Leiji Matsumoto was a Japanese manga artist, and creator of several anime and manga series.
16 Facts About Leiji Matsumoto
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Leiji Matsumoto's style was characterized by mythological and often tragic storylines with strong moral themes, noble heroes, feminine heroines, and a love of strange worlds and melancholic atmosphere.
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Leiji Matsumoto was born January 25,1938, in Kurume, Fukuoka.
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Leiji Matsumoto was the middle child of a family of seven brothers, and, in his early childhood, Matsumoto was given a 35mm film projector by his father.
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Leiji Matsumoto watched American cartoons during the Pacific War and developed an interest in science fiction novels by Unno Juza and H G Wells.
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Leiji Matsumoto started drawing when he was six and, inspired by Osamu Tezuka's work, began drawing manga three years later.
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Leiji Matsumoto moved to Tokyo at 18 to become a manga artist.
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In 1953, Leiji Matsumoto made his debut under his real name, Akira Leiji Matsumoto, with Mitsubachi no boken in the magazine Manga Shonen.
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Leiji Matsumoto was involved in Space Battleship Yamato and created the highly popular series Space Pirate Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999.
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Leiji Matsumoto supervised the creation of several music videos for the French house group Daft Punk, set to tracks from their album Discovery.
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Leiji Matsumoto worked with Yoshinobu Nishizaki on Space Battleship Yamato.
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Leiji Matsumoto created a manga loosely based on the series, and the Yamato makes cameo appearances in several of his works including the Galaxy Express 999 manga.
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Leiji Matsumoto was married to manga artist and Licca-chan creator Miyako Maki.
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On November 15,2019, Leiji Matsumoto suffered severe respiratory problems and collapsed during an event in Turin, Italy, for the 40th-anniversary tour celebrating Captain Harlock anime adaptation.
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Leiji Matsumoto was taken to a hospital in critical condition and had a breathing tube inserted after he was admitted to the emergency unit.
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Leiji Matsumoto died of acute heart failure at a hospital in Tokyo on February 13,2023, at 85.