Veteran animation producer Masaaki Sagisu passed away on July 12 at the age of 93. The news was announced by his nephew, composer and P Production representative Shiro Sagisu, via X on July 31.
Masaaki Sagisu was the brother of manga artist and P Production founder Tomio Sagisu, and renowned composer Shiro Sagisu is his nephew.
Shiro Sagisu also reflected on his uncle's animation career, stating that Masaaki Sagisu was involved in the production of numerous classic anime from the TCJ era (the predecessor to animation studio EIKEN), including "Tetsujin 28-go," "Eight Man," "Super Jetter," "Space Boy Soran," and "Sazae-san." He left behind countless iconic works for the Japanese animation industry.
Recalling his uncle, Shiro Sagisu shared a childhood memory. He mentioned that his uncle was about a dozen years younger than his father, manga artist and P Production founder Tomio Sagisu (pen name: Soji Ushio), and thus they were very close. To his younger self, his uncle was always the most admirable person, and he often spent entire days at his uncle's place.
He recalled that about sixty years ago, his uncle's small apartment was already filled with various self-collected and displayed items. This was where he first witnessed what a "highly accomplished otaku" looked like, and his unique lifestyle. He believes that this passion for his work was the driving force behind his uncle's creation of countless classic anime, and it also sparked his own interest in these things at a young age. Finally, he emotionally wrote: "Until his last breath, no, forever my proud Uncle Masaaki... I raise a toast to you."
Born in Tokyo in 1932, Masaaki Sagisu was one of Japan's pivotal animation producers. He worked for many years at animation studio EIKEN (formerly TCJ), contributing to numerous classic anime from the Showa era, including "Tetsujin 28-go," "Eight Man," "Super Jetter," "Kamui Gaiden," "Sazae-san," "Glass Mask," and "Touch." His contributions to the development of Japanese animation were immense.