MATSUMOTO Reiji

Japanese Name: 松本零士

Place of Birth: Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan

Gender: Male

Information for Authors: Real Name: Matsumoto Akira. (Matsumoto Leiji is a pseudonym.) Husband of fellow mangaka MAKI Miyako. Born on the same day as ISHINOMORI Shotaro. Both of them were assistants under TEZUKA Osamuat the same time and lived in Nerima. Leiji Matsumoto, the son of an air force pilot, was only fifteen years old when his first story, ‘Mitsubachi no Bouken’, was published in Manga Shônen. Soon, he created a varying oeuvre, at first inspired by Tezuka, in several genres: children's comics (‘Kuroi Hanabira’, ‘S no Taiyou’, science fiction (Denkou Ozma, Sexaroid, Kousoku Esper), westerns and others. He was one of the first mangakas whose manga and animation work crossed over internationally. His fame came with the series Otoko Oidon, about the student Nobotta Oyama, who was rejected by all universities. Matsumoto mostly enjoyed creating war stories, but he had his biggest success with science fiction stories such as Uchuu Senkan Yamato, a series that was created simultaneously for TV and comics. His space pirate Captain Harlock first appeared in Arcadia in 1977. Around the same time, he set up other science fiction series, including Ginga Tetsudou 999 and Sennen Joou. His 1974 Sci-Fi anime ‘Space Cruiser Yamato’ earned fame in the USA from 1979 under the title 'Star Blazers'. Matsumoto was hired by the French band Daft Punk to animate their music videos from the album ‘Discovery’, and compiled into the 2003 anime movie 'Interstella 5555'. Passed away on February 13, 2023 at age 85. Among his assistants were SENNO Knife, SHINTANI Kaoru, and AKANA Shuu.