Norio Matsumoto
Originating from Tatsunoko's animators training institute, where he met Atsushi Wakabayashi. Though primarily an action animator, he’s demonstrated impressive range elsewhere like in his scenes for Haibane Renmei and Kaguya-hime. He has the reputation of a fast and disciplined worker. Toshiyuki Inoue said that he must have a “secret” for producing such a large volume of superb cuts.
Though one of his earliest assignments was as an in-betweens checker for Akira, his first major job was on Ranma ½, working under the director of the series, Kazuhiro Furuhashi. He would collaborate with Furuhashi again on Rurouni Kenshin, You’re Under Arrest, and Hunter x Hunter. Around this time Matsumoto was also mentored by Tomohiro Hirata on Irresponsible Captain Tylor.
Matsumoto’s character animation is loose and full of smears, often looking like featureless masses in individual frames. He draws smoke without highlights, a tendency that earned the nickname “Norio smoke” and has been imitated by animators like Shingo Yamashita and Kenichi Kutsuna. He occasionally storyboards his own scenes as he did for the 12th episode of Birdy Decode:02, the third Naruto movie, and episodes 31 & 85 of Rurouni Kenshin. Prefers battles that take place in wide-open spaces with lots of forward momentum and background movement. Influenced by Satoru Utsunomiya and Takashi Nakamura, and has adapted elements of their approach for a wider audience.
Whenever he serves as animation director on an episode, he does a lot of the key animation work himself. He also soloed the 7th episode of Eat-Man and the Kuragehime ED. He failed attempting to solo the 39th episode of You’re Under Arrest, and requested his name not be on the telop despite animating the vast majority of the episode.
Famous for his work on the Naruto franchise, in which he often collaborated with Atsushi Wakabayashi.
As a well known animator with a wide network of connections, he regularly helps and receives help from his friends.
(Source: Animators Wiki)
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