, known by his

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

, was a Japanese

manga artist 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 be ...

best known for ''

Kimagure Orange Road is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Izumi Matsumoto. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from 1984 to 1987, with the chapters collected into 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shueisha. The story follows tee ...

''. His career started in 1982, publishing his comic ''Milk Report'' in the manga magazine ''

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...

''. But real success came in 1984, publishing ''

'' in the same magazine. In 2005, he revealed that he was afflicted with a cerebrospinal fluid disease (possibly stemming from a car accident when he was three years old) that had forced him to take six years off work, and he hoped to bring attention to this disorder through a new manga. On 3 November 2019, Matsumoto revealed that he had been diagnosed with

spinal stenosis Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen that results in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Symptoms may include pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs. Symptoms are typically gradual in on ...

. Matsumoto died at 61 on October 6, 2020.

Career

Izumi Matsumoto began working for ''

'' when he cold called them and formed a relationship with Toshimasa Takahashi, then a junior editor in charge of answering phones. His work "Live! Tottemo Rock 'n' Roll" then won a newcomer award. This led to the 1982 publication of ''Milk Report'' in ''Fresh Jump''. Just two years later he began ''

'' in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', which was an instant success. Following its end, he began ''Sesame Street'' (not to be confused with the long-running television series of the same name) in '' Super Jump''. In 1994, Matsumoto conceived the idea for a digital manga on

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...

, the first of its kind. The five-volume ''Comic On'' was also possibly the first "trans-hemispheric manga compilation" as the semi-animated content set to music and dialogue also contained work by

Jan Scott-Frazier Jan Scott-Frazier (born Scott Frazier) is an American who has worked in various roles of the Japanese anime industry for 20 years, including producer. Frazier was one of the few foreigners to work in the Japanese anime industry. Career Frazier ...

and

Lea Hernandez Lea Hernandez (born March 11, 1964) is an American comic book and webcomic creator, known primarily for working in a manga-influenced style, and for doing lettering and touch-ups on manga imports. She is the co-creator of '' Killer Princesses'', wr ...

. Matsumoto set up his own company Genesis DPC to fund the project and partnered with

Toshiba EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Whe ...

to sell it. Manga publishers considered this a competitor, and Matsumoto struggled to get permission from

Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...

to use his own ''

'' characters in the work.

Works

* ''

'' (1984–1987, ''

'') * ''Comic Gunbuster'' (1989) * ''Sesame Street'' (1990–1992, '' Super Jump'') * ''Comic On'' (1996) * ''Digital Short Contents'' (2001)

References

External links

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsumoto, Izumi 1958 births 2020 deaths Manga artists from Toyama Prefecture

Career

Works

References

Further reading

External links