Matt Schley
December 4, 2023 
Aritsune Toyota, a beloved science-fiction writer who worked on many anime series, has died at age 85. The cause of death was cancer of the esophagus.
Toyota, who was born in Gunma Prefecture in 1938, was known for his novel series like Nihon Shin Shinwa Monogatari (New Myths of Japan) and Daisensō (Great War).
Shortly after the release of Astro Boy, Japan’s first animated TV series, Toyota joined Osamu Tezuka’s Mushi Productions, working on that series and others like Kimba the White Lion. Under a pseudonym, he also wrote for Space Boy Soran, which later led to some controversy. Toyota also worked on Space Battleship Yamato alongside Leiji Matsumoto.
Later, Toyota ran Parallel Creation, a creative salon whose members included Shoji Kawamori and Yutaka Izubuchi. He was also known for his translations of the work of Poul Anderson.
Rest in peace to this legend of classic anime.
Source: X
