On March 8, it was reported that Akira Toriyama, one of Japan’s most prolific manga artists, passed away at age 68. As news of his passing spread, Toriyama’s numerous admirers, friends, and industry colleagues expressed sadness over his sudden death.
Hiroshi Matsuyama, CEO of Japanese game developer CyberConnect2, suddenly announced that the company will temporarily close in mourningencouraging its employees to return home that day.
関係者の皆様へ
サイバーコネクトツー臨時休業のお知らせ
普段から「絶望禁止」を謳って生きている私ですので、この悲しみを力に変えてモノづくりをより頑張ろう！と思い、無理でした。…
— 松山洋＠サイバーコネクトツー (@PIROSHI_CC2) March 8, 2024
He posted the following on his Twitter profile:
“To whom It May Concern,
The news of Mr. Akira Toriyama’s death came as a shock to me, but as I always try to live my life by the motto “not allowing despair”, I decided to try to transform sadness into strength and channel it into creative work. However, it was impossible.
Just now, in the middle of a meeting with another team, I started crying, and we were unable to resume the meeting. (I am really sorry.)
As we are a gaming company that was entrusted with the “Dragon Ball” series, CyberConnect2 will temporarily close its doors in mourning.
To all of our employees, please go home. Take time to be sad during sad times.
Let’s try again on Monday.
I will handle the tasks I can handle on my own.
CyberConnect2 is temporarily closed today in mourning. We sincerely pray for the soul of Mr. Akira Toriyama.”
Matsuyama’s very personal speech to the audience and CyberConnect2 employees mentions the company’s ties to Toriyama’s widely acclaimed Dragon Ball series. CyberConnect2 developed the 2020 action RPG Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, which is based on the Dragon Ball anime and manga and features the series’ beloved protagonist, Son Goku.
The CEO’s decision to honor Akira Toriyama’s death in this way has been met with warm reactions from Japanese users on social media.
via Automaton
