Noriyuki Matsumoto
Description
Noriyuki Matsumoto, whose name is written in Japanese as Matsumoto Noriyuki, is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator. He is originally from Saitama Prefecture, where he resides in the city of Tokorozawa. His career in the creative industry began as an illustrator and part-time game artist before he established himself as an independent manga creator.
Matsumoto initially worked for the game company F&C, where he contributed as a part-time artist and illustrator for several projects. During this period, he was involved in creating original illustrations for visual novels, including the Virtuacall series and the role-playing game Swordomania. This background in game art heavily influenced his later illustration style, known for its clean lines and appealing character designs.
Before achieving mainstream success with his own serialized manga, Matsumoto built a significant body of work as a light novel illustrator. He provided the artwork for several prominent series, most notably the long-running space opera series Bodacious Space Pirates (Miniskirt Pirates) written by Yousuke Kuroda. His illustration work for this series spanned from the first volume published in 2008 through subsequent installments, and his character designs were later adapted for the anime television series and film. Other notable light novel illustration credits include works by author Noboru Yamaguchi for the Fujimi Mystery Bunko imprint.
As a manga creator, Matsumoto has written and illustrated several serialized works. His earlier manga projects include Sunshine Girl Travelogue (Hidamari Shoujo Kikou), which was serialized in the magazine Monthly Comic RYU. He also created A-kun no Sensou I, THE TYCOON? with writer Daiya Gouya and The Black Les Volu ~Kamen no Kaijou Shoujo~ based on an idea by Hideyuki Furuhashi, both of which ran in Monthly Dragon Age.
His most recognized and commercially successful work is Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club (Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu). The manga began serialization in the magazine Monthly Comic Blade, published by Mag Garden, in June 2011 and concluded in October 2018, spanning a total of eleven collected volumes. The story follows Hiromi Maiharu, a girl who moves to the historic city of Kamakura and discovers the joy of cycling after joining her high school bicycle club. The series distinguishes itself from traditional sports manga by focusing on the everyday experiences, scenic landscapes, and personal growth associated with recreational cycling rather than intense road racing competitions. Matsumoto has stated that the series originated from a concept illustration book that combined images of bicycles with the scenery of Kamakura, and an editor's interest in this concept led to its development into a full serialized story.
The popularity of the manga led to an anime adaptation. The television series Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club was co-produced by J.C.Staff and ACGT and aired thirteen episodes from January to May 2017. In this adaptation, Noriyuki Matsumoto is officially credited as the original creator based on his manga. The series reflects his artistic identity, which frequently combines youthful female characters with detailed mechanical objects and real-world Japanese settings, creating a niche within the slice-of-life and hobbyist genres. In addition to the manga and anime, Matsumoto has released several art collections tied to the series, including concept books and bicycle review books that blend illustration with practical information about cycling.
Throughout his career, Matsumoto has published multiple art collections that showcase his illustration work. These include Rin -Matsumoto Noriyuki Gashuu, released by enterbrain, and RIDE ON, a twentieth-anniversary collection published by Mag Garden. He continues to be recognized for his contributions as both an illustrator of light novels and the original author of manga that bridge the gap between hobbyist culture and character-driven storytelling.
Matsumoto initially worked for the game company F&C, where he contributed as a part-time artist and illustrator for several projects. During this period, he was involved in creating original illustrations for visual novels, including the Virtuacall series and the role-playing game Swordomania. This background in game art heavily influenced his later illustration style, known for its clean lines and appealing character designs.
Before achieving mainstream success with his own serialized manga, Matsumoto built a significant body of work as a light novel illustrator. He provided the artwork for several prominent series, most notably the long-running space opera series Bodacious Space Pirates (Miniskirt Pirates) written by Yousuke Kuroda. His illustration work for this series spanned from the first volume published in 2008 through subsequent installments, and his character designs were later adapted for the anime television series and film. Other notable light novel illustration credits include works by author Noboru Yamaguchi for the Fujimi Mystery Bunko imprint.
As a manga creator, Matsumoto has written and illustrated several serialized works. His earlier manga projects include Sunshine Girl Travelogue (Hidamari Shoujo Kikou), which was serialized in the magazine Monthly Comic RYU. He also created A-kun no Sensou I, THE TYCOON? with writer Daiya Gouya and The Black Les Volu ~Kamen no Kaijou Shoujo~ based on an idea by Hideyuki Furuhashi, both of which ran in Monthly Dragon Age.
His most recognized and commercially successful work is Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club (Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu). The manga began serialization in the magazine Monthly Comic Blade, published by Mag Garden, in June 2011 and concluded in October 2018, spanning a total of eleven collected volumes. The story follows Hiromi Maiharu, a girl who moves to the historic city of Kamakura and discovers the joy of cycling after joining her high school bicycle club. The series distinguishes itself from traditional sports manga by focusing on the everyday experiences, scenic landscapes, and personal growth associated with recreational cycling rather than intense road racing competitions. Matsumoto has stated that the series originated from a concept illustration book that combined images of bicycles with the scenery of Kamakura, and an editor's interest in this concept led to its development into a full serialized story.
The popularity of the manga led to an anime adaptation. The television series Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club was co-produced by J.C.Staff and ACGT and aired thirteen episodes from January to May 2017. In this adaptation, Noriyuki Matsumoto is officially credited as the original creator based on his manga. The series reflects his artistic identity, which frequently combines youthful female characters with detailed mechanical objects and real-world Japanese settings, creating a niche within the slice-of-life and hobbyist genres. In addition to the manga and anime, Matsumoto has released several art collections tied to the series, including concept books and bicycle review books that blend illustration with practical information about cycling.
Throughout his career, Matsumoto has published multiple art collections that showcase his illustration work. These include Rin -Matsumoto Noriyuki Gashuu, released by enterbrain, and RIDE ON, a twentieth-anniversary collection published by Mag Garden. He continues to be recognized for his contributions as both an illustrator of light novels and the original author of manga that bridge the gap between hobbyist culture and character-driven storytelling.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview