I wasn't sure how I was going to respond to this book -yes, it is VERY different from Astro Boy - but I'm finding it almost impossible to put down. I received it just a day ago, and I'm more than halfway through it (with a full time job, family stuff and choir practice mixed in
)What I find so stunning is Tezuka's skill as a storyteller, and he's an incredible draftsmanship. It's more like "reading a movie" - more like "Pluto" - but I have to say - even more gutsy and dramatic than Urasawa's work, which I loved.
Osamu was blessed with the ability to write powerfully and succinctly, and also illustrate with imagination and a film director's "eye." It is incredibly sophisticated, because he's telling a borderline psychedelic tale of drama, and then will unexpectedly insert humor or almost "wackiness" but somehow keep the whole thing from becoming silly or exploitative.
Frederik Schodt wrote the introduction, and sets the stage for what Tezuka is doing here . . . this work is he venture into "modern" manga; his response to people writing him off as a mere "children's storyteller."
"Barbara" is very, very dark and goes places I certainly don't think about, but I often wondered what Dr. Tezuka thought of the culture of the 1960's, hippies, drugs, "free love," and exploring the occult. I've got a LOT more to say about this fascinating book, but I want to finish it first, and hopefully can talk about it with more forum members. Yes, there is nudity and some graphic depiction of things that make me go
and 
but not THAT bad.If you're reading it too, let me know what you think!!
- All Life Is Sacred