Matsumoto Taiyo feature

A small feature on Matsumoto Taiyo and his new English release Sunny, in the Japan Times.

Told in six chapters originally serialized in IKKI, “Sunny” captures one moment in the lives of each of the orphans fostered at the Star Kids Home (Hoshinoko Gakuen). The “cover orphan” of the new graphic novel, is Haruo, also called Shiro (White), for his shocking white hair. The new kid, Sei, walks the reader through the induction phase of foster care, and a supporting cast of playful misfits exhibit the textbook behavior of abandoned kids such as petty theft and school delinquency. “Sunny” itself refers to the run-down 1970s Datsun the kids use alternately as a confessional and stationary amusement ride.

Matsumoto Taiyo Week! Day 5

Matsumoto Taiyo 松本大洋 is a Tokyo born manga-ka whose most famous mangas are Tekkon Kincreet (鉄コン筋クリート), Ping Pong, Number 5 and Gogo Monster (GOGOモンスター). We love him so much here at Beef Knuckles that we’re dedicating a whole week to him! Check out his shaky lines, super detailed cityscapes and awesome character design.

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Here are some Tekkon Kincreet toys I picked up while living in Japan. These figures were put out by Jun Planning which filed for bankruptcy last year.

Check out more Matsumoto Taiyo Week posts here: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4

Matsumoto Taiyo Week! Day 4

Matsumoto Taiyo 松本大洋 is a Tokyo born manga-ka whose most famous mangas are Tekkon Kincreet (鉄コン筋クリート), Ping Pong, Number 5 and Gogo Monster (GOGOモンスター). We love him so much here at Beef Knuckles that we’re dedicating a whole week to him! Check out his shaky lines, super detailed cityscapes and awesome character design.

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Aoi Haru (青い春 / Blue Spring) is a collection of short stories centered around a group of high school boys and the fights, jokes and games they get up to. I’ve been re-reading alot of Matsumoto in the lead up to this week and it’s actually the first time I’ve gone through all my Matsumoto comics back-to-back. I always thought of Matsumoto’s works as a celebration of youth but with these re-readings I don’t think that’s the case. After re-reading Aoi Haru and Ping Pong I feel like being young sucked. Really sucked. In one of the stories from Aoi Haru a kid gets shot in the face.

Anyway, maybe my reading into it is a reflection of my own headspace rather than an accurate description of Matsumoto’s works. You should check it out and decide for yourself. An English version of Aoi Haru was released by Viz as Blue Spring.

Check out more Matsumoto Taiyo Week posts here: day 1, day 2, day 3

Matsumoto Taiyo Week! Day 3

Matsumoto Taiyo 松本大洋 is a Tokyo born manga-ka whose most famous mangas are Tekkon Kincreet (鉄コン筋クリート), Ping Pong, Number 5 and Gogo Monster (GOGOモンスター). We love him so much here at Beef Knuckles that we’re dedicating a whole week to him! Check out his shaky lines, super detailed cityscapes and awesome character design.

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I found this amazing four page comic while cruising the pages of Kurutta many months ago. Please visit the blog – it’s an amazing exploration of underground Japanese art, music and photography. Hope you enjoy the comic below!

Check out more Matsumoto Taiyo Week posts here: day 1, day 2

Matsumoto Taiyo Week! Day 2

Matsumoto Taiyo 松本大洋 is a Tokyo born manga-ka whose most famous mangas are Tekkon Kincreet (鉄コン筋クリート), Ping Pong, Number 5 and Gogo Monster (GOGOモンスター). We love him so much here at Beef Knuckles that we’re dedicating a whole week to him! Check out his shaky lines, super detailed cityscapes and awesome character design.

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Ping Pong was released through 1996 – 1997 on Big Spirit Comics in 5 volumes. It was also made into a live action film which is probably more famous here in Australia than the comic. Hope you enjoy the panels below!

Check out more Matsumoto Taiyo Week posts here: day 1

Matsumoto Taiyo Week! Day 1

Matsumoto Taiyo 松本大洋 is a Tokyo born manga-ka whose most famous mangas are Tekkon Kincreet (鉄コン筋クリート), Ping Pong, Number 5 and Gogo Monster (GOGOモンスター). We love him so much here at Beef Knuckles that we’re dedicating a whole week to him! Check out his shaky lines, super detailed cityscapes and awesome character design.

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Here are some shots from Matsumoto Taiyo’s comic Tekkon Kincreet (鉄コン筋クリート). It’s a manga in three volumes that details the story of two young brothers surviving on the streets of Treasure Town. It’s super violent, super cute and super great. Viz Media has released it in English and it was published by Big Comic Spirit in Japan. Enjoy!