Tezuka In English
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Tezuka’s Manga (1946-49)

The Early Years

New Treasure Island Cover

New Treasure Island (1947)

The 1940s feature the works of Osamu Tezuka’s youthful exhuberance – those that pave the way for modern manga and show just a hint of his later genius.  While the artwork is still raw, not yet refined or free of his early Disney influences, it still shows the promise of his keen sense of cinematography.  It has an almost boundless energy that matches his somewhat frenetic storytelling style.

Tezuka was still only a student when his first work, the four-panel gag manga The Diary of Ma-chan (1946) was published in a magazine for children.  Only one year later, his first long-story manga, New Treasure Island (1947) was released and became an almost overnight sensation, quickly selling over 400,000 copies (a significant feat in a Japan still recovering from the ravages of the Second World War).  It introduced Tezuka’s cinematic storytelling techniques to the manga-buying public, cementing Tezuka’s status as a manga star, and arguably starting the entire story manga genre in Japan.

In 1948 Tezuka published the first installment, Lost World (1948), of what, along with Metropolis (1949) and Next World (1951), would become his celebrated science-fiction trilogy.  1948 also saw Tezuka’s first foray into the genres of fantasy with The Magic House (1948) and The Miracle Forest (1948), and more complex comedy with The Streamlined Case (1948).  In 1949 he also wrote his first western, Angel Gunfighter (1949).  By the end of the decade, and still only in his early twenties, Tezuka had tried his hand at nearly all of the great genres of manga.

Year(s) English Title Japanese Title
1946 Romance Island ロマンス島
1946 The Diary of Ma-chan マアチャンの日記帳
1946 Chinnen and Kyo-chan 珍念と京チャン
1946 The Tale of A-chan and B-Ko-chan AチャンB子ちゃん探検記
1947 The Elephant’s Kindness ゾウノシンセツ
1947 Skating Elephant ゾウさんのスケート
1947 Manon Lesuco マノン・レスコオ
1947 New Treasure Island 新寳島
1947 King Kong キングコング
1947 Rose Battle バラ合戦
1947 Doctor Bat and Jim モモーン山の嵐
1947 The Storm of Mt. Momon バット博士とジム
1947 Dr. Mars 火星博士
1947 Dr. Koronko, The Mystery Man 怪人コロンコ博士
1947 Golden Bat 怪盗黄金バット
1948 The Magic House 魔法屋敷
1948 The Mysterious Underground Men 地底国の怪人
1948 Ghost Detective Dan 妖怪探偵團
1948 The Jungle Kingdom ジャングル魔境
1948 Gu-chan & Paiko-san グッちゃんとパイコさん
1948 Mars Exploration Corps 火星探険隊
1948 Q-chan’s Arrest Warrant Qチャンの捕物帳
1948 The Four Fencers of the Forest 森の四剣士
1948 Tobi’s 20 [originally titled Masked Adventure Kid] 20のトビィ [a.k.a. 仮面の冒険児]
1948 King Rocket 大空魔王
1948 The World of the Queen from a Thousand Years in the Future 一千年后の世界
1948 The Streamlined Case 流線型事件
1948 Secret Base on the Shari River シャリ河の秘密基地
1948 Tuberculosis 吸血魔團
1948 The Moony Men [Fuji] 月世界紳士
1948 Lost World ロスト・ワールド
1949 Hans and the Hair of Gold ハンスと金の髪の毛
1949 Tarzan’s Cave タ-ザンの洞窟
1949 Angel Gunfighter 拳銃天使
1949 The Story of a Miracle Forest 奇蹟の森のものがたり
1949 Men with Tails 有尾人
1949 The Elephant’s Sneeze 象のくしゃみ
1949 Metropolis メトロポリス
1949 Detective Boy, Rock Holmes 少年探偵ロック・ホ-ム
1949 Gikko-chan and Makko-chan ぎっこちゃんまっこちゃん
1949 Pinpinsei-chan ぴんぴん生ちゃん
1949 A Country Without Air 空気のたらぬ国
1949 Tarzan’s Royal Castle タ-ザンの王城
1949 The Adventures of Rock Holmes ロック・ホ-ムの冒険

| Next >> (Tezuka’s Manga 1950-59)

Tezuka's Manga (1946-49)

Tezuka's Manga (1946-49)

The 1940s feature the works of Osamu Tezuka’s youthful exhuberance – those that pave the way for modern manga and show just a hint of his later genius.
Tezuka's Manga (1950-59)

Tezuka's Manga (1950-59)

The 1950s feature the first of Osamu Tezuka's works where the artwork, though still showing its Disney-esque roots, catches up to his storytelling.
Tezuka's Manga (1960-69)

Tezuka's Manga (1960-69)

The 1960s see Tezuka hit his artistic stride. Although throughout the decade much of his energy was devoted to getting his animation, both artistic and commercial, off the ground, in his manga work his storytelling and artwork show a maturity that only...
Tezuka's Manga (1970-79)

Tezuka's Manga (1970-79)

With the failure of the company he founded, Mushi Productions, much of Tezuka's work in the 1970s reflects his darker mood. Despite this, and indeed because of it, the 1970s really show Tezuka at his best.
Tezuka's Manga (1980-89)

Tezuka's Manga (1980-89)

Although Tezuka spent the last decade of his life primarily focused on his award-winning work in experimental animation, there are still several important manga series of note.