He grew up in Imabari, near the Oshima Island of Japan where he later went on to receive his basic education at Imabari Kita High School. Later on in life in 1965, Sorayama went university at the Shikoku Gakuin University, which is were he studied Greek and English literature - this is where his interests in science fiction began to flourish, taking many influences from the popular sci-fi culture at the time.
He later moved on to Tokyo's Chuo Art college which is where his artistic talents grew even more - by this time, he'd already had his publication, Pink Journal. Upon graduation, Sorayama at age 21 began working for an advertising/creative agency. His first robot was drawn in 1978 just after becoming a freelance designer - little was he to know that this robot imagery would be his ascent into the cult art world. Sorayama’s work Sexy Robot was published in 1983, this made him known globally, from chic design collectives to music labels - his imagery was perfect for the time.
His characters are unmistakeably Japanese in there robotic presentation, but their poses are reminiscent of American pin-up photography, allowing a perfect match to form with Japan's box-fresh functionality and America's idealized female form.
For a comparison to American pin-ups, here is Alberto Vargas, an artist who became famous in the 1940s for creating the iconic World War II era pin-ups for Esquire Magazine, known as the "Varga Girls." Many WW2 air craft had nose art inspired them:
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