Tezuka In English Discussion Forums

We all know we love Tezuka, so what works by other authors would you recommend to Tezuka fans?

My current top recomendatino for Tezuka fans would have to be Monster, by Naoki Urasawa. Urasawa is a long-time Tezuka fan, and won the Tezuka manga award for his series Pluto, which is based on the Pluto section of Astro Boy. Monster is a very serious suspense drama following the story of the Japanese Dr. Tenma, who lives in contemporary Germany, and becomes involved in a complicated mystery. While there are no direct references, Dr. Tenma's experiences in the medical world, and with the law, are clearly inspired by the model of Black Jack, and there's a character whom I'm pretty sure is directly based on Higeoyaji. The series is superbly directed and written, definitely one of the best titles out there.

The first two volumes of the manga are out in English, and more in French. The Anime has not yet been officially licensed for US release, but since Viz has tha manga, it is inevitable that they will announce the anime in 6-8 months.

What would you all recommend?

Super-obvious warning:

Miyazaki of course--and since you said 'authors' I'll mention his nausicaa manga, but really, all his work shows heavy influence from Tezuka. That said, After having discovered Tezuka, Miyazaki does not always seem so exciting (perhaps I've grown too familiar with him?) But regardless, I'd assume anyone here was well versed in the guy's films (if not, why???), so thought I'd mention him.

As far as actual manga, I think it is really hard to find anything that much like Tezuka, at least here in the US. Everything is either the fantasy stuff for kids (IE Dragon Ball, etc.), Samurai type manga or the manga for girls (this is a sweeping generalization, I know...) To see manga that has stories like Tezuka is not very common at all. Everything is too focused on one genre or another--of course, that's true of everything.

So while there is plenty of manga I like, I don't know if I'd go straight out and recommend it on the basis of being a Tezuka fan, because I really don't see that connection in my tastes...

In a bookstore generally they separate fiction from the classics.
Manga classics in English, would be a short shelf..

For quality and depth, gorgeous art and the timelessness afforded to those classics, I wave a flag for Shigeru Mizuki.

Not much available in Enlglish.
There are a trio of bilingual books for gegege no kitaro.
Go buy those before they can't be gotten any more.

And there is also an ultra ultra rare English collection
containing 5 of his stories
kappa
gokaku
the legend of orochi dragon
the world within the round circle
tv boy

David

Do you know the titles of the bilingual Shigeru Mizuki collections which were printed? I'm having trouble tracking them down.

sure-
gegege-no-kitaro

1 ISBN: 477002827X
2 ISBN: 4770028288
3 ISBN: 4770028296
[img]http://images-jp.amazon.com/images/P/477002827X.09.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Thought of starting a new topic, but thought this was close enough. What other anime series are you working on now?

The last year was great because I got to work my way through the 80's Astroboy box, the Kimba box and then they started issuing the old Gatchaman episodes.

Now of course I am still working on Gatchaman, but there is the 60's Astroboy box to get through (this one may take a while) and Craig's restorations of Leo the Lion which for some reason I can digest almost as soon as he can make them!

I don't watch TV (actually despise it for the most part), but am an avid movie watcher. So often however there isn't time for movies, and that's when its time to watch anime series. What do you watch?

My current list of what anime I'm watching (which is not the same as my top recommendations of all time but what I'm watching currently that's worth watching)

1) Monster (masterful suspense series - A++ quality)
2) Yakitatte!! Japan (parody comedy about the cut-throat world of competitive breadbaking, very funny)
3) RAY the Animation (medical suspense with Black Jack cameos - not actually good)
4) Naruto (Quality varies, but it's the only show I've ever seen have 123 consecutive very good episodes. Watch it and you too will find your Way of the Ninja!)
5)Shingu: Secret of Stellar Wars (an oddly relaxed sci-fi show, with very original aliens, a comfortable small town atmosphere, great parents and teachers, and an Origami giant robot)
6) Princess Tutu (ballet/fairytales/romance - it's what you watch when you run out of Utena)
7) Zipang (modern US-trained Japanese-crewed battleship gets shunted back in time to the battle of Midway - interesting politics and characters)
8) Black Jack 21 (duh)
9) Speed Grapher (watching it for the third time this year - it's about corruption and subliminal sexual desire, by the team that did Gankutsuou)

My recommended titles for Tezuka fans (not all-inclusive...I am keeping out a lot of my favorites because I am keeping the audience here in mind):

1. Princess Tutu - This was my favorite before Black Jack knocked it out of first place. Fakir and BJ have a lot in common if you ask me.
2. Ayakashi~Japanese Classic Horror - Intelligent...er, Japanese classic horror. ^^; Beautiful, artistic, educational. =3 Very creepy and entertaining.
3. Leiiji Matsumoto's Captain Harlock Saga - Okay, I admit I haven't seen any of it [i]yet[/b], but everyone calls Black Jack "The Captain Harlock of Medicine." This makes me curious.
4. Maison Ikkoku - Classic anime romance by Takahashi Rumiko--unlike any other title she has done. Boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, girl is a widow, tennis coach wants girl, boy flunks college exams, etc...etc...like I said, it is a classic.

That is all I can think of for now. More as I think about it.

Well, to someone who really likes Princess Knight I'd have to recommend the series directly influenced by it: Rose of Versailles, and the generation after it, Revolutionary Girl Utena. They make a really interesting trio, and in my opinion they make each other more interesting. I have to say I think the Rose of Versailles manga is vastly better than the anime, while it's the reverse for Utena.

Haven't watched Princess Tutu yet, but fully intend to, given how frequently it's compared with Utena, which is my favorite series of all time.

I like Azumanga Daoih a lot. It's hilarious.

I've seen so many AMVs of Azumanga Daioh I almost feel like I've watched the show... but only almost. I do confess I'm very curious. I'll check it out. Not as Tezuka-like as Urasawa stuff, though.

I've finished Princess Tutu - it was excellent, as promised.

Besides all those mentioned above...

Kino's Journey: A slow paced, yet intriguing story. It reminds me of the same thoughtful pacing as (another favorite) Galaxy Express 999. I hear they are working on more soon.

Ginga Nagareboshi Gin: A 1980s anime about a bear-dog named Gin who bands together many dogs to go after a bear named Akakabuto. A space opera without the space, this series deeply affected me. The sequel....eh.

Minky Momo OVA: La Ronde in my Dream: This one blew me away with sheer beauty. A fairytale with many underlying themes, such as lost childhood and what it means to grow up.

And my favorite...

Night on the Galactic Railroad: A Kenji Miyazawa masterpiece. The pacing for many is almost unbearably slow, but most of the movie is the atmosphere, the beauty, and the fact that something is very wrong onboard.

If you're interested in comics by Western artists as well, here's a quick list of some you might like to check out.

Louis Riel by Chester Brown (Drawn & Quarterly)
Parsepolis I and II and Chicken With Plums by Mariane Satrapi (Pantheon)
Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid On Earth by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
Little Lulu series by John Stanley (Dark Horse)
Wimbledon Green by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)

I think any of these would really appeal to Tezuka fans, especially of the darker stuff like Phoenix or Ode To Kirihito.