February 13: RIP, Leiji Matsumoto
There’s no good way to say it. This was the day we lost the beloved, accomplished, iconoclastic creator of so many things we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. Leiji Matsumoto (85) died of heart failure on February 13, 2023 after an unparalleled career that began when he was just a teenager.
The world heard nothing about this for the next seven days, a customary procedure in Japan to allow the family time and privacy for bereavement.
February 15: RIP Voice Actor Shozo Iizuka
Heart failure claimed a second Yamato veteran in February, this time from the ranks of the voice repertoire. Shozo Iizuka was heard more than once over the course of the original saga, from Goland in Yamato 2 to Balcom in Yamato III to Barlsman in Yamato Resurrection. He was even called upon for a small role in Yamato 2520.
But this was only the tiniest tip of his career iceberg, which goes all the way back to the original 1963 Astro Boy. Since then, he has filled literally hundreds of roles, appearing as countless villains and becoming known as “the man who plotted to take over the Earth for 50 years.” But he had time for the occasional hero as well, with significant parts in the original Gundam, Fist of the North Star, Sherlock Hound, and many more.
See his incredible credit list at Anime News Network here.
February 20: Leiji Matsumoto’s passing announced
It started with a humble message from his daughter, and the news rippled outward like a tidal wave that wrapped around the globe in only a few hours. The next day, Japanese and world media alike picked up the news with tributes and condolences in many languages.
See some of the English-language coverage here:
Variety | BBC | US News | Financial Times
Of course, Cosmo DNA was on it as well. A large collection of news articles translated from Japanese sources went live on February 22 and can be found here
Additional thoughts were shared by our Yamato 2205 commentors, Kathy Clarkson and Anton Mei Brandt. Here’s what they had to say…
[KC]: I want to acknowledge the recent passing of Leiji Matsumoto, without whom none of this would exist. His contribution to the genre as an artist has been profound and he leaves behind an incredible legacy.
[AMB]: The news came as a great shock. Most of us were plenty aware of his widely reported health issues from 2021 (not to mention his age) but it still feels like it was too soon. The tragedy of his passing was big enough to warrant one of the biggest Swedish newspapers, Expressen, to cover it.
[KC]: He’s the reason we’re here, covering the destruction of Garmillas (in Episode 3). Anton, did you want to speak at all about the poetry of that, or your personal thoughts on the loss of Matsumoto-san?
[AMB]: 2205 does portray vivid depictions of sudden loss and despair in this way, doesn’t it? As sad as it is to say, everyone has to reach those pearly gates at some point. To paraphrase Dessler from the original New Voyage: “Leiji is gone… even though his end was destined… I didn’t think that I would see it with my own eyes.”
Last episode, I mentioned my own childhood experiences with Matsumoto’s works, namely Galaxy Express 999 and Starzinger, the latter of which remains a fairly unknown Matsumoto work in the west. As with Yamato, Isao Sasaki performed the opening song, and plenty of iconic imagery, music, and storylines remain fresh in my mind two decades later. Leiji’s work in animation may have evoked some bewilderment in his target audience at times, but no one can claim his contributions to the industry weren’t memorable, enticing, or revolutionary.
In that sense, he holds a similar position in the industry as heavyweight Yoshikazu Yasuhiko does: some works are lauded, others are ridiculed. But nobody can put these men down when measured against the legacy they’ve built. What are your experiences with Matsumoto-san, Kathy?
[KC]: While it’s true that my love for his work is heavily centered on Yamato, I am far too much a lover of romanticized piracy to not at least mention Captain Harlock, especially since I vaguely recall that Matsumoto-san did flirt at one time with having Harlock turn out to be none other than Mamoru Kodai. I had already been exposed to Japanese animation from other artists, but Matsumoto-san set the standard for what anime should look like to me. Yes, he lived a long, full life, but I still regret his passing.
March 1: Pure Tokyoscope podcast
Tributes to Leiji Matsumoto created a steady heartbeat heard throughout the month of March. First up was episode 37 of the Pure Tokyoscope podcast, hosted by friends-of-the-website Matt Alt and Patrick Macias.
Listen to it here.
March 4: Bunshun Online article
The next tribute came from journalist (and another friend-of-the-website) Hiroyuki Ota, who wrote a very insightful piece that speculated on why Leiji Matsumoto was so attached to Yamato as a means of expression.
Read the article here.
March 8: Goethe articles
Over three consecutive days, the website for Goethe magazine reprinted material from a 2009 interview with Leiji Matsumoto, looking back over his life and career. It opened with the following quote:
“When I was young, I thought time was infinite. Once it passed, it was just a brief, almost fleeting moment. But back then, I believed that my future was infinite. Thinking about it now, those were the happiest times of my life. I was at the bottom of the poverty line and struggling to make ends meet. All my friends around me were poor, and the most I could do was talk about my dreams for the future. Even so, that period was the Arcadia of my life, my utopia.”
These articles are not currently on the agenda for translation here at Cosmo DNA, but if your browser has a translation function, this is recommended reading.
March 10: Anime Anime column
Respected anime critic/commentator Ryota Fujitsu explored Matsumoto’s biography to analyze what factors energized so many of his works in the “anime boom” of the late 70s.
Read his findings here.
March 19: Anime Nostalgia Podcast
The last of the Leiji Matsumoto tributes in March was also the most comprehensive; a nearly four-hour livestream conducted by The Anime Nostalgia Podcast. The first segment featured a conversation with manga translator Zack Davisson, after which the floor was opened to fans around the world who submitted short essays or recorded messages (including ye editor).
When you’re in need some extended listening material, click here. It’s time well spent.
April 6: The Comics Journal article
As the impact of Leiji Matsumoto’s February passing continued to ripple and rebound, fans and scholars alike got a greater sense of his massive contributions to global culture. This included The Comics Journal, a long-lived observer of pop culture with a focus on comics and manga. On April 6, they published a translated essay from a book titled Manga and War by Natsume Fusanosuke.
Read it here.
Photo posted on Twitter by Walkon7
June 3: Leiji Matsumoto’s galactic funeral
On February 20, Matsumoto’s wife and daughter promised that a public event would be held to give everyone an opportunity to grieve together. On June 3, they did so in grand style.
See an extensive report on the event here.
November 28: RIP Aritsune Toyota
All hands, please stand and render a Yamato salute to the great Aritsune Toyota, who departed for the sea of stars on November 28. Mr. Toyota was part of the Yamato writing team from the very beginning, starting with the “Asteroid Ship” concept, but that was only one part of a very prolific career that went all the way back to Astro Boy.
Read about the very beginning of the Yamato writing process here
Read an interview about Mr. Toyota’s earlier career here
Posted at the Asahi Shimbun website:
Science fiction writer Aritsune Toyota, who was active as a scriptwriter during the dawn of TV animation, died of esophageal cancer at his home in Tokyo on November 28 at the age of 85. The funeral was held with his close relatives. His wife Hisako was the pallbearer.
Born in Maebashi City in 1938, he won an honorable mention in the 1st Imaginary Science Fiction Contest with Time Gun in 1961, and participated in the SF fanzine Uchujin. At the same time, he worked on scripts for the animated TV series Astro Boy and Eight Man. He also worked on the science fiction concepts for the blockbuster hit Space Battleship Yamato. His representative works include the Yamatotakeru series. He served as president of the Science Fiction Writers’ Club of Japan from 1986 to 1987.
A few books by Mr. Toyota:
You can be an SF Writer, but maybe not Tokuma Shoten, 1986 | The Genesis of Japan SF Anime Hankyu Communications, 2000
The Truth of Space Battleship Yamato Shodensha, 2017 | The Dawn of Japan Anime Bensei Publishing, 2020