Taiyō Matsumoto

Taiyō Matsumoto (松本大洋) 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 mangaka.

Biography
While Matsumoto made his debut in 1986, it was a trip to France that would have the most profound 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 regarded in critical circles; some people even consider him to be one of the best mangaka of his generation.

The Tekkonkinkreet anime was released in Japan in late 2006; US distribution rights lie with Sony Pictures Releasing. 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.
 * Brothers of Japan (Nihon no Kyōdai)
 * ZERO
 * Hanaotoko (花男)
 * Tekkonkinkreet (鉄コン筋クリート); ISBN 1-4215-1867-8
 * Tekkonkinkreet by Michael Arias of Studio 4°C
 * Ping Pong (ピンポン)
 * Ping Pong (film) by Fumihiko Sori
 * Blue Spring (manga) (青い春); ISBN 1-59116-645-4
 * Blue Spring (film), by Toshiyaki Toyada
 * GOGO Monster (GOGOモンスター)
 * Number Five (ナンバーファイブ); ISBN 1-56931-738-0, 1-59116-056-1
 * Takemitsu Zamurai (竹光侍), a collaboration with Issei Eifuku as the scenarist