Kimagure Orange Road Creator Passes Away at 61

The creator of Kimagure Orange Road, Izumi Matsumoto, lost his battle against Cerebrospinal Fluid Hypovolemia. According to his doctor, he passed away without any pain while he was asleep.

Izumi Matsumoto, the mangaka who created Kimagure Orange Road, passed away on October 6, at the age of 61. Wave Studio announced his death on the Comic-On website on Tuesday.

On November 3, 2019, it was revealed that he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a condition which causes an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal and puts pressure on the spinal cord. He had said that he had severe numbness in his legs.

He had been suffering from general malaise due to depleted cerebrospinal fluid (Cerebrospinal Fluid Hypovolemia).

He had explained that everything began with numbness in his legs and sleeping disorders, several years ago. He was prescribed sleeping pills, but the numbness was so severe, that the sleeping pills were sometimes ineffective.

“Sleeping has become scary every night.”

Matsumoto

Many years working at a desk may have contributed to his illness since the focus of his condition was on his pelvic region. He uncovered this condition through an MRI at an orthopaedic clinic.

Although he had no pain, the numbness made everyday work difficult. He was scared of undergoing surgery, and it was expensive. He planned to resume his activities after fighting against the disease for two years.

However, he was bedridden after suffering from a fatal accident. It was stated in November 2016 that Matsumoto’s condition was “growing worse,” and that he experienced seizures regularly.

The blue light emitted by LED screens worsened the condition, so he was unable to use computers or smartphones. All his messages were read and replied by his friend.

He gave up drawing manga in 1999 but did not receive the right diagnosis until 2004. He returned to walk in fall 2005, however, he continued suffering from the after-effects of the illness and seizures.

About Kimagure Orange Road

Matsumoto’s Kimagure Orange Road manga series was released in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 1984 to 1987.

The manga consisted of 18 volumes. It followed the story of a boy with supernatural powers as he dealt with a love triangle between two girls in his high school.

The manga was adapted into a popular 1987-1988 television anime series, two films, and various anime videos.

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