Japanese cartoonist and author Leiji Matsumoto has died at the age of 85. Matsumoto was a great figure in the world of Japanese manga and anime. His production company Toei reports that Matsumoto died of heart failure.
His sci-fi stories such as Space Battleship Yamato, Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999 greatly influenced the world of comic books and animated films in the 1970s and 1980s.
“He was famous all his life, but his major comics are from the 1970s. Captain Harlock, a space pirate, is a hugely popular one. You are completely carried away and there is romance in it,” says science fiction writer and Japanese pop culture connoisseur Roderick the Lionheart in the NOS Radio 1 Journaal.
“Matsumoto was very influential in what he did. His style always had long characters and a mysterious look, his spaceships looked like warships and submarines from World War II.”
Awards
In Japan, several celebrities have reacted to his death, including astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, who says he has been greatly influenced by the works of the Japanese artist.
“As I think of the images he left for us, I want to express my condolences. As the president of the YAC (Japanese Youth Organization for Space), I will carry his words with me: “The future is in the hearts of boys and girls. girls.” Please watch over us from space,” the astronaut writes on Twitter.
Matsumoto received several awards in Japan, but also in France – where the Japanese comics culture is popular – the Japanese was held in high esteem. There he was made a Knight of the French Order of Arts and Letters.
The Japanese author, director and artist also produced the animations that French electro duo Daft Punk used on several songs.
As in Daft Punk’s music video One More Time, from the year 2000:
Daft Punk – One More Time (Official Video)
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