Matt Schley
February 13, 2025 
Leiji Matsumoto, who died two years ago, was the creative force between some of manga and anime’s most famous space epics, from Galaxy Express 999 to Captain Harlock to Interstella 5555. Now a large-scale exhibition celebrating the work of Matsumoto is set to kick off in Tokyo this June.
The exhibition, which runs from June 20 to September 7 at Tokyo City View in Roppongi, will celebrate nearly 50 years since the debut of Galaxy Express 999 and Captain Harlock, which both kicked off in 1977.
It will feature than 300 original drawings, including his early works, as well as never-before-seen materials and rare memorabilia. After Tokyo, it’ll move to the Kitakyushu Manga Museum in Fukuoka Prefecture, which already has lots of Matsumoto love, owing to the manga master’s birth in Fukuoka. It’ll run there from September 27 to January 12, 2026.
Here’s how Discotek describes Galaxy Express 999:
After witnessing the death of his mother and being left for dead at the hands of Count Mecha, ten-year old Tetsuro Hoshino is awakened by a mysterious woman, Maetal. In exchange for only his company, Maetal offers him the ride of his life on the Galaxy Express 999. It is said that those who travel aboard the legendary train to the end of the line can receive a free mechanical body and with it, immortality.
Impoverished and alone, Tetsuro leaps at the opportunity and joins Maetal on a quest that will span the cosmos. As the Galaxy Express 999 makes its way across our solar system and beyond, Tetsuro is drawn deeper into a dangerous universe where peril lurks at every stop. From the pirates of the notorious ship Queen Emeraldes to a planet that travels through dimensions, this is just the start of Tetsuro’s epic journey!
Source: Natalie
