Leiji Matsumoto, anime artist and Daft Punk collaborator, has died aged 85
The influential Japanese manga and anime artist Akira Matsumoto, better known as Leiji Matsumoto, has passed away at the age of 85.
His studio, Studio Leijisha, released a statement revealing that Matsumoto died on February 13th after suffering from acute heart failure. The writer and director is best known for creating the 1979 film Galaxy Express 999 and the TV series Space Battleship Yamato, with his iconic style inspiring a wide array of animators, from the pioneers at Studio Ghibli to the French filmmaker René Laloux.
Makiko Matsumoto, Matsumoto’s daughter, said in a statement that her father, “set out on a journey to the sea of stars. I think he lived a happy life, thinking about continuing to draw stories as a manga artist”. Often telling anti-war stories that were tied into spiritual, fantastical storylines, many of his 150 tales were inspired by WWII, which ended when he was seven years old, as well as his father, who was an elite pilot.
The innovative French electronic duo Daft Punk were passionate fans of Matsumoto’s visual work, with the pair commissioning the anime artist to create a number of music videos for them. His most notable of such videos was the 2000 video for ‘One More Time’, which was greatly inspired by his early sci-fi, space opera works that focus on distinct heroes, villains and moral tales.
Speaking in an old interview, the French duo cited Matsumoto as one of their earliest influences, stating: “At around the age of 5 years old, we would watch Captain Harlock…The music we have been making must have been influenced at some point by the shows we were watching when we were little kids”.
Take a look at the iconic music video for ‘One More Time’ below, directed by the late manga and anime icon Leiji Matsumoto.
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