Short Stories (Manga)

Ongoing Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is connected from chapter to chapter and must be read in chronological order for it to be understood properly.
Chapter Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is self-contained to a single chapter. There may be an overarching plot, but the stories can generally be read in any order and be understood
Book: an all-in-one self contained story published as a one-off.
Supplement: an an all-in-one self contained story published as a stand-alone supplement to a regular weekly/monthly periodical.
Short Story: an all-in-one, self contained story that was published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical
Anthology: a collection of all-in-one, self contained stories that were published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical but are generally grouped together.

Tezuka hard at work

A very large and important section of Tezuka’s manga catalogue is his short stories. With an imagination as active as his, the need for creative output would often outpace his ability to incorporate his ideas into his longer story-form manga serials.

What’s more, given his popularity and a hard-won celebrity that transcended just the manga page, Tezuka’s work – even just a little bit of it – was often in high demand. He was constantly fielding requests from publishers clamouring for his services.

As such, he would often publish “one off” stories that would appear in a wide variety of publications, often a ways off from his the beaten shonen /seinen path.

The manga you will find in this section are those of “no fixed address.” Unlike the short stories that appear in The Crater (1969-70) or Under the Air (1968-70), which usually share common themes and were published in a specific periodical over a more or less sequential run, these stories are part of the fabulous odds ‘n ends that make up an amazing part of the tapestry of Tezuka’s work.

On occasion, these stories will have been published together, in anthology titles such as Clockwork Apple (1968-73), but that is largely for matters of publishing convenience than anything else.

List of Short Stories and Anthologies