Leiji Matsumoto born Akira Matsumoto was a Japanese legendary manga artist, and creator of several anime and manga series known for his epic science fiction sagas, including Galaxy Express 999, Queen Emeraldas and Space Battleship Yamato. Matsumoto started drawing at the age of six, and began drawing manga three years later. His first published manga Mitsubachi no Boken (Honey Bee's Adventures) was published in a manga magazine when he was 15. At 18 after finishing high school he moved to Tokyo ... moreLeiji Matsumoto born Akira Matsumoto was a Japanese legendary manga artist, and creator of several anime and manga series known for his epic science fiction sagas, including Galaxy Express 999, Queen Emeraldas and Space Battleship Yamato. Matsumoto started drawing at the age of six, and began drawing manga three years later. His first published manga Mitsubachi no Boken (Honey Bee's Adventures) was published in a manga magazine when he was 15. At 18 after finishing high school he moved to Tokyo to pursue his dream of becoming a professional manga artist. Otoko Oidon was the manga that pushed him into the spotlight it was very successful and won the Kodansha Publishing Award for Children's Manga.
After that he made several hugely successful manga with most being made into anime series like Space Pirate Captain Harlock. His work often included anti-war themes, emotional story lines like the depiction of emotionally vulnerable boys and young men which showed that it was ok to have feelings. Due to the popularity of his work, his work had spin offs, influencing generations of manga and anime fans.
Matsumoto received several awards, including the Order of the Rising Sun, the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 8th Animation Kobe.
