#CMCDiaries

Getting to know the man who introduced the trend of anime and left a lasting impact with his cartooning.

Tezuka, the face behind the Japanese comics- Manga, created and wrote more than 700 manga series containing over 170,000 pages. Penning over 200000 pages of anime storyboards and scripts, his influence on the industry has been tremendous. Japanese anime owes its recognition to his craft. He rightly be called the ‘Father of Anime.’

Born in a family of doctors, lawyers and military men, it comes as a surprise that Tezuka opted for a different career choice. But there is secret to how this passion germinated. Tezuka’s father introduced him to comics and cartooning which ended up greatly influencing young Tezuka.

Osamu Tezuka took to drawing manga in the second year of elementary school and his parents supported his artistic inclination. Tezuka went onto study medicine after he lost both his arms to infection in his teen years. He sold his first comic to an Osaka children’s newspaper.

Osamu loved using western influences and enjoyed working on various tales adding his own element to it. His work, ‘The New Treasure Island’ fetched him national fame and boosted his career. Tezuka seeked his mother’s advice on whether he should pursue his medical practices or take the lead with Manga? His mother told him to follow his passion and enjoy it. Tezuka went onto use his medical learnings in crafting his art work and shape his stories.

His most iconic works include Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, and Phoenix.

The Astro Boy manga was first published in 1952 and the anime started in 1963. Following which Tezuka received a letter from Stanley Kubrick, to be the art director of his next movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Unfortunately, Tezuka had to turn down the invitation due to work commitment

The Black Jack manga was first published in 1973. Black Jack is, an unlicensed surgeon who is gifted with great talent. Black Jack remains one of the most popular manga of all time in Japan. Astro Boy can be regarded as the Japanese Superman and Black Jack as Batman. Most of the stories involve Black Jack doing some good deed, curing the poor for free, or teaching some baddies a lesson.

The anime series for Kimba came out in 1965 and the manga was published in 1950. The story work was inspired from the Disney movie -Lion King!

Until his death, Tezuka worked non-stop. He produced nearly 500 anime episodes all while continuing to conceive, write, and draw volumes of some 700 different manga titles. He went on to experiment with his working styles and drew inspiration from several cinematic techniques, angles, expressions. At times the comic ran as long as 1000 pages.

His legacy very much lives on today with remakes of his work, a museum, and his constant influence on the industry. On the occasion Fathers Day, we take a bow to the unflinching efforts to revolutionizing anime and making the Japanese manga travel the globe. This work is a treat and inspiration to the artists of today’s generation.