Taiyo Matsumoto

Ace high school table tennis players push their passion to the limit in this story of self-discovery, told by Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto. Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto doesn’t smile even though he’s got a natural talent for playing ping pong. As one of the best players in school, all hopes are on him to win the regional high school tournament, but winning is not what Smile really wants to do. Will the fierce competition to be number one bring out his best or drive him away from the game? Ping Pong is Taiyo Matsumoto’s masterwork reflection on friendship and self-discovery, presented here in two volumes, featuring color art, the bonus story "Tamura" and an afterword by the original Japanese series editor. Translated by Michael Arias, director of Tekkonkinkreet. Things have changed since the last inter-high tournament. Peco has quit the game, and “Smile” Tsukimoto's desire to play is gone. Even “Demon” Sakuma has been kicked off the Kaio team. But Coach Koizumi isn’t going to let all that talent go to waste and launches a plan to get Tsukimoto back on the team and into top condition. Every great athlete needs a great rival to push them past their limits, and Peco and Smile—friends since they were children—must now challenge each other to become the heroes they always dreamed they could be.

Ace high school table tennis players push their passion to the limit in this story of self-discovery, told by Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto. Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto doesn’t smile even though he’s got a natural talent for playing ping pong. As one of the best players in school, all hopes are on him to win the regional high school tournament, but winning is not what Smile really wants to do. Will the fierce competition to be number one bring out his best or drive him away from the game? Ping Pong is Taiyo Matsumoto’s masterwork reflection on friendship and self-discovery, presented here in two volumes, featuring color art, the bonus story "Tamura" and an afterword by the original Japanese series editor. Translated by Michael Arias, director of Tekkonkinkreet. Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto and his friend Yutaka “Peco” Hoshino have been playing table tennis since they were kids, but as they enter high school, they find that the game has changed. Seeing potential in them that they themselves don’t fully realize, the coach recruits them for the school team. Bringing out their best will mean challenging the top players from rival schools in the summer tournament, including an ace Chinese exchange student who almost made the Olympic team. With the pressure on, can Smile and Peco take the heat and make it into the finals?

A story of childhood longing and dreams as only Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet) could tell it. What is Sunny? Sunny is a car. Sunny is a car you take on a drive with your mind. It takes you to the place of your dreams. Sunny is the story of beating the odds, in the ways that count. It’s the brand-new masterwork from Eisner Award-winner Taiyo Matsumoto, one of Japan’s most innovative and acclaimed manga artists. Translated by Tekkonkinkreet film director Michael Arias! The second installment of this poignant series focused on the young lives of a group of foster children delves into the deep sadness and bright joys of their fears and dreams. Publishers Weekly writes, "Matsumoto deftly weaves a sense of longing and sadness into even the most chaotic scenes, and readers are drawn into the lives of children struggling to be themselves in a world that doesn’t want them." Translated by Tekkonkinkreet film director Michael Arias.

A story of childhood longing and dreams as only Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet) could tell it. What is Sunny? Sunny is a car. Sunny is a car you take on a drive with your mind. It takes you to the place of your dreams. Sunny is the story of beating the odds, in the ways that count. It’s the brand-new masterwork from Eisner Award-winner Taiyo Matsumoto, one of Japan’s most innovative and acclaimed manga artists. Translated by Tekkonkinkreet film director Michael Arias! The third installment of this poignant series focused on the young lives of a group of foster children explores the tenacity of the their hopes and persistence of their insecurities.

A story of childhood longing and dreams as only Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet) could tell it. What is Sunny? Sunny is a car. Sunny is a car you take on a drive with your mind. It takes you to the place of your dreams. Sunny is the story of beating the odds, in the ways that count. It’s the brand-new masterwork from Eisner Award-winner Taiyo Matsumoto, one of Japan’s most innovative and acclaimed manga artists. Translated by Tekkonkinkreet film director Michael Arias! The final installment of this poignant series focused on the young lives of a group of foster children opens the door to the endless promise of the future as it closes this chapter of their youth.

A story of childhood longing and dreams as only Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet) could tell it. What is Sunny? Sunny is a car. Sunny is a car you take on a drive with your mind. It takes you to the place of your dreams. Sunny is the story of beating the odds, in the ways that count. It’s the brand-new masterwork from Eisner Award-winner Taiyo Matsumoto, one of Japan’s most innovative and acclaimed manga artists. Translated by Tekkonkinkreet film director Michael Arias! The fifth installment of this poignant series focused on the young lives of a group of foster children displays the breathtaking peaks and troubled flatlands of their imaginations.

A story of childhood longing and dreams as only Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet) could tell it. What is Sunny? Sunny is a car. Sunny is a car you take on a drive with your mind. It takes you to the place of your dreams. Sunny is the story of beating the odds, in the ways that count. It’s the brand-new masterwork from Eisner Award-winner Taiyo Matsumoto, one of Japan’s most innovative and acclaimed manga artists. Translated by Tekkonkinkreet film director Michael Arias! The fourth installment of this poignant series focused on the young lives of a group of foster children travels their trajectory from painful yearning to bittersweet belonging.

A story of childhood longing and dreams as only Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet) could tell it. What is Sunny? Sunny is a car. Sunny is a car you take on a drive with your mind. It takes you to the place of your dreams. Sunny is the story of beating the odds, in the ways that count. It’s the brand-new masterwork from Eisner Award-winner Taiyo Matsumoto, one of Japan’s most innovative and acclaimed manga artists. Translated by Tekkonkinkreet film director Michael Arias!