Another famous Japanese singer from anime and tokusatsu passed away recently: Yamada Nobuo, aka NoB, aka lead singer of the band MAKE-UP. He was 61, and had recently been dealing with kidney cancer.

I don’t have quite the childhood connection to NoB that so many others do, but I still wanted to say a few words because I do feel that his music touched my life at different points.

I didn’t grow up with the anime or anything, and I only read the manga a few years ago. However, I was very familiar with most famous song: “Pegasus Fantasy,” the first Saint Seiya anime theme. That opening has long been one of my go-to examples of a near-perfect intro thanks to the energizing and soulful music combined with the action-packed animation. Sometimes, I will just randomly type it into YouTube to watch again. Years later, I would also enjoy his return to the franchise with Saint Seiya Omega, where MAKE-UP sang “Pegasus Fantasy” alongside Shokotan.

Because I didn’t follow his career closely, I also didn’t realize that he was also involved with another show for which I have fond memories. When I was living in Japan in 2005, I enjoyed just being able to catch what was airing on TV, and that included the Super Sentai show Mahou Sentai Magiranger. Watching it became a weekend tradition, though I hadn’t realized that he was responsible for the theme of the character Dark Magic Knight Wolzard.

This has been a sad loss for NoB’s fans, and my condolences go out to them. For me personally, it’s a reminder of the passage of time. But music is immortal in unique ways, and I don’t think I’ll stop playing his songs, whether over my headphones or just in my head.