Although the stories featured in this anthology cover a wide range of topics - from military-style drama, to forbidden love, to assassination plot thrillers to space hippies - they share a general similarity in terms of style and tone. For the most part each of the stories represents a morality play that explores some deeper part of the human psyche.
Originally published in SF Magazine from March 1971 – February 1975, Birdman Anthology is a collection of loosely connected but independent short stories which revolve around the theme of birds steadily become the dominant species on Earth.
Originally serialized in Big Comic from September 1976 to January 1978, MW was created as part of Tezuka’s continued response to the Gekiga movement which opposed the cartoonish nature of Tezuka’s earlier works in both art and storytelling.
Another of his adult-oriented dramas, Message to Adolf (1983-85) was originally published in the magazine journal, Weekly Bunshun, between January 1983 and May 1985. Similar in tone to MW (1979), it is considered Tezuka's final, completed, epic work.
Sometimes referred to as Tezuka’s Ancestor Dr. Ryoan, Osamu Tezuka’s series A Tree in the Sun (1981-86) was originally published in Big Comic from April 25, 1981 to December 25, 1986. Based on the life of Tezuka’s real-life ancestors, Ryoan Tezuka, it is one of Osamu Tezuka’s three medical dramas, with the other two being Ode to Kirihito (1970-71) and Black Jack (1973-83).
Seen by many as Tezuka's response to the more dramatic-style geikga movement of manga in the 1960's, Swallowing the Earth (1968-69) began serialization in Big Comic in April 1968 and ran until July 1969.
One of Tezuka's most well-known series, Phoenix (1967-88), is a series of twelve loosely connected stories – with the first chapter, “Dawn” published in COM magazine in 1967, and the last, “Sun”, appearing in 1988 in The Wild Age.
Originally serialized in Big Comic from April 1970 to December 1971, is part of Tezuka's general shift in the late 1960's/early 1970's towards more mature subject matter. It is also Tezuka's first step into a genre he would later master with Black Jack (1973-83) and A Tree in the Sun (1981-86) - the medical drama.
Following hot on the heels of Swallowing the Earth (1968-69), Tezuka's next project, I.L (pronounced "Aye-El"), was originally serialized in Big Comic from August 1969 to March 1970.
Considered one of Tezuka's last major works, Buddha was originally serialized from September 1972 to December 1983. Published by Ushio Shuppan Co., in a publication that began as Friends of Hope, and which was subsequently changed to Shonen World and then, ultimately, to Comic Tom over the course of Buddha's 1972 to 1983 run, in an attempt to update the overall image of the magazine.
Ongoing Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is connected from chapter to chapter and must be read in chronological order for it to be understood properly.
Chapter Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is self-contained to a single chapter. There may be an overarching plot, but the stories can generally be read in any order and be understood
Book: an all-in-one self contained story published as a one-off.
Supplement: an an all-in-one self contained story published as a stand-alone supplement to a regular weekly/monthly periodical.
Short Story: an all-in-one, self contained story that was published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical
Anthology: a collection of all-in-one, self contained stories that were published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical but are generally grouped together.
