REST IN PEACE MASTER Leiji Matsumoto
I have just become aware of this dear mans passing... I have loved Master Matsumoto's work since my childhood and I will always think of him when I go on a glorious cosmic adventure with his wonderful art and films.
Matsumoto was born with the given name Akira in 1938 at Kurume City in Fukuoka Prefecture, and he debuted as a manga artist in 1953 with Michibachi no Bōken (Honeybee's Adventure) while he was still in high school. After graduating high school, he moved to Tokyo and became popular in the 1950s as a shōjo manga creator under a pen name. He then adopted his most famous pen name, Leiji Matsumoto, in 1965.
His notable works include Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, and Queen Emeraldas — all of which inspired multiple anime or live-action adaptations — and he contributed designs and created the tie-in manga for Space Battleship Yamato. He also supervised animated music videos for French electronic pop group Daft Punk's Discovery album, and the videos were strung together into the INTERSTELLA 5555 film. His designs and works have influenced multiple generations of artists around the world.
Matsumoto's mechanical designs ranged from sleek warships inspired by early 20th century dreadnoughts, to fantastical space trains. His characters similarly ranged from cartoonish or caricatured designs to grounded, realistic figures.
In 2001 Matsumoto was awarded the "Medal with Purple Ribbon" honor, and in 2010 he was awarded with the "Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette." In 2012 he received the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) decoration from the French government.
There are many good Master Matsumoto articles at COSMO DNA
Lifelong STAR BLAZERS Boss out!
🤍✨💞
