Danica Davidson
June 18, 2024 
There is sad news coming out of Japan as we learn about the death of anime producer Hiroyuki Omori, whose credits include JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, When They Cry – Higurashi, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Highschool of the Dead, Hi Score Girl, Terra Formars, and Casshern Sins, among others.
The announcement came from Warner Bros. Japan, but the company was slim on information. For instance, we don’t know what caused Omori to pass, nor do we know how old he was.
Omori was part of the anime world for more than 25 years. For a while he was a producer at NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan LLC, and then in 2011 he moved over to Warner Bros. Japan.
While we now know that the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime would do exceptionally well, Omori was hesitant at first about it, thinking it would be very challenging to adapt. The manga series is not new, and its gekiga style might be considered dated.
“There was the problem of what to do with the design,” he remarked. And it seems his own fandom helped the project succeed. “But the power of the work itself has not faded, and above all, I am a big JoJo fan myself, so I decided to take on the challenge despite the difficulties.”
VIZ Media publishes the original JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure manga by Hirohiko Araki, and gave this description for the first volume, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 1–Phantom Blood:
Young Jonathan Joestar’s life is forever changed when he meets his new adopted brother, Dio. For some reason, Dio has a smoldering grudge against him and derives pleasure from seeing him suffer. But every man has his limits, as Dio finds out. This is the beginning of a long and hateful relationship!
Omori’s work touched many people’s lives around the globe, and we send our condolences to his loved ones during this time.
Source: Tokyo Weekender
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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