Taiyo Matsumoto
Encyclopedia
is an influential manga
artist. He made his debut in Afternoon
, Kodansha
's monthly seinen
manga
magazine, but is probably best known for his works with Kodansha's rival publisher Shogakukan
, including Tekkonkinkreet, Ping Pong and Number Five. He has received critical praise for his unconventional and often surrealist art style. Ping Pong and Aoi Haru (Blue Spring) have been adapted into live-action feature films, much more famous than the original manga in the west, and acclaimed animation studio Studio 4°C
adapted Tekkonkinkreet into an animated feature film. In 2007 he received an Excellence Award for manga at the Japan Media Arts Festival
for the art of Takemitsu Zamurai.
He is the cousin of Santa Inoue
, another critically acclaimed manga artist
.
influenced the works of Matsumoto such that they bore both European and Japanese artistics features on their pages. Most of his art is today described as surreal, with frenzied line-work and bizarre backgrounds. The manga he produced covers a variety of topics, from sports to family comedy to science fiction epic.
In 1993, he began work on the Tekkonkinkurito trilogy, which became a success in the Big Spirits magazine, and published a series of short stories in a collection called Nihon no Kyodai that was publicized at the time by Comic Aré magazine. Ping Pong appeared in Big Spirits in 1996, soon followed by the series Number Five in the Shogakukan magazine in 2001.
The Tekkonkinkreet anime
was released in Japan in late 2006 and is now under Sony Pictures licensing in the United States. VIZ has announced plans to republish the manga (previously published in English as Black & White) in one volume and under the original title.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
artist. He made his debut in Afternoon
Afternoon (magazine)
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It is a monthly anthology, and each issue typically has around thirty ongoing stories by various authors and runs about 800 pages...
, Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
's monthly seinen
Seinen
is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at a 20–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be older with some manga aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men" and is not suggestive of sexual matters...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
magazine, but is probably best known for his works with Kodansha's rival publisher Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
, including Tekkonkinkreet, Ping Pong and Number Five. He has received critical praise for his unconventional and often surrealist art style. Ping Pong and Aoi Haru (Blue Spring) have been adapted into live-action feature films, much more famous than the original manga in the west, and acclaimed animation studio Studio 4°C
Studio 4°C
is a Japanese animation studio founded by Eiko Tanaka in 1986. The name comes from the temperature at which water is most dense.-History:STUDIO4°C has produced numerous feature films, OVAs, and shorts. Early film titles include; Memories , Spriggan and Princess Arete...
adapted Tekkonkinkreet into an animated feature film. In 2007 he received an Excellence Award for manga at the Japan Media Arts Festival
Japan Media Arts Festival
The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where...
for the art of Takemitsu Zamurai.
He is the cousin of Santa Inoue
Santa Inoue
is a Japanese manga artist and owner of the Santastic! clothing line. Inoue's manga series are greatly influenced by hip hop culture, with some of the characters being modeled after rappers.- Biography :...
, another critically acclaimed manga artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
.
Biography
Originally he wanted to become a famous soccer player, but he decided to turn to artistry as an occupation instead. After his initial success in the Comic Open contest, he began touring France in 1986, an event that became a significant point in his career. Artists like MoebiusJean Giraud
Jean Henri Gaston Giraud is a French comics artist. Giraud has earned worldwide fame, not only under his own name but also under the pseudonym Moebius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing mostly in the form of a boxed signature at the bottom of the artist's paintings, for instance the...
influenced the works of Matsumoto such that they bore both European and Japanese artistics features on their pages. Most of his art is today described as surreal, with frenzied line-work and bizarre backgrounds. The manga he produced covers a variety of topics, from sports to family comedy to science fiction epic.
In 1993, he began work on the Tekkonkinkurito trilogy, which became a success in the Big Spirits magazine, and published a series of short stories in a collection called Nihon no Kyodai that was publicized at the time by Comic Aré magazine. Ping Pong appeared in Big Spirits in 1996, soon followed by the series Number Five in the Shogakukan magazine in 2001.
The Tekkonkinkreet anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
was released in Japan in late 2006 and is now under Sony Pictures licensing in the United States. VIZ has announced plans to republish the manga (previously published in English as Black & White) in one volume and under the original title.
Selected works
The ISBNs are those of the most recent English editions. Publication dates: (Japanese/English if applicable).- Straight -- 2 volumes (1989)
- ZERO -- 2 volumes (1991)
- Hana Otoko (花男) (A Boy Meet A Papa And Baseball) -- 3 volumes (1992) (1993/2004); ISBN 1-59116-645-4
- Blue Spring (film)Blue Spring (film)is a Japanese film directed by Toshiyaki Toyada, released in 2001. It is based on a manga by Taiyō Matsumoto. The Japanese title can be translated as "blue spring", or as "inexperienced years", i.e., teenage.-Plot:...
, by Toshiyaki Toyada -- 3 volumes (1994/2000) - Tekkonkinkreet All In One Edition (2006/2007); ISBN 1-4215-1867-8
- Tekkonkinkreet by Michael AriasMichael AriasMichael Arias is an American-born filmmaker active primarily in Japan.Though Arias has worked variously as visual effects artist, animation software developer, and producer, he is best known for his directorial debut, the anime feature Tekkonkinkreet, which established him as the first...
of Studio 4°CStudio 4°Cis a Japanese animation studio founded by Eiko Tanaka in 1986. The name comes from the temperature at which water is most dense.-History:STUDIO4°C has produced numerous feature films, OVAs, and shorts. Early film titles include; Memories , Spriggan and Princess Arete...
- Blue Spring (film)
- Brothers of Japan (Nihon no Kyōdai) (1995)
- 100 (full colour artbook) (1995) -- 5 volumes (1996–97)
- Ping Pong (film)Ping Pong (film)is a 2002 sports film directed by the Japanese filmmaker Fumihiko Sori. It is based on Taiyō Matsumoto's manga of the same name and is about the friendship between two high school table tennis players....
by Fumihiko SoriFumihiko SoriFumihiko Sori is a Japanese film director and film producer. He received a nomination for the 'Best Director' prize at the Japanese Academy Awards for his directing debut, Ping Pong.-Director:*2002 Ping Pong*2007 Vexille*2008 Ichi...
- Ping Pong (film)
- 101 (full colour artbook) (1999)
- Mezasu hikari no aru saki (stage play script) (2000) (2000/2009); ISBN 1-42153-209-3 -- 8 volumes (2000-2005/2003, first two only); ISBN 1-56931-738-0, 1-59116-056-1
- Hana (stage play adapted to manga novella) (2002), a collaboration with Issei Eifuku as the scenarist—8 volumes (2006–2010) — (2010-current)