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Toshio Masuda, the acclaimed director behind the 'Uchuu Senkan Yamato' (Space Battleship Yamato) film series, died on August 26 of natural causes at a Tokyo hospital, the Directors Guild of Japan announced. He was 98. Born in Kobe in 1927, Masuda had a long career spanning decades in Japanese cinema and animation. A private funeral was held for the influential filmmaker, whose work helped shape the classic space opera anime genre.