AMV Creator James Kaposztas Has Passed Away
A pioneer of anime fandom is not with us, as information just lately got here out concerning the passing of James Kaposztas. As good friend and Anime.com co-founder Michael Pinto shared on Twitter, James—recognized to mates as Jim—performed a key function within the assist of early anime fandom occasions in New York Metropolis and Philadelphia, and is credited with creating the primary recognized anime music video (AMV) again in 1982.
Kaposztas first began messing round with the creation of an AMV to get some modifying observe in and as a strategy to share his passion, as he defined in an interview with Patrick Macias for The Japan Occasions in 2007. On the age of 21, he hooked two VCRs collectively and mashed up footage from Star Blazers—the localized model of the Area Battleship Yamato anime—with The Beatles basic “All You Want is Love,” making a comically dissonant impact between the track itself and the violent scenes on display.
The second model of the AMV in query, by way of Kaposztas’s YouTube channel:
As detailed on his LinkedIn profile, Kaposztas had varied staffing roles on the Otakon conference over a 22-year interval. He additionally took half within the early cosplay scene, dressing up as Captain Avatar from Star Blazers.
To my outdated anime fandom good friend, might you relaxation in peace James Kaposztas. Know as “Jim” to his mates, he created the primary anime themed music video utilizing nothing however second hand VHS footage. #anime #fandom #AMV pic.twitter.com/JfOrNY62F8
— Michael Pinto (@michaelpinto) February 6, 2023
Our ideas exit to the household, mates and colleagues of James Kaposztas. His contributions to the anime group and past will not be forgotten.
Supply: Michael Pinto by way of Kotaku
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Joseph Luster is the Video games and Internet editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You possibly can learn his comics at subhumanzoids. Observe him on Twitter @Moldilox.