Tezuka In English
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Tezuka’s Manga (1950-59)

Tezuka starts spreading his wings

Jungle Emperor

Jungle Emperor (1950-53)

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. His genius starts to blossom, and his imagination takes off, free of any limits, in nearly every direction.

Although his first samurai epic tale, The Plain of Abusegahara (1950), can be seen as being as him catching up on one of the few manga genres he missed in the 1940s, the decade can largely be defined by one word, “classic”.

On the one hand, Tezuka begins using a storytelling technique that would fascinate him throughout his life – adapting literary classics into manga. Beginning with Faust (1950), he soon followed it up with the several other Western classics, such as Pinocchio (1952), Cyrano, the Hero (1953), and Crime and Punishment (1953). However, never one to limit himself, Tezuka also reached into classic Chinese literature to create his own version of the the tale of the stone monkey, Journey to the West. The aptly named Son-Goku the Monkey (1952-59) would, in turn, influence a much later manga classic, Akira Toriyama’s best-selling Dragonball (1984-95).

Yet the 1950s would also see him create some classics of his own. The first of these was a cautionary environmental tale featuring a little white lion, Jungle Emperor (1950-54) – a series that would later find lasting fame as an animated television series. However, despite being first out of the gate, it would soon be relegated to the role second fiddle as 1952 saw the rise, almost by accident, of the series that would become Tezuka’s signature work – Astro Boy (1952-68). Tezuka also revolutionized girls’ manga (shōjo) with the original version of his gender-bending tale, Princess Knight (1953-56), a series which, though not the first in the genre, helped create many of the standards by which it is now defined.

Finally, as if creating three classics wasn’t enough, Tezuka also decided to two early versions of the work that would become known as his “life’s work”, Phoenix [Manga Shonen] (1954-55) and Phoenix [Shojo Club] (1956-57).

Year(s) English Title Japanese Title
1950 Faust ファウスト
1950 The Golden City 黄金都市
1950 The Wonderful Journey ふしぎ旅行記
1950 The Plain of Abusegahara 平原太平記
1950 The Strange Travels of Dr. Tiger タイガ-博士の珍旅行
1950 Mad Jungle くるったジャングル
1950 The Tutelary God’s Fire 氏神さまの火
1950 Manga University 漫画大学
1950 The Cuckoo Clock Event 鳩時計事件
1950-54 Jungle Emperor ジャングル大帝
1950 Ashiato Hot Spring 足あと温泉
1950 Captain of the Cheerleaders of Kanoko カノコの應援團長
1950 The Trial of a Fox きつねのさいばん
1951 Next World 来るべき世界
1951 Queer Arabian Nights 珍アラビアンナイト
1951-52 The Road to Utopian Lurue 新世界ルルー
1951-52 Ambassador Atom アトム大使
1951-54 The Cactus Kid
サボテン君
1951-52 The Earth Tunnel 地球トンネル
1951 The Moony Men [Manga Shonen] 月世界紳士
1951 Rough Ranch 凸凹牧場
1951 Bambi バンビ
1951-53 Age of Adventure 冒険狂時代
1951-53 Pippy ピピちゃん
1951 Fossil Island 化石島
1952 Ghost Jungle おばけジャングル
1952 The Irregular Swordsman 凸凹劍士
1952 Wanko Goes to the Moon ワン公月へ行く
1952 Skyscraper Kid 摩天樓小僧
1952 Mr. Horobasha ほろ馬車くん
1952 The Fossil Man 化石人間
1952-59 Son-Goku the Monkey ぼくの孫悟空
1952-68 Astro Boy 鉄腕アトム
1952-54 Manga Classroom 漫画教室
1952 Space Trip 宇宙旅行
1952 Pinocchio ピノキオ
1952-54 The Adventure of Rock ロック冒険記
1952 The Fossil Man Strikes Back 化石人間の逆襲
1952 A Man From Mars 火星からきた男
1952 The Adventures of Pippy ピピちゃんの冒険
1952 Volcano Island Boy 火山島少年
1952 My Page 私のページ
1952 People with Pistols on their Heads ピストルをあたまにのせた人びと
1952-53 Nature and Imagination 大自然と空想
1953 Light from the Mountain Lodge 山小屋の灯
1953-56 Princess Knight [Shojo Club] リボンの騎士
1953 X-Point in the South Pacific 太平洋Xポイント
1953 The Story of Drone Castle ドローン城物語
1953 Sing, Penny うたえペニーよ
1953 My Doodle 私のらくがき
1953 The 13 Secrets 13の秘密
1953 The Village Dancer 村の踊り子
1953 The Monster of the 38th Parallel 38度線上の怪物
1953 Cyrano the Hero 快傑シラノ
1953-54 The Galaxy Boy 銀河少年
1953 Criminal Application Prize 犯人当て大懸賞
1953 Lemon Kid レモン・キッド
1953 The Disc of Maboroshi まぼろしの円盤
1953 Space Rhapsody 宇宙狂想曲
1953-54 The Bean President 豆大統領
1953 Crime and Punishment 罪と罰
1954 The Devil of the Earth 地球の悪魔
1954 A ’32 Ford フォード32年型
1954 Benkei 弁慶
1954 The Story of the Silk Hat シルクハット物語
1954 My Doodle 私のらくがき
1954-55 Boy Wonder ワンダーくん
1954-55 Queen Eggplant ナスビ女王
1954 White Rose Railway 鉄路の白バラ
1954 Black Canyon 黒い峡谷
1954-57 Chief Detective Kenichi ケン1探偵長
1954 Tales of Summer Grass 夏草物語
1954-55 Phoenix [Manga Shōnen] 火の鳥
1954 Goto Matabei 後藤又兵衛
1954 Miss Robin ロビンちゃん
1954 The Destroyer of the Earth 世界を滅ぼす男
1954-55 The Maiden of Tatsugafuchi 龍が淵の乙女
1954-55 Tange Sazen 丹下左膳
1955 Red Snow 赤い雪
1955-56 The Story of Tonkara Valley とんから谷物語
1955 I am a Ninja ぼくはにんじゅつつかい
1955-56 Meteor Prince 流星王子
1955 Pickled Plum Plot Group うめぼし陰謀団
1955 Snow White Princess しらゆきひめ
1955 Malachite 孔雀石
1955 Semushi no Kouma せむしのこうま
1955 The Fall of the Third Reich 第三帝国の崩壊
1955 The Age of Great Floods 大洪水時代
1955 The Travels of an Insect Girl 昆虫少女の放浪記
1955-57 Storm Fairy
あらしの妖精
1955-56 Ms. Gentle Breeze そよ風さん
1955-56 The Antenna Family あんてな一家
1955-56 Stoutly Kazen 風之進がんばる
1955 The Last Single War 最後の一戦
1955 Inochi no Mamejishaku いのちの豆じしゃく
1956 The Age of Exploration 探検時代
1956 The Age of Light Speed Travel 光速旅行時代
1956 Gut-chan ぐっちゃん
1956 A Man Absorbed to Pantomime パントマイムにこった男
1956 The Crane’s Fountain つるの泉
1956 Ms. Sunflower ひまわりさん
1956 Soldier for Rent 兵隊貸します
1956-57 Oh! We Three おお!われら三人
1956 The Duckling with a White Neck 白いくびの子がも
1956-57 Manga Seminar on Biology 漫画生物学
1956-57 Phoenix [Shōjo Club] 火の鳥
1956-57 The Rainbow Fortress 虹のとりで
1956 The Abusutora Family 虻須虎家
1956-57 Lion Books ライオンブックス
1956 The Story Before The Storm あらしの前のものがたり
1956 Instruction! 7:00AM 指令!午前7時
1956 Mr. Mess ちらかしくん
1956 The Gold Scale 金のうろこ
1957 The Devil Invites Himself to the Ball 舞踏会へきた悪魔
1957 Hello! Mr. Chippo チッポくんこんにちは
1957-58 Whirlwind Z 旋風Z
1957 Rags & Jewels 雑布と宝石
1957 The South Pole Moves Up 南極はいまにこうなる
1957 The Golden Trunk 黄金のトランク
1957 Why Mother Lost Her Leg おかあさんの足
1957 A Mother’s Eyes 母の眼ばなし
1957 The Kokeshi Detective Agency こけし探偵局
1957-58 Manga Seminar on Astronomy 漫画天文学
1957 Mignon ミニヨン
1957-58 Pink Angel ピンクの天使
1957-58 The Strange Journey 奇妙な大旅行
1957 Battle at Hitokui Cape 人食岬の決戦
1957-58 Hyotan Komako ひょうたん駒子
1957-58 The Earth War 地球大戦
1957-58 Manga Junior High School 漫画中学
1958-59 The Twin Knights 双子の騎士
1958 The Curtain is Still Blue Tonight カーテンは今夜も青い
1958 The Three Who Glimpse the Future 未来をのぞく3人
1958-59 The Film is Alive フィルムは生きている
1958-59 Sangoro from the Hills お山の三五郎
1958-59 Pin Pin Sei-chan ピンピン生ちゃん
1958 The Story of Sanada-Himo 真田ヒモてん末記
1958 The Story of Dr. Fabre’s Insect ファーブル先生の虫物語
1958 Peacock Shell 孔雀貝
1958-59 Super Taiheiki スーパー太平記
1958-59 Jungle Taro ジャングルタロ
1958 Little Biiko びいこちゃん
1958 The Ghosts of the Jet Base ジェット基地の幽霊
1958 This is an Alien これが宇宙人だ
1959 Mr. Akebono あけぼのさん
1959 L’il Aya in T.V. Land テレビの国のあやちゃん
1959 Donguri March どんぐり行進曲
1959 Jet King ジェットキング
1959 My First Dream of the Moon World ぼくのはつゆめ月世界旅行
1959 Little Tobetoberun とべとべるんちゃん
1959 When You Grow Up みんながおとなになったとき
1959 The Merchant of Venice ベニスの商人
1959 Dr. Thrill スリル博士
1959-60 Mrs. Denko 電子夫人
1959 Hikari
1959 The Moment 刹那
1959-62 The Devil Garon 魔神ガロン
1959 The Doodle Encyclopedia らくがき事典
1959 The Bone
1959-61 Castle of Dawn 夜明け城
1959-60 Zero Men 0マン
1959 Cave-in 落盤
1959 The Song of the White Peacock 白くじゃくの歌
1959-60 Kodama-chan こだまちゃん
1959-61 Detective Gori 週間探偵登場
1959 Flowers and the Barbarian 花とあらくれ


(Tezuka’s Manga 1946-49) << Previous | Next >> (Tezuka’s Manga 1960-69)
 

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.