Mechanical Designer Katsushi Murakami Dies at 83
Murakami's death removes a key figure behind the Chogokin toy line and the mechanical designs of several 1980s anime, marking the end of an era in mecha design.
Reporting from 1 source: Anime News Network.
Katsushi Murakami, a mechanical designer, planner, and toy designer, died on July 20 at age 83. He worked on anime including Shin Tetsujin 28, Gold Lightan, and Video Warrior Laserion, and designed the Chogokin robot toy line. He joined Bandai in 1961.
Katsushi Murakami, the mechanical designer behind the Chogokin robot toy line and a planner on Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II: The Movie, died on July 20 after a year of poor health. He was 83.
Born in Gifu in 1942, Murakami joined Bandai in 1961 and later worked for its subsidiary Popy. He designed toys for tokusatsu and sentai shows such as Kamen Rider, and his Chogokin line used the metal alloy that also built Mazinger Z.
His anime credits include Shin Tetsujin 28, Gold Lightan: The Golden Warrior, Machine Robo: Battle Hackers, Video Warrior Laserion, Reideen the Brave, Gekiso! Rubenkaiser, Kishin Taisen Gigantic Formula, and Space Adventure Cobra. He also designed cars for the F-Zero Falcon Densetsu anime.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
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- Anime News Network News Mechanical Designer Katsushi Murakami DIes at 83