“Harlock, Harlock, from the depths of the golden night…” Nobody has forgotten the credits of “Harlock”, adapted into an animated cartoon by its creator Leiji Matsumoto at the end of the 1970s. Today, the music of this legendary space corsair resonates in a particular way. The father of this mythical manga died last week at the age of 85 from heart failure. It is the production house Toei which has just made the announcement this Monday, February 20.
Appearing in Japanese bookstores between 1977 and 1979, Albator’s stories quickly became a worldwide success. In France, it is the broadcast on Antenne 2 in the program “Récré A2” from January 12, 1984 which will give a huge spotlight on the cartoon.
Inspired by Musashi Miyamoto, illustrious bushi master and emblematic figure of Japan, Harlock’s character feeds on a space opera universe, classical music symphonies and the freedom of science fiction. As if to exorcise the traumas of his aviator father in the army of his country and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Pacifist and humanist, precocious genius (he published his first manga at 15, “The Adventures of a Bee” after winning a design competition), Leiji Matsumoto has always wanted to convey this message of peace and hope in all of his works. As he told comic book planet when he came to Japan Expo in 2019:
“On the contrary, it is time to come together to try to save human life. Otherwise, we are heading straight for extinction. We have to protect our planet, we are in a period of global warming and other ecological problems that are man-made”.
Daft Punk Heroes
With just a few pencil strokes, Leiji Matsumoto quickly became a pop culture icon. Until signing, in the middle of the 2000s, a medium-length animated film whose album “Discovery” by Daft Punk orchestrated the soundtrack.
If “Harlock”, his scarred pirate fighting evil in weightlessness with his long black and red cape, is his greatest success, the mangaka perpetuated his fascination for the immensity of the universe with in particular his works of science fiction “Yamato, the Space Battleship” (1974) or “Galaxy Express 999” (1977).
Decorated in 2012 by France with the medal of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, Matsumoto had celebrated in 2013 his 60 years of career at the Festival of the comic strip of Angoulême, of which he was the guest of honor. . Now he has joined his favorite character aboard the Death Shadow for his last great voyage. The infinity of his life.
