Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto Manga Creator Passes Away

Nami Sano, the talented creator behind the beloved series Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto and Migi and Dali, has sadly passed away at the age of 36.

The news of Sano’s untimely death was announced by the Harta manga magazine’s Twitter account, which was the publication that serialized her work. The editorial team at Harta revealed that Sano had been battling cancer for the past month. Her funeral took place on August 7 and 8.

【To Our Readers】

The talented manga artist Nami Sano passed away on August 5.

We express our gratitude for her amazing manga such as ‘I’m Sakamoto, You Know?’ and ‘Migi and Dali,’ and offer our sincerest condolences. We would like to share some words from Sano’s family and the editorial team with our readers. We hope you take a moment to read them. pic.twitter.com/5qqXUfqKp5

Sano was born on April 17, 1987, in Hyogo Prefecture. She made her manga debut in 2010 with the one-shot Neko no Ko in Fellows!, which was previously known as Harta.

Her first serialized manga, Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto, was published from 2011 to 2015 in Fellows! and Harta. The series achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success, earning the prestigious Comic Natalie Grand Prize in 2013. It was later adapted into a popular TV anime series in 2016. Sano’s other manga series, Migi and Dali, is also scheduled to receive an anime adaptation in October 2023.

The magazine’s editorial team shared that Sano had expressed to her editor, “Once I overcome this, I believe I can create an amazing manga.” (source: Crunchyroll). In the tweet, a letter containing Sano’s final words was also included: “This has been a good life. I’m likely venturing into a world with more freedom… See ya.”