Translations

Translations | Tezuka En Francais

Here translated versions of Tezuka manga and anime are organized by language. You can also find more current information in our discussion forums for English, Japanese and European new releases. To date, there are more Tezuka manga out in French than in any other European language. For updates about French releases check our French discussion forum's news thread and publication index or check BDNet.com's Tezuka page, which lists all titles currently in print and ships internationally.

Find in-print English releases easily through our Amazon.com Tezuka List.

As of November 2008, the new Tezuka World website, tezukaosamu.net features links to all their international publishers, organized by country.

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LATEST OSAMU TEZUKA INTERNATIONAL RELEASES

TRANSLATION OVERVIEWS:

Older titles like Tezuka's are much more popular in Europe than in America, and many series have been published there which are not out in English. Remember - reading Tezuka manga in foreign languages usually only requires one year of language study. Even if you think your Spanish, French or Italian skills are poor, they may well be good enough to give you access to the many excellent Tezuka series only not yet published in the US.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF TEZUKA

The earliest translations of the works of Tezuka were not professional translations licensed by major companies, as seen today. Rather, they were works of love from amateur translators such as four-man team "Dadakai," which included noted manga scholar Frederick Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics and Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga, two of the most influential and important books on the manga industry. In 1977, the team began to translate chapters of Phoenix, with the unofficial approval of Osamu Tezuka himself. Their translation was later incorporated into VIZ's current editions of Phoenix.

Tezuka's influence in the United States first began on a wider scale when Tezuka appeared as an official guest at the San Diego Comic-Con in 1980, where he received a warm welcome. He became further known to American audiences with the publication of Manga! Manga! in 1983, which was the first English-language reference book about manga. Over the next few years, as a small fandom subculture truly began to blossom in the United States, publishers began to publish "American manga," with a clear imitation of Japanese style, including publications of a series called Astro Boy in 1987 by NOW Comics. I have been unable to find out much information about this series, but I know that it is not the Tezuka series -- Dark Horse produced the first and, so far, the only available edition of this series in English.

The next wave of Tezuka translation came with Cadence Books' publication of Adolf Volume 1 in late 1995, which continued through Volume 5 in late 1996. Within a few years, VIZ had published portions of Black Jack in two paperback graphic novels. In the years since then, VIZ has made further forays into Tezuka translation with their continuing publication of Phoenix, while Dark Horse has declared its dedication to the continued publication of Tezuka manga and has demonstrated its commitment through careful publication of Astro Boy, Metropolis, and others in trade paperback format. Vertical, Inc. has published a lovely edition of Buddha in hardcover. It remains to be seen whether these companies will continue the work they have begun, but there is certainly no shortage of material (see Works by Tezuka).

It is important to note that Tezuka has been translated into several languages other than English. We have compiled a list of editions available in French, Italian, and Spanish, some of the languages with which we are familiar (information on German and Russian editions coming soon). If you know of Tezuka translations into languages other than those, please let us know -- we'd be happy to include them.

For more information on Dadakai, or on the history of Tezuka in translation, we recommend either of Frederick Schodt's books, Manga! Manga! which is available from Amazon here, or Dreamland Japan, which is available from Amazon here.