1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_latest.png]] |
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3 | Leiji Matsumoto (January 5, 1938 - February 13, 2023) was one of the great names of anime and manga, primarily for being the principal creator of what is probably one of the earliest [[TheVerse shared continuities]] over several anime series, creating a unified arc commonly referred to as the Anime/{{Leijiverse}}. The characters and settings, combined with a strong reception in the West, meant that his early series were often the primary introduction to anime for Western viewers of the '70s and early '80s. |
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5 | A little-known fact is that Matsumoto was ''not'' the creator of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'', but was brought on to the project by the producer. [[MyRealDaddy However, it is acknowledged that Matsumoto's vision was the primary ingredient for the success of the series.]] |
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7 | Matsumoto's wife, former manga artist Miyako Maki, has been credited with the creation of both the ''Licca-chan'' doll (the Japanese equivalent of {{Franchise/Barbie}}) and quite the contributions to the {{shojo}} and {{josei}} manga genres. In fact, Matsumoto himself was a notable ''shojo'' artist in his early years, when SpaceOpera, his real passion, sold poorly. Reportedly, they met at a manga magazine. It is sometimes speculated that it was the ''Licca-chan'''s success, which made them financially independent, enabled Matsumoto to pursue his artistic vision largely free from ExecutiveMeddling. |
8 | |
9 | Anime series of note include: |
10 | [[index]] |
11 | * ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' a.k.a. ''Star Blazers'' |
12 | * ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999'' |
13 | * ''Manga/CaptainHarlock'' |
14 | ** ''Anime/ArcadiaOfMyYouth'' |
15 | * ''Anime/TheGalaxyRailways'' |
16 | * ''Manga/QueenEmeraldas'' |
17 | * ''Manga/QueenMillennia'' a.k.a. ''The Queen of a Thousand Years'' which was cut together with ''Captain Harlock'' in the only US release. |
18 | * ''Anime/PlanetRoboDanguardAce'' |
19 | * ''Anime/{{Ozuma}}'' |
20 | * ''Anime/{{Starzinger}}'' |
21 | * ''Manga/SubmarineSuper99'' |
22 | * ''Theatre/TheBlueBird'' (another collaboration with Yoshinobu Nishizaki; Matsumoto developed the original character designs for the series, which were adapted for animation by Toyoo Ashida) |
23 | [[/index]] |
24 | |
25 | Accepted an invitation from the French musical group Music/DaftPunk (who are great admirers of his work) to come out of retirement and collaborate on the concept album/anime feature film ''Anime/Interstella5555: The 5tory of The 5ecret 5tar 5ystem''. In addition, on October 23rd 2012 he was honored with [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2012-10-27/celebrated-manga-author-leiji-matsumoto-honored-with-prestigious-ordre-des-arts-et-des-lettres-at-the-rank-of-knight the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff The French seem to really love him.]] |
26 | |
27 | Leiji sadly passed away on February 13th 2023 from heart failure at age 85. |
28 | |
29 | ---- |
30 | !!Tropes: |
31 | |
32 | * AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Both ''Yamato'' and ''Interstella'' feature blue-skinned humanoid aliens. |
33 | * ColbertBump: Since Leiji Matsumoto is relatively unknown in the States outside of ''Anime/Interstella5555'', the hardcover edition of the ''Manga/QueenEmeraldas'' manga not only featured a pull quote on the back cover from Music/DaftPunk, but another pull quote discussing Matsumoto's influence on Daft Punk's work. |
34 | * {{Gonk}}: At least one character in each of his manga will have a squash/eggplant-shaped head with beady eyes. |
35 | * OnlySixFaces: His female protagonists (Yuki, Starsha, Maetel, Queen Emeraldas, Stella) sometimes run into this: long, willowy, and often blonde. Definitely AuthorAppeal. Matsumoto himself has stated that the wan, long-haired maidens are all based on a discovered photograph of his grandmother as a young woman, which struck a nerve with him as he was just starting his career. |
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