In Memoriam ’24] Kazuo Umezu was also versatile outside of manga… The contents of “Horror Land” created by Kazuo Umezu

In 1995, many famous people sadly passed away. We look back on the activities of the past and remember the deceased, based on the articles and other information we have published in the past.

Not only a cartoonist, but also an actor and musician

On October 28, manga artist Kazuo Umezu passed away at the age of 88. He had been receiving terminal care at a hospice in Tokyo since September.

Mr. Umezu was born in Wakayama Prefecture in 1936. When he was in the fifth grade of elementary school, he read Osamu Tezuka’s “New Treasure Island” at a festival stall and thought , “Oh, I want to be a manga artist too! He thought, “Oh, I want to be a manga artist too!

In his third year of high school in 1955, he made his debut with “Siblings in the Forest,” a collaboration with Takeko Mizutani based on the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel,” and other works. After moving to Tokyo in 1963, he continued to draw works such as “Hebi Shoujo” (’66-’67), “Nekome Koso” (’68-’76), “Nekome Koso” (’69-’77), and “Nekome Koso” (’70-’81). ～(1968-’76), and “Drifting Classroom” (1972-’74), and his many other popular works led him to be called a leading figure in horror manga. His talent was also demonstrated generously in gag manga, and “Makoto-chan” (’76-’81) became a national hit.

He is also known as a man of many talents. Soon after moving to Tokyo, he joined the theater company Himawari to become an actor while drawing manga during the day. He has also appeared in movies and NHK’s morning dramas. In addition, he was also active in music, writing lyrics and composing music. She brought a demo tape of her own lyrics and compositions to a record company, and made her debut with “Yami no Album” in 1975. In his musical work, he sometimes wrote lyrics for Hiromi Go’s songs. He also actually released “Bichiguso Rock,” which appears in the work “Makoto-chan.