Danica Davidson
October 20, 2023 
Yūya Saito, an anime composer and arranger who’s worked on Smile Pretty Cure!, Precure All Stars New Stage: Mirai no Tomodachi, and more, is in the news, and it’s not for anything musical. He’s in the news for being arrested.
According to reports, a Metropolitan Police Department officer at Tokyo’s JR Akabane Station platform saw Saito using a mobile camera to look under a junior high school girl’s skirt and get footage. Allegedly Saito had the mobile camera hidden in a tote bag.
Saito was taken in for questioning, where he admitted to the crime. He has since been charged with voyeurism.
Saito told police that he was taking upskirt shots to “relieve stress.” A similar excuse was used by anime composer Hidekazu Tanaka after he was caught trying to assault an underage girl. Tanaka ended up confessing to many more sexual crimes against women and girls, and said the reason was to “relieve anger and work stress.” Tanaka was eventually found guilty in court and received a suspended 18-month sentence, meaning he doesn’t have to go to prison if he behaves for three years. Before he was caught, Tanaka had been best known for working on anime like Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls.
Along with working in the Precure franchise, Yūya Saito is known for composing and arranging music for Absolute Duo, Glitter Force, Kan Colle, My Sweet Tyrant, Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de, The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura, and We Without Wings – Under the Innocent Sky.
Besides his work in anime, Saito has been involved with idol group Momoiro Clover Z by producing songs for them.
More information, like what happened to the victim or when a trial might start, is not yet known or has not been shared to the public.
Source: ANN
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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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