Taiyō Matsumoto

Taiyō Matsumoto is a manga artist from Tokyo. He made his debut with STRAIGHT in Morning, Kodansha's monthly seinen manga magazine, but is known for his works with Kodansha's rival publisher Shogakukan, including Tekkonkinkreet, Ping Pong and No. 5. He has received critical praise for his unconventional and often surrealist art style. Ping Pong and Blue Spring have been adapted into live-action feature films. Animation studio Studio 4°C adapted Tekkonkinkreet into an animated feature film. Matsumoto has been called one of the best artists in the recent history of manga and has won numerous awards, including the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize and the Eisner Awards. He is the cousin of Santa Inoue, another manga artist.