Taiyō Matsumoto is a seinen and alternative manga author whose linework — heavily influenced by European bande dessinée and particularly by Moebius — is distinctive within Japanese mainstream publishing. His works include Tekkonkinkreet (1993–1994), Ping Pong (1996–1997), Sunny (2011–2015), and Cats of the Louvre (2016–2017).
Career
Matsumoto began publishing in Big Comic Spirits in 1988. Tekkonkinkreet, serialised 1993–1994, was adapted as an animated feature by Studio 4°C in 2006. Ping Pong was adapted by Masaaki Yuasa at Tatsunoko in 2014.
Style
Matsumoto's lines are looser and more European than is conventional in Japanese mainstream manga, with deliberately unsteady contour, perspectival distortion, and figures that move toward the abstract. His backgrounds are drawn with more architectural attention than is typical of seinen, and his characters' faces tend to be unusual rather than archetypal.