NHK announced that the legendary manga creator, illustrator, and designer Leiji Matsumoto passed away earlier this month on February 13 after suffering from acute heart failure The creator was 85 at the time of his death.
Leiji Matsumoto’s daughter and representative of Leijisha Production Makiko Matsumoto commented saying “Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto has set off on a journey to the sea of stars. I think he lived a happy life, always thinking about the next stories to draw as a manga artist. (Leiji) Matsumoto always said that we’d meet again someday in the distant future, and we believe in his words and look forward to that day.
▍About Leiji Matsumoto
Debuting as a manga artist in 1953, the manga artist created the series Michibachi no Bōken / Honeybee’s adventure while still in high school, before going on to create some of the most influential and important works in the manga and anime medium, with Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, Queen Emeraldas, Space Battleship Yamato, and many more.
Leiji Matsumoto’s works have received numerous awards and inspired several films and live-action adaptations. His mechanical designs have been long praised for being incredibly good-looking while also realistic in their depictions. He also supervised the music video for Daft Punk’s Discovery album which was released in March 2001.
The creator even designed the Himiko, a water bus traveling along the shoreline of Tokyo from Asakusa to Odaiba, and the Kansai Rinkai Park, which serves as a popular tourist attraction and method of transport that’s still used today.
