Tezuka’s Manga (1950-59)

Tezuka starts spreading his wings

Jungle Emperor (1950-53)

The 1950s feature the first of Osamu Tezuka’s works where the artwork, though still showing its Disney-esque roots, catches up to his storytelling. His genius starts to blossom, and his imagination takes off, free of any limits, in nearly every direction.

Although his first samurai epic tale, The Plain of Abusegahara (1950), can be seen as being as him catching up on one of the few manga genres he missed in the 1940s, the decade can largely be defined by one word, “classic”.

On the one hand, Tezuka begins using a storytelling technique that would fascinate him throughout his life – adapting literary classics into manga. Beginning with Faust (1950), he soon followed it up with the several other Western classics, such as Pinocchio (1952), Cyrano, the Hero (1953), and Crime and Punishment (1953). However, never one to limit himself, Tezuka also reached into classic Chinese literature to create his own version of the the tale of the stone monkey, Journey to the West. The aptly named Son-Goku the Monkey (1952-59) would, in turn, influence a much later manga classic, Akira Toriyama’s best-selling Dragonball (1984-95).

Yet the 1950s would also see him create some classics of his own. The first of these was a cautionary environmental tale featuring a little white lion, Jungle Emperor (1950-54) – a series that would later find lasting fame as an animated television series. However, despite being first out of the gate, it would soon be relegated to the role second fiddle as 1952 saw the rise, almost by accident, of the series that would become Tezuka’s signature work – Astro Boy (1952-68). Tezuka also revolutionized girls’ manga (shōjo) with the original version of his gender-bending tale, Princess Knight (1953-56), a series which, though not the first in the genre, helped create many of the standards by which it is now defined.

Finally, as if creating three classics wasn’t enough, Tezuka also decided to two early versions of the work that would become known as his “life’s work”, Phoenix [Manga Shonen] (1954-55) and Phoenix [Shojo Club] (1956-57).

Tezuka's Manga (1946-49)

The 1940s feature the works of Osamu Tezuka’s youthful exhuberance – those that pave the way for modern manga and show just a hint of his later genius.

Tezuka's Manga (1950-59)

The 1950s feature the first of Osamu Tezuka's works where the artwork, though still showing its Disney-esque roots, catches up to his storytelling.

Tezuka's Manga (1960-69)

The 1960s see Tezuka hit his artistic stride. Although throughout the decade much of his energy was devoted to getting his animation, both artistic and commercial, off the ground, in his manga work his storytelling and artwork show a maturity that only...

Tezuka's Manga (1970-79)

With the failure of the company he founded, Mushi Productions, much of Tezuka's work in the 1970s reflects his darker mood. Despite this, and indeed because of it, the 1970s really show Tezuka at his best.

Tezuka's Manga (1980-89)

Although Tezuka spent the last decade of his life primarily focused on his award-winning work in experimental animation, there are still several important manga series of note.