RIP 2023

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Legendary Japanese manga author Matsumoto Leiji has passed away a week ago, aged 85
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-...d-85/102000658

Matsumoto specialised in the space opera genre, and some of his best known works include:
* Space Battleship Yamato (a.k.a. Star Blazers)
* Captain Harlock
* Galaxy Express 999

He also mentored Magami Ban, who was the writer/artist for the G1 manga as well as the animation model designer for Toei's Transformers from The Headmasters onwards (i.e. when Toei decided to split from Sunbow and artistically move away from Floro Dery's designs).

This was very sad news for me, I think Star Blazers had a profound effect on me when I was young the theme was fantastic! and the Hadoho cannon (I can't recall the English name of it right now) was one of the coolest weapons ever. Also recently saw Galaxy Express 999, and while it was long, and repeated itself quite often, I found it rather enjoyable, with some very deep themes. I was always fascinated by the nature of Maetel, she picks up Tetsuro and you assume she is a good person, but in the advetures, she causes the destruction of at least two planets. I was surprised, that even though Tetsuro managed to help a fair few people on his journey, Maetel had no qualms about blowing up celestial bodies. Much like Rodimus Prime. :P

[GoktimusPrime]

the Hadoho cannon (I can't recall the English name of it right now) was one of the coolest weapons ever.

Hadouhou = Wave Motion Cannon
That's what they called it in the Star Blazers dub, so it's an accurate translation.

It's not often that Japanese can translate so directly into English like this, but it works.
Ha/nami = wave (thus "tsunami"; tidal wave)
Dou/ugo(ku) = motion, movement
Hou = cannon

Guh... awkward trying to explain this in Romaji (but alas, this board doesn't allow for Japanese script)

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Vale Jerry Springer.

[Tha_Phantom]

Vale Jerry Springer.

Yeah, that was a sad one.

[Omega Metro]

Yeah, that was a sad one.

Can’t say I ever saw any of his shows. Though he died of Pancreatic cancer which my dad died of so know what that’s like. Barry Humphries was the sad one for me. RIP Dame Edna.

[Tha_Phantom]

Can’t say I ever saw any of his shows. Though he died of Pancreatic cancer which my dad died of so know what that’s like. Barry Humphries was the sad one for me. RIP Dame Edna.

Sorry to hear that about your dad. My condolences.

I grew up watching Jerry Springer so I'm sad for both him and Barry.

[griffin]

That death of Jerry Springer was a surprise to me too, as his "Judge Jerry" show had only just started playing on the new 7bravo tv channel, and I don't think it was too old, and he didn't look too bad, so if it was a type of cancer, it must have been quick.


Also, the sudden death of that Masterchef judge on Monday was so unexpected that Channel 10 were still playing commercials of the show (for its launch that night) during every ad-break, at the time Channel 7 was announcing the news of his death during their morning news program (before channel 10 had decided to suspend airing of the new show by a week).

It was really bad timing too, less than 9 hours before the first episode was to screen, and people were suggesting that the airing of the entire season be cancelled because it was too soon. Considering the amount of money Channel 10 pours into it, I couldn't see that happening.

The news reports said that it wasn't a suspicious death (as in, it wasn't a murder), and there was no mention of it being of natural causes... so there is the implication that it was self-inflicted. Later news reports had noted a past history of drug usage, and some mental issues (probably damage caused by the really hard drugs he had admitted to using when younger), so maybe all of the constant attention and the exhausting media blitzing of promoting the new season, while he was away from his family, was just too much... giving just the "right" combination of factors coming together at the one time, to lead to the wrong decision.