Tezuka In English Discussion Forums

I've always had a preference for Tezuka's manga over his anime. For me his storytelling is always more fleshed-out in the manga than in the anime. I think that's because of the limitations of the medium, but also because of the artistic compromises that have to be made to satisfy partners/investors etc.

So what is it about Tezuka's anime that makes it so special?

I'm with you on this Strobe.

Depends on the series.

I think I like the Astroboy anime over the manga because it's kinda "kiddy", and I'd rather watch kid-stuff than read it.

The "Astro's First Love" episode of the 80s series was so sad, though.

I haven't read the Metropolis manga yet, but I know Tima was invented for the anime and I totally adore the Ken'ichi + Tima pairing (and animated Romance in general), so the manga has a hill to climb (still would love to read it, though).

Generally speaking, I preffer manga over anime. It's good to get the original version straight from the author's pen without studio interferrence.

In regards to Astroboy, & all other stories that transcend Tezuka's life, we must also consider that those versions with which T. O. had little, if any involvement, should not really be considered T. O.'s works.

To my knowledge, some of these are
1. Atomu 2003
2. Phoenix anime
3. BJ anime
4. Dororo live-action

But after reading Astroboy Essays, I realized that TO had almost nothing to do with Astroboy 1980. Thus, other than the violent gang Gadem, R-45, & the 1st ep, TO left the creation of the series in the hands of Ishiguro Noburo (Schodt, p. 160).


Is it fair to consider the series as a whole one of TO's creations?

As far as I'm concerned anything that's put out by Tezuka Studios is worthy of being considered Tezuka Productions just like anything put out by Disney Studios is rightly called Disney Productions.
Osamu and Walt may be gone but their companies are keeping their magic going on perpetually.

I think it is too strong to say works by his company are or are not TEZUKA. I think his specific involvement was variable. If my kids do something great, I'm going to be proud of that and take some credit. But if they do something terrible I'm going to blame my wife, or disown them. Many manga-ka today consider Tezuka their sempai. They emulate his art and story telling techniques, and have built on his achievements. What Tezuka himself would say about the last 20 years of manga, we will not know.
David

I can tell you for sure one of the things he would say. He would say he is proud of those who are able to portray and tackle social issues.

That is something he did in Astro Boy on many occasions. He'd be proud of those who have the guts to keep on doing that.

^_^