Fans of Kimagure Orange Road were sad to hear the news that Izumi Matsumoto, the creator of the influential JUMP manga and anime, had passed away October 6 at the age of 61. The news was announced today by his family. The manga artist had been suffering from a disease called cerebrospinal fluid hypovolemia which caused pressure and pain in his back and legs, which was likely caused by his long years bent over a desk drawing manga.
My Love of Izumi Matsomoto’s Creations
When I look back on the incredible journey of my life to this point, learning Japanese at SDSU and coming to Japan in 1991 and eventually starting J-List, there are few individuals who have contributed as much to me as Izumi Matsumoto. I discovered Orange Road while attending our monthly anime club meetings — which was the only way to learn about anime back in the days before the Internet — and was immediately hooked. Obsessing over the Orange Road manga and anime taught me more Japanese, and more about Japan, than anything up to that point.
Kimagure Orange Road was a manga that ran from 1984-1987, with a 48 episode anime running in 1987-1988. It was a deliciously complex story about a family of espers with superpowers like teleportation and telekinesis who worked hard to keep their powers secret from the people around them, or else they’d be forced to move to another city.
Although the superpowers angle brought in a lot of fans with its fresh concept, in the end, that aspect of the story was only incidental, and we never learn much about where the powers come from. The real story was a classic love triangle between the main character Kyosuke Kasuga, his true love Madoka Ayukawa, and Madoka’s childhood friend and kouhai, Hikaru-chan. And what a love triangle it was! Back before now-classic stories like Fruits Basket or Inuyasha or Chihayafuru existed, it was loads of fun wondering whether Kyosuke would choose Madoka or Hikaru.
Izumi Matsumoto’s Orange Road was one of the manga series that showed me how good storytelling could be in anime, and how important a proper story resolution is for fans who have traveled for so long with the characters. I’ll never forget sitting in World History 100 in 1987 and reading volume 18 of the KOR manga, which I’d just purchased at the Japanese bookstore in Little Tokyo. As I read, I realized that the story was reaching a conclusion and that this was the final volume of the story. I was torn between needing to take notes on the class I was attending and wanting to read the manga. Naturally, the manga won out.
My Journey with Orange Road
I had loads of fun reading and watching Kimagure Orange Road and even writing Matsumoto-sensei a letter in my halting Japanese back during university. As my skills improved, I translated the first Orange Road novel, then the second, back during the early days of the Internet. I didn’t know the word at the time, but these novels featuring illustrations by Izumi Matsumoto were my first encounter with “light novels.” Translating these novels gave me the confidence I would need to found JAST USA and become a visual novel publisher.
It’s so sad when we have to say goodbye to the people who make manga and anime magical for us, such as when Madoka Ayukawa voice actress Hiromi Tsuru — she also played the voice of Bulma from Dragon Ball — died suddenly at the age of 57, or the many other anime creators who’ve contributed so much to our lives. Now it’s time to once again say goodbye to another beloved person who has given us much over the decades.
Thank you so much for being part of our lives, Izumi Matsumoto-sensei! We all want to return to that day!
Peter Payne
President/Owner of J-List
J-List’s first line of official Otaku Masks for Social Distancing are here, allowing you to make a bold fashion statement while you protect yourself and others. Get one free with every order (from Japan) of $100 or more, or grab the whole set for $20! If nothing else, it’ll be a great memento of the weirdness that 2020 has been!
