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The Old West never looked so good…

Tezuka’s Westerns are full of misunderstood outlaws with hearts of gold, and Wild Hand is one of them. After settling a score with some no-good cattle rustlers and escaping the long arm of the law, Wild Hand joins a band of intrepid adventurers seeking to mount the 13th expedition through the mountains to find safe passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Of course every member of the band has a story to tell…

So, these three samurai walk down the street, and…

…a neighbourhood in Osaka suddenly, and randomly, bursts into a scene from Westside Story. 

Manga may be a silent medium, but the scene is so well constructed you can almost hear the hushed tone, the shuffle of the dancers’ feet, the click of the katanas in their scabbards, and the clack of the geta sandals smacking the ground.

Two friends face off beneath the fireworks…

The late 1800s were a time of political upheaval in Japan, with the grip of the Shogunate loosening and reformists seeking to open trade with the West.  As such the Shinsengumi (or “new squad”) was formed as a special police force in Kyoto, one loyal to the Shogun.

Brave and determined heroes to some, ruthless murder squads to others, it is against this backdrop of moral ambiguity that Tezuka sets his samurai tale, Shinsengumi (1963).

Tilt your head to the right

More innovative panel design by Osamu Tezuka, this time, courtesy of his samurai epic General Onimaru (1969).

The son of a Roman soldier and a Japanese mother, Onimaru was hated and feared as a monster (or Oni) by the local village people because of his blue eyes and blond hair.  Captured and tortured, Onimaru escapes with the help of the legendary swordsman, Kojiro Soma and his flashing blade…

Hold on tight!

Tonosuke finds out it’s not that easy to hold on to a fairy… but that’s what you get for getting mixed up in a case of stolen identity and a plot to steal a throne. The action takes place in Tezuka’s shojo adventure story Storm Fairy (1955-57).