This first article (in a long planned series) goes out to a man, whose works of fiction has been entertaining youths all around the world, since the day his writing first flourished. It was contributers like him that made the era of the 1990's one of the best decades to live in America (you know, before Paris Hilton had a career and rap was actually performed by talented people). This guy's writing career has brought us all mounds of entertainment packed with joy, wonder, and...I have no idea why I keep dragging on the praise. Especially in a drawn out attempt to build suspense before I reveal his name (when you can clearly see the man's name in the title).
So without further ado, I present the Takeshi Shudo.
Career
The late Takeshi Shudo (born August 8, 1949- died on October 29, 2010) was a Japanese script writer, famous for his involvement in a number of very successful mangas and their following T.V. adaptations. He was the chief writer of the original Pokemon anime series. A good portion of his script-writing career was centered around- but definitely not limited to- the Pokemon franchise. This man not only conceived the majority of the show's content, but also wrote three of its first feature films along with the MewTwo Returns television special (first Pokemon T.V. special of all time). To go along with that, he even wrote a volume of novelizations for the show as well; needless to say his Pokemon resume was nothing short of impressive.
However, as previously mentioned Mr.Shudo's career isn't all Poke-centric. As a matter of fact, he was arguably best known for a project that predated his involvement in the Pokemon anime. Takeshi Shudo first got his start conceiving the storyline for the Minky Momo anime series. He wrote the manga as well and is often credited as being it's sole creator. Some of his other works include such hits as Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Martian Successor Nadesico.
Death
Unfortunately, no man (nor woman) can defy their mortality, regardless of how great their achievement. The accomplished scriptwriter was found collapsed at the smoking area of the Nara railway station on Thursday, October 28th at 6:00 am. He was immediately rushed to the hospital and underwent extensive surgery. Unfortunately, Mr.Shudo was officially declared deceased the day after. The time of death was 4:03 AM JST (Japan Standard Time); he died at the age of 61. The cause of death was reported at the Emergency Care Center, where his caretaker said Mr.Shudo suffered from a subarachnoid hemorrhage in his head.
While Takeshi Shudo is no longer around to continue writing and creating, he left us all with his most famed and beloved projects. Those shows still hold up even today and his legacy is something that's going to last for a long time. As a matter of fact, it's a legacy that continues to outlive him right now, even as you're reading these words. Not only can his work be found on LCD screens and manga printing paper, but also within the hearts and memories of fans everywhere. This article is a testament to that and for this, he will be missed.
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