World’s First Anime AMV Creator James Kaposztas Has Passed Away

James Kaposztas, best known for making the first Anime AMV (Anime Music Video) has passed away. He was 62.

Kaposztas passing was confirmed in a tweet last Sunday by publisher and co-founder of Anime.com Inc, Michael Pinto, tweeting on how Kapozstas made his first Anime music themed video using only secondhand VHS footage. The cause of death was not given.

To my old anime fandom friend, may you rest in peace James Kaposztas. Know as "Jim" to his friends, he created the first anime themed music video using nothing but second hand VHS footage. #anime #fandom #AMV pic.twitter.com/JfOrNY62F8

— Michael Pinto (@michaelpinto) February 6, 2023

For the world’s first AMV, Kapozstas took scenes from the sci-fi anime Space Battleship Yamato and combined it with the Beatles’ song “All You Need Is Love” back in 1982 when he was a 21-year-old college student. He then uploaded the footage and several more on his YouTube channel called Ultragoji.

Besides being the father of AMV, based on his LinkedIn profile, Kaposztas worked in various positions at Otakon, one of the world’s largest anime and video game conventions, for 22 years.

Michael Pinto made a thread on his tweet, adding:

“Beloved by friends, Jim played a key role in supporting early anime fandom events in NYC and Philly, was an early cosplayer who dressed as Captain Avatar from Star Blazers, and would later be involved with Otakon. What made me proud of Jim was that he took his love of anime and turned it into a professional career as a video editor for over two decades. “

Watch the video down below to get to know James Kapozstas thoughts in an Anime Music Video Documentary:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4mx4gjlOw0[/embedyt]