The merging of Japanese military history and futuristic adventure first put Leiji Matsumoto on the map in 1974, when he designed and directed the television series that broke open science fiction as a topic for Japanese animators. Space Battleship Yamato drew inspiration from Japan’s largest WWII battleship that sank in 1945 as a vehicle for violent, battle-scarred plotlines. As was, and is still often the case, the series was edited to downplay the extensive violence and nationalistic themes in order to appeal to a wider American audience. This stateside version was renamed Star Blazers.

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Matsumoto pioneered war-based narratives, creating many overlapping space operas which, taken together, crafted a wide universe of characters, planets, and armies. Other famous works include Maetel, Gun Frontier, and Harlock Saga.

In 2003, Matsumoto teamed up with French electro-pop outfit Daft Punk for the release of the animated musical Interstella 5555 (The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, which premiered at the Cannes film festival. This time, the battle waged was set amidst a modern day world of a decadent music industry, complete with spaceship limousines.

See also:

• Hayao Miyazaki
• Katsuhiro Otomo
• Mecha Arrives
• Osamu Tezuka
• Rumiko Takahashi