Keiko Nobumoto, the celebrated author behind it Cowboy bebop, Tokyo godparents, and Macross Plus, died on December 1 after a battle with esophageal cancer. The news of her death has been confirmed by other anime writers Dai Sato on Facebook. A private memorial service was held for her on December 4th. She was 57 years old.
If you’ve been a fan of any particular style of hip, secular anime over the last few decades, you are probably very familiar with Nobumoto’s work. Her historic career is full of highlights. She wrote the cult anime series Cowboy bebop
She was also the original creator of the hugely popular TV / OAV series Wolf rain and his manga adaptation. She worked with legendary anime director Satoshi Kon Tokyo godparentsShe has a little known indie thing called. written Macross Plus, and contributed scripts other Shinichiro Watanabe shows including Carole and Tuesday, Samurai Champloo, and Space dandy. In addition to her illustrious career as an anime writer, Nobumoto has also had accolades as a scenario supervisor for Kingdom Hearts.
The enduring relevance of any project Nobumoto worked on is due in part to the thoughtfulness and humanistic point of view she brought towards her characters. As I was writing this post, I was amazed at how many great animes she has starred. Lots of them like Cowboy bebop
If you haven’t seen any of Nobumoto’s work before, do yourself a favor and take some time this weekend to experience some of their creations. Since we close on the holidays, I particularly recommend people stop by Tokyo godparents. Nobumoto’s writing has been a blessing to the world and it is sorely missed. May she rest in peace.
.
