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Traveling Whimsical Roads with Izumi Matsumoto

Thank you for sharing this story with us. It's softened the blow a bit more and is very appreciated.

It was my birthday, too.

Thank you for sharing your stories of Matsumoto. <3

Hi Kat, I made an account just to thank you for sharing this post.

I really regret not letting Izumi Matsumoto know how far his work reached and how much an American like me appreciated and truly enjoyed his work. I am thankful that you were able to deliver the message for me. Your post truly cheered me up, and I am relieved to see that his life had moments of joy despite his tragic condition.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. We probably met each other, even if only in passing, at PMX when Matsumoto was there in 2013. The picture of him sitting by the stuffed pink kitties was from PMX - I still remember that scarf. Always wondered if he enjoyed the tea I gave him..

I've met several artists by attending conventions across the US for the past decade or so, but Matsumoto, as well as Akihiro Kanayama, rank among my personal favorites. Both men were incredibly kind and humble despite both being dealt some crummy cards in life (In Kanayama's case, as a young child, his father was killed by American soldiers in WWII). I was impressed with how much effort Matsumoto put into his autograph sessions despite it appearing that he was in a lot of pain at the time. It was for that reason alone that when DMP ran their KOR Kickstarter that I went in, without hesitation, and bought the highest tier.

I had always hoped that he would get better. I felt like he had a lot of creativity ahead of him but all of that had been marred because of the cerebrospinal fluid leak that he had experienced. His panels were, to date, the only panels where I have ever cried...not just because of the thought of anyone dealing with such physical pain for decades on end but because of what could have been had he not have had the health issues that he did.

That's a very lovely KOR sketch that you own. I'm rather envious but I'm happy that it's with someone who knew him far better than I did.

There's no doubt that Izumi Matsumoto was the man who showed that romance manga could thrive in Shonen Jump, alongside all of the wild action series & ridiculous gag manga. It was because of Matsumoto that someone like Masakazu Katsura was able to transition over from superhero manga like Wingman & Vander to straight romance titles in Jump like Video Girl Ai & I"s, and even more fanservice-laden modern stuff like To-Love-Ru & Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs still owe a little to Matsumoto & Kimagure Orange Road.

This was a great article, and RIP to Izumi Matsumoto.

Thank you for sharing this, experiences like these are so inspiring. Rest in peace.

Nice personal retrospective. Thanks for sharing these thoughts.

Kat:
Thank you very much for this. I know how much Matsumoto's work has meant to you over the years.
I'm planning a trip to Japan for when the pandemic is under control so perhaps we can meet up again for dinner, or stalk for KOR goods at Nakano Broadway again.

Well said!!

There really isn’t too much to add that anyone here hasn’t said already. Kimagure Orange Road is amongst my absolute favourites. While I’m a little jealous that you got to spend the type of time you did with him, you deserved it for sure

Thank you for representing us, his North American fans, and for letting him know how much his work is loved and enjoyed here. And thank you for this story

Thank you for this beautiful and personal piece, Kat. He sounds like a wonderful person from your story. I'm very inclined to check out KOR now, having a better understanding of what Matsumoto-sensei wanted to express now.

I know I'm a little late but I just wanted to say thank you for this.

I was so sad earlier this week learning about his condition, but its relieving to know he never lost his drive and positivity. I'm glad you had the opportunity to know him and that he was able to see how far a reach his work had. Thank you and rest in peace Matsumoto-san.