Kodansha Publishing has withdrawn from its launch catalog the new book written by Jun Maeda and entitled Neko Kari Zoku no Naga (The Chief of the Cat Hunting Tribe). The launch was scheduled to take place in Japan on March 23rd, however, the publisher has withdrawn it and has not expressed any reason for doing so. In fact, its listing was "discovered" by fans, and was never officially announced by the publisher itself other than the fact that it was listed "under the table".
On the other hand, Jun Maeda collaborated for the first time with P.A. Works studios in the production of the multimedia project Angel Beats! in 2010, followed by the original anime Charlotte in 2015. Maeda is recognized as the screenwriter of the visual novels developed by Visual Art's/Key, Kanon, AIR, Clannad and Little Busters! all of which have inspired anime adaptations. Maeda has also composed the soundtrack for all of the visual novels he has written, as well as the music for the Angel Beats! and Charlotte series.
Recently, Maeda was credited with the production of the original anime produced by Key, Aniplex and P.A. Works, Kamisama ni Natta Hi (The Day I Became a God), which aired in the autumn season of 2020. This production was severely criticized by some fans both inside and outside of Japan, which some assume is the reason why it disabled their social networks. At the time of writing, his Twitter account (@jun_owakon) remains inactive.
Finally, it should be noted that Jun Maeda suffers from idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (enlargement and weakening of the left heart ventricle). He was hospitalized for five months in 2016 and later that year revealed that his heart condition required a heart transplant, although he later assured fans that he still has a long way to go and stories to write.
Source: Kodansha Book Club via Otakomu
