The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution

by Frederik L. Schodt

Overview

A tribute to Japan's God of Manga by his long-time American friend and translator.

The pioneering genius of Japan’s “God of Comics,” Osamu Tezuka (1928–89), is examined through his life’s masterwork: Tetsuwan Atomu, also known as Mighty Atom or Astro Boy, a comic series featuring a cute little android who yearns to be more human. The history of Tetsuwan Atomu and Tezuka’s role in it is a road map to understanding the development of new media in Japan and the United States. Topics include Tezuka’s life, the art of animation, the connection between fantasy robots and technology, spin-offs, and Astro Boy’s cultural impact.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781933330549
Publisher:	Stone Bridge Press
Publication date:	07/01/2007
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Frederik L. Schodt is an author, interpreter, and translator who has written extensively on Japanese culture and Japan-U.S. relations. His classic Manga! Manga! introduced the English-speaking world to Japanese comics culture.

Editorial Reviews

Little robot hero Tetsuwan Atomu ("Mighty Atom"), called Astro Boy in the United States, is the best-known creation of revered manga master Tezuka (1928-89). Schodt not only wrote the first book in English about manga in 1983 (Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics) but also knew Tezuka personally and has translated several of his works, including Dark Horse's 23-volume edition of Astro Boy. Here, Schodt describes Astro's history, from his genesis in a 1951 story titled "Ambassador Atom" through the hugely popular black-and-white 1963-65 Tetsuwan Atomuanime (Japan's first full-length animated TV series) and later incarnations. He delves into the influence that Tezuka's editors, societal trends, and the rise of gekiga(dramatic, realistic manga) had on Astro's stories; Astro's influence on robotics research in contemporary Japan; and Tezuka's conflicted feelings about his most famous character. Though proud of the series' achievements, Tezuka sometimes referred to it as his "worst work," repeatedly killed off Astro (only to revive him later), and was frustrated when pundits praised the series as forecasting a glorious technological future; Tezuka himself was skeptical of over-reliance on science. This engaging book will be of wide interest to fans and pop-culture students; recommended for all collections.
—Steve Raiteri

Library Journal