82-year-old Sasaki Isao, the “King of Anime Songs,” returns after a “miraculous recovery” and is prepared for the possibility that it may be his last stage
Published April 25 by Encount. See the original article here
Isao Sasaki (82), known as the “King of Anime Songs,” attended a press conference for his return to entertainment activities on the 24th. He announced that he will be returning to the stage at Super Robot Spirits 2025 Tokyo, Stage Terra to be held at Zepp Haneda on the 27th, and spoke about his recuperation and future activities.
Sasaki was hospitalized in mid-January with “acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia” and was discharged in February, but continued to recuperate at home.
On January 23rd, while traveling on the subway, Sasaki felt something was wrong with his health and fainted for the first time in his life. After being examined, he recalled, “Oxygen content is said to be dangerous if it falls below 90, and it was around 50. When they took an X-ray, my lungs were completely white, so I received emergency treatment at the hospital.”
He was hospitalized for about a month, and explained, “I was in the ICU for the first three days. There are parts that I don’t remember much about, and I was in a state of delirium, and apparently a lot of things happened. I got through it safely.”
Regarding his treatment, he said, “They gave me a lot of steroids and they inserted an oxygen tube. They told me that people usually die when they remove it.” He continued, “After using the tube every day, my nose and vocal cords dried out and I could barely speak. It was even difficult to talk. I was more worried about whether I would be able to recover from this disease than about returning to work.”
He was discharged from the hospital earlier than expected, and he analyzed himself, saying, “They said it was a miraculous recovery, and my rehabilitation is going well. I use my lungs to sing, so I think my lungs were strong enough to resist the disease and take in enough oxygen to survive.”
He originally weighed 70kg, but commented, “I lost about 5kg, and then gained back about 2kg. The numbers haven’t gone up since then.” He is currently around 66.6kg, and said, “My lower body is feeling especially saggy, and my jeans are baggy. I’m realizing now that it’s a scary disease.”
His return to the stage was decided, and he started rehearsals the day before the interview. He seemed to feel that he could perform the real thing, and said joyfully, “I thought that God had not abandoned me yet, and that I was lucky. A week ago I couldn’t sing at all, but now I can move and sing like this. It was a miraculous coincidence for me.”
Since his symptoms were fatal for a singer, he prepared for the end of his singing career, saying, “I thought that if I continued like this, it would be the end. My wife also told me, ‘If you’re in a wheelchair, don’t go on stage.’ That was the situation I was in this time. By chance, I was able to sing and walk, and I thought I would be okay if I could sing about three songs. I had almost given up. I thought about retiring. If I was going to expose myself to shame, I shouldn’t go on stage.”
When asked about the possibility of a full recovery, he replied, “I don’t think I will return to the way I was. Once your lungs are damaged, they don’t regain their original flexibility. It’s probably impossible to take in the right amount of oxygen. All I can do is live my life and take care of myself until the end.”
A 65th anniversary event to be held on July 20th has also been decided, but “wanting to sing and being able to sing are different things. I decided on it last year, so I want to somehow get through the 65th anniversary event. After that, I’ll just wait and see, and if it doesn’t work out, I can only do something like cancel at the last minute.”
When asked “Could this be your last concert?” he said, “I’m prepared for that. If my wife says, ‘Maybe you should quit,’ I’ll quit. I leave the decision up to my wife.”
82-year-old Isao Sasaki’s miraculous return: “God hasn’t abandoned me yet”
He fainted in January and filled out paperwork for life-prolonging measures
by Fumihiko Sasamori
Published April 25 by Nikkan Sports. See the original article here
Singer Isao Sasaki (82), who had been recuperating at home due to an acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia, held a press conference in Tokyo on the 24th to announce his return to entertainment activities. “God hasn’t abandoned me yet. I thought I was lucky,” he reflected.
Around noon on January 23rd, while on the subway to his workplace in Tokyo, he fainted in front of Kudanshita Station. When he came to, he had already gone past the next station, Iidabashi. He returned home on his own and collapsed. His wife immediately called an ambulance. He was diagnosed with acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital. He was treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) for three days.
The disease is triggered by an infection or other cause, and inflammation and damage occur in the interstitium of the lungs, causing symptoms such as respiratory failure to progress rapidly. The doctor told him that it was a disease that “elderly people should not get.”
Sasaki’s oxygen level, which is usually over 90%, had dropped to 50%, causing oxygen deprivation. The doctor informed his wife of his severe condition and had her sign a document regarding “life-prolonging measures.”
He was given high-concentration oxygen inhalation and steroid injections in the ICU for three days, and was given intensive treatment. He also showed symptoms of delirium, including hallucinations and impaired consciousness, but was transferred to a general ward on the fourth day. Sasaki said, “I’ve been singing for a long time, so I think I was resistant to lung disease. (The doctor) said it was a miraculous recovery.”
He was discharged from the hospital at the end of February, but continued to recuperate at home as instructed by the doctor.
On April 5th, he was absent from the 22nd Night Cherry Blossom Enka Festival organized by the Nagara Group, to which he belongs. A voice message was played at the venue saying, “I’m doing my best to recover as soon as possible so that I can meet you all again in good health, so please look forward to it.”
After the message, fellow members including Yuzo Guchi, Sumi Tagawa, and Kaori Mizumori sang Sasaki’s signature song, the theme for Space Battleship Yamato, and cheered him on along with the audience at the venue. Sasaki said solemnly, “I felt everyone in the office loved me.”
In 1960, he made his debut as a rockabilly singer, billed as the Japanese Elvis Presley. He also worked as an actor and voice actor. After that, the theme songs for Yamato and Galaxy Express 999 became big hits, and he came to be known as the king of anime songs.
In December 2010, Ichiro Mizuki (74), the “emperor” of anime songs known for Mazinger Z, passed away. He was a close friend who supported early anime songs. Leiji Matsumoto (85), the manga artist who created Yamato and 999, passed away in February 2023.
This year marks the 65th anniversary of Sasaki’s career, and he took an early hiatus from his activities, but he vowed, “When Ichiro Mizuki passed away, his wife asked me to continue to talk about him on stage. I want to continue to sing not only my own songs, but also the songs of Mizuki, Masato Shimon, and other anime song friends.”
He is scheduled to return to the stage at Super Robot Spirits 2025 Tokyo, Stage Terra to be held at Zepp Haneda in Ota Ward, Tokyo on the 27th of this month.
On July 16th, he will release a 65th Anniversary Best Album (tentative title) with 65 carefully selected tracks, mainly from anime and tokusatsu songs. On July 20th, he will hold a 65th Anniversary Event at Zepp Haneda.
Sasaki said, “If I was embarrassed (by not being able to sing), I would consider retiring, but I was able to sing during rehearsals and gained confidence. I don’t think it will be the same as before, but I’ve been walking a tightrope for 65 years, so I’ll see how far I can go.”