Shozo Uehara, screenwriter of Goldrake and Captain Harlock, dies at 82

Shozo Uehara, the prolific Japanese screenwriter known for iconic anime such as "Ufo Robot Goldrake" (1975) and "Capitan Harlock" (1978), died on January 2 at age 82. Born on February 6, 1937, in Naha, Okinawa, his family evacuated to Taiwan in 1944 during the war, returning two years later. After discovering American cinema in high school, he began writing amateur scripts and was mentored by Eiji Tsuburaya, joining Tsuburaya Productions in 1964. His early work included the Ultraman series, notably episode 21 of "Ultra Q." In 1969, he started freelancing for Toei Company, writing for "Goranger" (1975), the first Super Sentai series, which later inspired the Power Rangers. Uehara contributed to over a dozen anime, including "Getter Robot" (1974), "Gaiking" (1975), "Gran Prix e il campionissimo" (1977), and "Arbegas" (1983). He wrote more than a thousand screenplays, with fifty collected in "Uehara Shozo Shinario Senshu" published by Gendaishokan. In 2017, he released his autobiography "Kijimuna Kids."