified to ensure that everyone involved in television drama production can work with greater confidence and peace of mind.“

Source: Mainichi Shimbun