Minky Momo/Pokémon Writer Takeshi Shudo Passes Away

Legend of the Galactic Heroes producer Masatoshi Tahara and translator Dan Kanemitsu report that Minky Momo creator and Pokémon writer Takeshi Shudo passed away. He was 61 years old. Shudo had been rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery after he collapsed at the Nara railway station's smoking area in Nara City on Thursday. The hospital's emergency care center determined that he had suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage in his head.

Shudo created the Fairy Princess Minky Momo television anime series and worked on many of its spinoffs. He later supervised the scripts on the original Pokémon television anime series and wrote several of the movies, including the first three. His other works include Idol Tenshi Youkoso Yoko, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Martian Successor Nadesico, and Tokusou Kihei Dorvack. As recently as this year, he was working with Dogakobo and Gonzo on a new character project called Cheer Figu!