Originally published from January 1960 to February 1961 in Manga King, Osamu Tezuka’s I Am Sarutobi! (1960-61)is another of Tezuka’s samurai-style series, including Castle of Dawn (1959-61) and The Shinsengumi (1963), which draw on well-known characters and events from Japan’s feudal history.
What it’s about
Set in 18th year of the Tensho period (i.e.… Read the rest
Astro Boy (1952-68), Chapter 022 ‘Black Lux’ (アトム大使), first appeared in the supplement to the September 1957 edition of Shonen.
What it’s about?
Astro gets involved in a very unusual case when a mysterious parcel is delivered to his house containing heaps of severed robot parts. Professor Ochanomizu manages to put them together to make a robot but he cannot find a head to fit the body. when activated the headless robot keeps saying things like Aurora and Lux over and over.… Read the rest
Astro Boy (1952-68), Chapter 021 ‘The Ghost Manufacturing Machine’ (幽霊製造機), was originally serialized published as a supplement insert in January 1957 edition of Shonen.
What it’s about?
In this adventure Astro must fly to the Republic of Golgonia to rescue Professor Ochanomizu. Golgonia is ruled by an insane dictator, Premier Hitlini. The dictator forces an old friend of Ochanomizu, Professor Pablos to kidnap him. Pablos is being compelled to perfect a machine that will create a ghost-like transparent double of Hitlini.… Read the rest
Robot bombs abandoned on the bottom of the sea long ago begin to move by themselves, breeding to the extent that a kingdom is created. The robot bombs are planning to move out of the sea to the land after conquering the humans. Kidnapped by the robot bombs, Astro Boy and Tamao are taken to the bottom of the sea. Astro Boy successfully persuades the robot bombs into making peace with the humans. In the meantime, however, Mason, an evil man, is conspiring to abuse the robot bombs.
One night, a time machine from the 22nd century makes an emergency landing on the premises of Dr. Ochanomizu. A scientist aboard says that his machine has stopped in the 21st century during testing. Soon he restarts the machine, and takes Astro Boy and Dr. Ochanomizu to the world of 100 million B.C., to a prehistoric time inhabited by dinosaurs.
A rumor spreads that monsters live in the swamp of Midoro. In an investigation of the swamp, Astro Boy finds intelligent dinosaurs breeding there. As it turns out, these dinosaurs have stowed away on a time machine from a prehistoric time. In contact with a poisonous liquid that the dinosaurs spit out, humans become obedient to the orders of the monsters. In an effort to kill all the dinosaurs, Astro Boy catches one, and brings it to Dr. Ochanomizu to have him discover the secret of its poison. In the meantime, other dinosaurs attack with a gigantic robot that they have ordered humans to make.
Dr. Rum is an Indio who bears a grudge against white men because his mother was killed by them. Seeking revenge, he makes a robot called Atlas in which he incorporates the "Omega Factor." Omega Factor is a device that fits the robot with an evil mind. As Astro Boy tries to stop his plan, however, Dr. Rum catches him, and then puts a head, which looks exactly like that of Astro Boy, on the body of Atlas, to make it to go on a rampage. But Atlas, with Omega Factor incorporated in it, stops listening even to the orders of Dr. Rum.
Astro Boy (1952-68), Chapter 016 ‘Shootout in the Alps’ (アルプスの決闘), first appeared in the January 1956 supplement of Shonen.
What it’s about?
Astro insists that Professor Ochanomizu implants an artificial heart inside him so that he can be enabled to sense the beauty of things such as music and art just like humans can. Ochanomizu is very reluctant because he warns Astro that this will also mean he will feel fear and terror like humans. But he agrees to make the implantation for a little while and then take it out to satisfy Astro’s curiousity.… Read the rest
When a drug called "Yellow Horse" suddenly becomes a world-wide epidemic, the police ask Astro Boy to go undercover as a human boy to find the source. Although the effects of the drug seem rather innocent at first - with the users simply dancing around - the addictive properties are so strong that victims will do anything for another shot. After Dr. Ochanomizu is kidnapped and injected the drug, he is forced to help the criminal gang to produce and distribute it. Luckily, given Astro Boy's artificial skin, he is able to seem to be injecting the drug, but to no effect. As such, he is able to infiltrate the gang, lead the police to their headquarters in an orbiting satellite, and arrest the crime boss behind "Yellow Horse".
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.
