Taiyō Matsumoto

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Taiyō Matsumoto (松本大洋 Matsumoto Taiyō, born 1967) made his debut in Afternoon, Kodansha's weekly manga magazine, but is probably best known for his works with Kodansha's rival publisher Shogakukan, including Black & White , Ping Pong and No. 5. He has won wild critical praise for his unconventional and often surrealist art style, and is perhaps one of the most influential manga artists of his time. Ping Pong and Aoi Haru have been adapted into live action feature films.

He is the cousin of another critically acclaimed manga artist, Santa Inoue.

[edit] Biography

While Matsumoto made his debut in 1986, it was a trip to France that would have the profoundest effect on his professional career. Impressed by artists such as Moebius, Matsumoto's subsequent works would bear a unique art style that reflected both Japanese and European influences. His art is best described as surreal, with frenzied line-work and bizarre backgrounds. The energy of his artwork is mirrored in the stories he tells. Matsumoto's manga has covered a variety of topics, from sports to family comedy to science fiction epic, but each work bears a unique brand of storytelling. While his unique approach to storytelling has only resulted in mild commercial success, it has earned him many devoted fans around the world. He is also highly reguarded in critical circles; some people even consider him to be one of the best manga-ka of his generation.

Recently, acclaimed animation studio Studio 4°C announced that they are making a film adaptation of "Black and White" (called "Tekkon Kinkreet" in Japanese) one of his most acclaimed and popular mangas. It is set for a Japanese theatrical release in the fall of 2006.