Danica Davidson
February 7, 2023 
The anime music video, or AMV, has become a pretty popular thing in anime fandom. The very first AMV on record was made by James Kaposztas in 1982, when he was 21. He may not have known then that he was the inventor of something that would take off, especially once the internet gained ground. For years AMVs have been a regular feature at anime conventions. But now there is sad news as Michael Pinto, the co-founder and publisher of Anime.com Inc., says that Kaposztas has passed away. A cause of death was not given.
Pinto wrote online:
“To my old anime fandom friend, may you rest in peace James Kaposztas. Known as ‘Jim’ to his friends, he created the first anime themed music video using nothing but second hand VHS footage.
Beloved by friends, Jim played a key role in supporting early anime fandom events in NYC and Philly, was an early cosplayer who dressed as Captain Avatar from Star Blazers, and would later be involved with Otakon.
What made me proud of Jim was that he took his love of anime and turned it into a professional career as a video editor for over two decades.”
For the world’s first AMV, Kaposztas took scenes from the anime Space Battleship Yamato and put it with the Beatles’ song “All You Need Is Love.” He did it by hooking up two VCRs.
“Being a communications major [in college] at the time,” Kaposztas told The Japan Times in a 2007 interview, “it seemed a way to share my hobby, as well as getting practice in editing.”
Besides being the father of AMVs, Kaposztas worked different jobs at Otakon.
You can find different interviews with Kaposztas, like this one with AnimeCons.com.
You can also watch him in the video AMV DocuSeries, which is timed to his interview.
You can see more of his work on his YouTube channel.
Many friends and anime fans are missing him today and thinking about how much he did for the community.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
