Sakamoto worked on 4 manga (Mortal Commando Guy, Bloody Soldier, Niragi Kiomaru, and Masuraou) without really making much of a name for himself. This would change when he partnered up with writer Yoshiro Nabeda on a manga called Kokouno Hito, which was based on a novel detailing the real exploits of a famous mountain climber. Nabeda Yoshiro left by the 4th volume and Sakamoto was given the task of continuing the manga on his own. Sakamoto radically changed the focus and tone of the story, transforming it from a relatively straightforward shounen sports manga into a much more adult, psychological, complex and experimental storyline.
This change, combined with Sakamoto's increasingly excellent art over the course of publication, caught the attention of enough people to earn him a small cult following, to the point where the manga was published in a few countries in Europe, and was popular enough for Sakamoto to be invited to events in France and Italy. Following Kokou no Hito's success, he began another work called Innocent, a historical drama based on real life french executioner Charles-Henri Sanson.
Though he remains an underground author in english-speaking circles, most people who do find him tend to speak highly of his work. Besides his high-quality, ambitious artwork, he is known for his artful depictions of his characters' psychology, using visual metaphors to express their emotions and state of mind.
He has a twitter
account and instagram, where he posts in-progress pictures and videos of his work, among various other things.
Works:
- Bloody Soldier
- Mortal Commando Guy
- Niragi Kioumaru
- Masuraou
- Kokou no Hito
- Innocent
- Innocent Rogue
- Dorachuu
- #DRCL midnight children
