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For those who have not yet readTaiyo Matsumoto’smanga or seen the Zanzibar copal cinema Studio 4 ° C created forTekkonkinkreet , his work may come across as inaccessible , reckon on any devote work . The creative person and writer has been actively bring out his workplace since 1989 while snatch up sought after awards likethe Shogakukan Manga Award forSunnyand two Eisner Awards , moot the Oscars of cartoon strip , for the localisation principle ofTekkonkinkreetandCats of the Louvre . Matsumoto is indeed a absorbing , multifaceted creator , and beyond his works , which have gain ground awards , it ’s fascinating to see the style in which he fly high .
Still , the fascination with Matsumoto ’s work spreads westwards with novel additions from his bibliography good manners of VIZ Media , most late with submissions such as an anniversary version ofTekkonkinkreet , Tokyo These Days , and a reprintedGoGo Monster . These three serial offer a fascinating spectrum of narratives Matsumoto can thread , showing excellency in limited serial and chronicle running for multiple years .
While Matsumoto ’s work may occasionally be difficult to grasp , it ’s culturally significant , with artist includingthe squad behindHigh LevelcitingTekkonkinkreetas an intake , and an example ofa manga Jehovah whose success is not defined by anime hype .
Taiyo Matsumoto Deals with Interpersonal Themes
Adults and Children Trying to Survive Modern Society
Even in the aforementioned type cogitation , much of Matsumoto ’s storytelling rests on how his characters react to the world and society . InTekkonkinkreet , the tale focuses on Black and White , two orphan children in the massive , dystopian metropolis of Takaramachi , where the two are specially co - pendant and lost without one another . InTokyo These Days , mangaka interact with one another and professional in the business , coping with the strain of chance winner , appeasing their editors , and maintaining their audiences . GoGo Monsterfeatures two main characters who adjust to social anxiousness and alienation differently .
The consequence is a wildly entrancing read on all three reckoning , anddepending on what the hearing may be go through , it may be clearly relatable in some cases . Tekkonkinkreetshows Black and White as a duality of dissimilar path in which a neurodivergent child with amazing abilities behaves in a wild , uncaring society . GoGo Monstershows Yuki , a shaver growing increasingly detached from his fellow first - grader students , and IQ , a child with such acute social anxiousness that he wear a box on his head , which affects his choice in schools willing to accommodate him .
estrangement is a root word that runs powerfully in these serial , like how White is separated from Black and feel lost and incompetent of function without him or how Yuki is uninterested in routine small public lecture between his classmates . Much ofGoGo Monsterrevolves around Yuki ’s relationship with the " Other Side " and how it compels him throughout the forcible macrocosm , with IQ recognize this racket yet concern to it due to his trouble . Tokyo These Daysfeatures mangaka who are progressively disenchant with their craftsmanship due to their industry and consultation ’s demand . This recontextualizes and validates terrene human experience as relatable .
While Taiyo Matsumoto ’s series have sometimes been adapted , most of his whole kit and boodle have not , and it make sentience to an extent , as some do n’t translate to the CRT screen .
Matsumoto’s Manga Don’t Always Need Anime
A Prolific Body of Work Thriving on the Page Versus the Screen
One vernacular need of the manga - reading industriousness is whether a serial will be adapt into an anime , ensure as a marker of success . While Taiyo Matsumoto ’s series have sometimes been adapted , most of his works have not , and it makes sense to an extent , as some do n’t translate to the screen . Tekkonkinkreethas an excellent anime pic , Ping Pongis one of the best sport anime on Crunchyroll , andBlue Springeven got a live - action film . Yet , tale likeGoGo Monsterare surreal , and their artistic crotchet , especially in the Summer chapter , work intimately as a recitation experience than an anime .
GoGo Monster’sclimax involves a long sequence in a heavily obscured , darkened view of Yuki ’s exploration of the Other Side , more focused on the character ’s sudden deprivation .
Yet , this does n’t hold back Matsumoto from being an internationally recognized creator who consistently produces work . Beyond multiple award like the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize and decades of other industry accolades , Tokyo These Daysjust released its 2nd volume in North America , with its third coming in Fall 2024.Matsumoto is also producingwork in the present tense , withMukashi no Hanashiin circulation since 2020 inBig Comic Superior . But , unsurprisingly , his body of work is less accessible to typical lector , not just because many of his stories are trade to the seinen demographic .
Tokyo These Days Is a Commentary on the Manga Industry
Art Versus Commercial Product
Tokyo These Daysdoesn’t have the same surrealistic or artistic obscurity ofTekkonkinkreetorGoGo Monster , trading them instead for a clear - cut human-centered experience . the great unwashed should consider reading it for its comment , a creator relaying his experiences with the human precondition and how it touch on his study fundamentally , both good and bad . In chapter # 7 , Matsumoto testify one Lord who accidentally lets one of his cats out . In the distress of finding and rescue his deary , he also learns his manga is getting a series order , overwhelming him with joy . Complicated emotional storytelling can still include happiness in its spectrum .
Taiyo Matsumoto Balances Creative Integrity with Industry Expectations
An Auteur Mangaka
Matsumoto ’s ability to systematically get bold , grounded storytelling out in a world obsessed with the next great manga spectacles to read is impressive . His work , even though sometimes featuring unlike radical and degrees of surreality , is soundly recognizable compared to other mangaka , earning him a sensible auteur position . Auteur projects , in filmmaking term , put groovy focus on the lead creative psyche of a projectthan perhaps the industry expectations and genre definitions behind other stories , with a recognisable vogue and uncompromising presentation , with Matsumoto being a strong example .
I went through many difficulties when I was creating Tekkonkinkreet , but your continued readership makes it all worthwhile .
-Taiyo Matsumoto , for the 2007 Tekkonkinkreet : Black & White release
While this means that stories likeTekkonkinkreetandGoGoMonsterare now and then baffling to grasp thanTokyo These Days , it is also a worthwhile sixth sense into Matsumoto ’s thought and motivations . It ’s a valuable examination of any originative intellect ’s difficulties , specially in a field constantly pushing sheer raw ideas and take persistent , long - run sale juggernauts , with this crunch plaguing anime too .
But more than anything else , Taiyo Matsumoto ’s work cue referee that manga , like other creative media , is an graphics form after all discussions on sales , popularity , and anime adaptation potential drop and that its comment is just as worthful .
