A strong and brave girl who loved anime and manga died last month due to recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Cassie England from Louisiana suffered from the painful disease her entire life, but at 7 years old she learned of a new world. It was at that young age that she found love for anime. She drew her own anime characters and cosplayed at various conventions. Even though her disease made it nearly impossible to continue drawing Cassie never gave up. Her dream was to go to school in Japan to become a manga artist.
Robbie Bryan, a filmmaker looking for inspiration for his anime film’s main character, spoke with Cassie’s father and is including her in his film. Dandi, the main character in The Black Hat, is very alike to the real Cassie. Bryan is also including a character named after Cassie England to honor her.
Source: New York Daily News
