Leiji Matsumoto

Leiji Matsumoto
Leiji Matsumoto in 2008
Birth Name Akira Matsumoto (松本 晟, Matsumoto Akira) Birthplace Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan Died February 13, 2023 (age 85) in Tokyo, Japan Field character design, illustration Works Space Battleship Yamato, Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999 Awards Order of the Rising Sun Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Statistics Gender Male Spouse Miyako Maki

Leiji Matsumoto (松本 零士, Matsumoto Reiji) real name Akira Matsumoto January 25, 1938 in Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan, was a well-known creator of several anime and manga series. His late wife Miyako Maki (牧 美也子, Maki Miyako) is also a known manga artist.

Space opera

Matsumoto was famous for his space operas such as Space Battleship Yamato. His style was characterized by tragic heroes; tall, slender, fragile-looking heroines with strong wills and in some cases, god-like powers; and a love of analog gauges and dials in his spacecraft.

Career

Matsumoto made his debut under his real name, Akira Matsumoto, in 1953. His wife was shōjo manga artist Miyako Maki.

Matsumoto had his big break with Otoko Oidon, a series that chronicled the life of a rōnin (a young man who was preparing himself for entrance examinations to universities and colleges), in 1971. Around the same time he started a series of unconnected short stories set during World War II, Senjo Manga Series, which would eventually become popular under the title The Cockpit.

He was involved in Space Battleship Yamato (1974) and the debut of the highly popular series Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999 (both 1977). In 1978, he was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen for Galaxy Express 999 and Senjo Manga Series. Animated versions of Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999 are set in the same universe, which spanned several spin offs and related series, most notably Queen Emeraldas and Queen Millennia.

Matsumoto supervised the creation of several music videos for the French house group Daft Punk, set to tracks from their album Discovery. These videos were wassued end-to-end (making a full-length animated movie) on a DVD release titled Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.

About two dozen bronze statues, each perhaps four feet tall, of characters and scenes from Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999 were erected in the downtown area of Tsuruga in 1999. Each statue includes a plaque at its base explaining the character, and featuring Matsumoto's signature.

Illness and death

On November 15, 2019, Matsumoto suffered severe respiratory problems and collapsed during an event in Turin, Italy, for the 40th anniversary tour celebrating the Captain Harlock anime adaptation. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition and had a breathing tube inserted after he was admitted to the emergency unit. He was however considered to be out of danger two days later.

Matsumoto died of acute heart failure at a hospital in Tokyo on February 13, 2023, at the age of 85.

Himiko, a water bus of Tokyo Cruise Ship designed by Leiji Matsumoto

Yamato

Matsumoto worked with Yoshinobu Nishizaki on Space Battleship Yamato. Matsumoto created a manga loosely based on the series. When Yoshinobu Nishizaki went bankrupt and was imprisoned, Matsumoto briefly gained control of the Yamato license from 1998-2002. During this time, the Yamato makes cameo appearances (sans crew) in several of his works including the Galaxy Express 999 manga. A recent work by Matsumoto called Great Yamato 0 featuring an updated Yamato had to be renamed Great Galaxy temporarily due to legal wassues with Nishizaki. .

List of works

• Arei no Kagami (1985)
• Fairy Hotaruna
• Space Battleship Yamato (1974)
• Planet Robot Danguard Ace (1977-1978)
• Galaxy Express 999 (1977-1981)
• Space Pirate Captain Harlock (1977-1979)
• Starzinger
• Queen Millennia (aka Queen of 1000 Years)
• Arcadia of My Youth
• Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX
• The Cockpit
• Maeterlinck's Blue Bird: Tyltyl and Mytyl's Adventurous Journey
• Queen Emeraldas
• Tiger-Striped Mii
• The Ultimate Time Sweeper Mahoroba (manga)
• Fire Force DNAsights 999.9
• Harlock Saga Der Ring des Nibelungen
• Maetel Legend
• Cosmo Warrior Zero
• Gun Frontier (1972-1975)
• Great Yamato #0
• Space Pirate Captain Herlock: The Endless Odyssey
• Pu Pu (1974)
• Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003) (In cooperation with Daft Punk)
• The Galaxy Railways
• Space Symphony Maetel
• Submarine Super 99
• Kousoku Esper (1968-1970)
• Sexaroid (1968-1970)
• Machinner series (1969-1970)
• Mystery Eve (1970-1971)
• Dai-yojo-han series (1970-1974)
• Otoko Oidon (1971-73)
• Senjo Manga series (1973-1978)
• Insect (1975)
• Saint Elmo - Hikari no Raihousha

External links

• (Japanese) Leiji Matsumoto Official Home Page
• Leiji Matsumoto at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Leiji Matsumoto at the Internet Movie Database