mangaka A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist bef ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

Miyako Maki is a Japanese manga artist, and one of the earliest female manga artists. During the 1960s, Maki contributed significantly to the development of ''shōjo'' manga (manga for girls), and became one of the most popular ''shōjo'' authors of her gen ...

film projector A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying motion picture film by projecting it onto a screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras. Moder ...

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

Unno Juza was the pen name of Sano Shōichi (佐野昌一), the founding father of Japanese science fiction. He was born to a family of medical doctors in Tokushima city. In 1928 he opened his writer’s career with ''The case of the mysterious death i ...

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

mangaka A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist bef ...

''.

Space opera

Matsumoto is famous for his

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...

s such as ''

Space Battleship Yamato is a Japanese science fiction anime series produced and written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, directed by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, and produced by Academy Productions. The series aired in Yomiuri TV from October 6, 1974 to March 30, 1975, ...

'' and ''

Galaxy Express 999 is a Japanese manga series. It is written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto, later adapted into a number of anime films and television series. It is set in a spacefaring, high-tech future in which humans have learned how to transfer ...

''. His style is characterized by mythological and often tragic storylines with strong moral themes, noble heroes, feminine heroines, and a love of strange worlds and melancholy atmosphere.

Career

Matsumoto made his debut under his real name, Akira Matsumoto, in 1954 with ''Mitsubachi no bōken'' in the magazine ''

Manga Shōnen was a monthly manga magazine published by Gakudōsha between December 1947 and October 1955. The magazine was important in forming and promoting shōnen manga in post-war Japan. Legacy The magazine was first published on 20 December 1947. ...

''. Matsumoto had his big break with ''Otoko Oidon'', a series that chronicled the life of a

rōnin A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master's ...

(a young man preparing for university entrance exams), in 1971. In 1972 he also created the mature-themed dark comedy Western seinen series,

Gun Frontier is a 1972 manga by Leiji Matsumoto.In Matsumoto's works, there have been planets with towns modelled somewhat after the Wild West. In ''Galaxy Express 999'', one of them is called Gun Frontier. Another such planet appears in ''Cosmo Warrio ...

, for Play Comic magazine, which ran from 1972 to 1975. Around the same time he started a series of unconnected short stories set during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, ''Senjo Manga Series'', which would eventually become popular under the title ''

The Cockpit The Cockpit can refer to: * Cockpit Theatre, a 17th-century theatre in London (also known as the Phoenix) that opened in 1616 * The Cockpit, a theatre in London, England that opened in 1970 * ''The Cockpit'' (OVA), a three-part anime series made ...

''. He was involved in ''

Space Battleship Yamato is a Japanese science fiction anime series produced and written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, directed by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, and produced by Academy Productions. The series aired in Yomiuri TV from October 6, 1974 to March 30, 1975, ...

'' (1974) and created the highly popular series '' Space Pirate Captain Harlock'' and ''

Galaxy Express 999 is a Japanese manga series. It is written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto, later adapted into a number of anime films and television series. It is set in a spacefaring, high-tech future in which humans have learned how to transfer ...

'' (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 is a manga written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto, later adapted into a four-episode anime OVA of the same name. ''Queen Emeraldas'' is the story of the pirate spaceship, ''Queen Emeraldas'', which is captained by the mysterious and beaut ...

'' and ''

Queen Millennia is a manga series by Leiji Matsumoto which was serialized from 28 January 1980 through 11 May 1983 in both the ''Sankei Shimbun'' and '' Nishinippon Sports'' newspapers. The manga series was adapted into a 42-episode anime television serie ...

''. Matsumoto supervised the creation of several music videos for the

French house French house, also known as French touch, filter house and tekfunk, is a style of house music originally produced by French musicians in the 1990s. It is a form of Euro disco and a popular strand of the late 1990s and 2000s European dance m ...

group

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

, set to tracks from their album ''

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

''. These videos were issued 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 is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 66,123 in 28,604 households and the population density of 260 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Tsuruga is located in central ...

in 1999. Each statue includes a plaque at its base explaining the character, and featuring Matsumoto's signature. Himiko Cruise Ship

Matsumoto worked with

Yoshinobu Nishizaki was a Japanese film producer best known as one of the two co-creators of the anime series ''Space Battleship Yamato''. He was sometimes credited as ''Yoshinori Nishizaki''. He was born in 1934 and graduated from the Nihon University Art Departme ...

on ''Space Battleship Yamato'' (known outside Japan under various names, but most commonly as ''

Star Blazers ''Star Blazers'' is an American animated television series adaptation of the Japanese anime series . ''Star Blazers'' was first broadcast in the United States in 1979. It was the first popular English-translated anime that had an overarching plo ...

''). Matsumoto created a manga loosely based on the series, and 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 is a Japanese science fiction anime series produced and written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, directed by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, and produced by Academy Productions. The series aired in Yomiuri TV from October 6, 1974 to March 30, 1975, ...

'' featuring an updated Yamato had to be renamed ''Great Galaxy'' due to legal issues with Nishizaki. As of 2009, Matsumoto and Nishizaki were working on independent anime projects featuring the acclaimed ''Space Battleship Yamato'', with the conditions that Matsumoto cannot use the name ''Yamato'' or the plot or characters from the original, and Nishizaki cannot use the conceptual art, character or ship designs of the original. Since Nishizaki's death in 2010, it is uncertain whether these restrictions will continue to apply. In August 2014, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of his debut, Matsumoto launched the manga ''Captain Harlock ~Jigen Kōkai~'' ('' Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage''), illustrated by Kōichi Shimahoshi, in the pages of Akita Shoten's '' Champion Red'' magazine. ''Dimensional Voyage'' is a retelling of the original 1978 '' Space Pirate Captain Harlock'' manga. It had been licensed in the U.S. by Seven Seas. Matsumoto is one of the 'Frontier Ambassadors' of Koriyama City (

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

).

Personal life

His wife is shōjo manga artist

Miyako Maki is a Japanese manga artist, and one of the earliest female manga artists. During the 1960s, Maki contributed significantly to the development of ''shōjo'' manga (manga for girls), and became one of the most popular ''shōjo'' authors of her gen ...

(better known as the creator of the doll

Licca-chan , full name , is a dress-up doll series introduced in Japan on July 4, 1967 by Takara, enjoying the same kind of popularity in Japan as the Barbie series does in the United States. Takara had sold over 48 million Licca-chan dolls as of 2002, a ...

, the Japanese equivalent of Barbie).

Health

On November 15, 2019, Matsumoto suffered severe

respiratory problems The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

and collapsed during an event in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Italy, for the 40th anniversary tour celebrating the Captain Harlock anime adaptation. He was taken in hospital in critical condition, and had a breathing tube inserted after he was checked into the emergency unit. However, he was considered to be out of danger two days later.

List of works

*''Great Galaxy'' (formerly ''

Great Yamato is a Japanese science fiction anime series produced and written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, directed by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, and produced by Academy Productions. The series aired in Yomiuri TV from October 6, 1974 to March 30, 1975, ...

'') *'' Harlock Saga Der Ring des Nibelungen'' *''

Queen Millennia is a manga series by Leiji Matsumoto which was serialized from 28 January 1980 through 11 May 1983 in both the ''Sankei Shimbun'' and '' Nishinippon Sports'' newspapers. The manga series was adapted into a 42-episode anime television serie ...

'' (aka Queen of 1000 Years) *''

Starzinger , known as ''Spaceketeers'' in the United States, is an anime series produced by Toei Animation. It is a sci-fi remake/adaptation of Wu Cheng'en's fantasy novel ''Journey to the West''. It was directed by Yugo Serikawa and written by Leiji ...

'' (part of the '' Force Five'' anthology series, as ''Spaceketeers'') (1978–1979) *''The Ultimate Time Sweeper Mahoroba'' (manga) *''

Planet Robot Danguard Ace A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

'' (part of the U.S. '' Force Five'' anthology series, as ''Dangard Ace''; 1977–1978)

Collected editions

Manga collections (American publishers)

Captain Harlock and Yamato

* Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage Vol. 1-10 Publisher: Seven Seas (September 5, 2017 – 2019) * Space Battleship Yamato: The Classic Collection Publisher: Seven Seas; Translation edition (April 9, 2019) * Captain Harlock: The Classic Collection Vol. 1-3 Publisher: Seven Seas; Illustrated edition (June 12, 2018)

Galaxy Express and Emeraldas

* Queen Emeraldas volume 1 - volume 2 Publisher: Kodansha Comics; Illustrated editions (July 26, 2016) * Galaxy Express 999, Vol. 1-5 Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (March 8, 1999 – 2002)

References

External links

* * *
Leijiverse
the world of Leiji Matsumoto
Entry
in

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...

Leiji Matsumoto manga
an
anime
at Media Arts Database
''Ozma'' interview''Ozma'' interview with ''Asahi Shimbun''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsumoto, Leiji 1938 births Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Japanese animators Japanese illustrators Living people Manga artists from Fukuoka Prefecture People from Kitakyushu People from Kurume Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class Space Battleship Yamato Toei Animation

Early life