Last December, the legendary mangaka responsible for Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro, Shigeru Mizuki, passed away at the age of 93 due to multiple organ failure. An icon in both the anime and manga industries, Mizuki’s funeral service was held last 31 January at the Aoyama Funeral Hall in Minato, Tokyo, where some of the biggest names in the anime and manga industry also gathered to pay their final respects for the man who blazed the trail for the youkai genre, and inspired generations of mangaka and animators.

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The event was hosted by Mizuki’s widow, Nunoe Mura, and his close friends, renowned Japanese novel writers Natsuhiko Kyogoku and Hiroshi Aramata. The two authors are considered heavyweights in modern Japanese literature.

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The speakers for the funeral service are also considered the who’s who in the anime and manga industries, as they include Masako Nozawa, who not only voiced Son Goku in the Dragon Ball series, but also Kitaro himself. Another legendary speaker during the service was Golgo 13 mangaka, Takao Saito, as well as renowned manga editor, Tetsuo Matsuda.

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Japan’s entertainment and movie industry was also well represented, as Shoko Nakagawa, Tadanobu Asano, and actor Eiji Wentz, who played Kitarou in the manga’s live-action adaptation, were also present.

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The funeral hall was even decorated with a youkai theme, complete with some of the late mangaka’s artworks. These were topped off with a youkai postbox, for fans to deliver their messages to the fallen legend.

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A veteran of World War II, Shigeru Mizuki became a manga legend with only one arm, as he lost his left arm while serving Imperial Japan in Rabaul, New Guinea, one of the bloodiest areas ever affected by the great war. He was being treated for Malaria when his hospital got bombed and then lost his arm, however, that did not stop him from being a mangaka. You can check out his life as an Imperial soldier here: http://hyakumonogatari.com/2013/05/20/mizuki-shigeru-in-rabaul/

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So from us here at AFA Channel, we would like to give our condolences to the family of Shigeru Mizuki, who has surely touched our hearts.

source: Comic Natalie