Osamu Tezuka (November 3, 1928 - February 9, 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, animation director, and physician. He was awarded the third degree of the Order of the Sacred Heart. His degree is Doctor of Medicine (Nara Medical University, 1961).
He was a pioneer of story manga in postwar Japan and a pioneer of manga expression. His prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the Father of Manga" "the Godfather of Manga" and "the God of Manga" Additionally, he is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during Tezuka's formative years.
He was born in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, and is an honorary citizen of that city. He was born in Toyonaka-cho, Toyono-gun, Osaka Prefecture. Graduated from Osaka Imperial University Medical College.
His works include not only the ones for kids such as Astro Boy, Princess Knight but also the ones themed humanism as below.
These are Osamu Tezuka Manga works available in English, all of which are considered his best-known works in Japan.
List of Osamu Tezuka Manga works available in English
Manga | Volume | Amazon formats/editions | Genre |
---|---|---|---|
Black Jack | 17 Volumes | Kindle (Digital) Hardcover Paperback | Medical Humanism |
Phoenix | 11 Volumes | Paperback | SF/Fantasy Humanism |
Buddha | 8 Volumes | Kindle (Digital) Hardcover Paperback | Religion Humanism |
Message to Adolf | 2 Volumes | Kindle (Digital) Hardcover | History Humanism War |
Ode to Kirihito | 1 Volume | Kindle & comiXology Paperback | Medical Humanism |
MW | 1 Volume | Kindle (Digital) Hardcover Paperback | Mystery Humanism |
Source: Amazon.co.jp
Black Jack
Publisher : Vertical Comics (December 17, 2014) Publication date : December 17, 2014 Author : Osamu Tezuka |
Black Jack is a mysterious and charismatic young genius surgeon who travels the world performing amazing and impossible medical feats. Though a trained physician, he refuses to accept a medical license due to his hatred and mistrust of the medical community's hypocrisy and corruption. This leads Black Jack to occasional run-ins with the authorities, as well as from gangsters and criminals who approach him for illegal operations.
Black Jack charges exorbitant fees for his services, the proceeds from which he uses to fund environmental projects and to aid victims of crime and corrupt capitalists. But because Black Jack keeps his true motives secret, his ethics are perceived as questionable and he is considered a selfish, uncaring devil. The Black Jack series is told in short stories. Each volume will contain 16-20 stories, each running approximately 20-24 pages in length.
Black Jack is recognized as Osamu Tezuka's third most famous series, after Astro Boy and Kimba, the White Lion.
Phoenix
Publisher : VIZ Media LLC; 1st edition (March 1, 2003) Publication date : March 1, 2003 Author : Osamu Tezuka |
Now in English is the first volume of the acclaimed Phoenix series, regarded as Tezuka's masterpiece. Osamu Tezuka painstakingly created his epic 12-volume series over several decades, stretching the limits of comics to address fundamental questions about existence. All 12 episodes of Phoenix are linked by the presence of the mythical bird, an immortal guardian of the universal life force. Beginning in A.D. 270, Phoenix: Dawn follows the ambitions of Queen Himiko, capturing with precise period detail the early phase of Japanese civilization.
Buddha
Publisher : Vertical Comics; 1st edition (November 1, 2017) Publication date : November 1, 2017 Author : Osamu Tezuka |
Osamu Tezuka's vaunted storytelling genius, consummate skill at visual expression, and warm humanity blossom fully in his eight-volume epic of Siddhartha's life and times. Tezuka evidences his profound grasp of the subject by contextualizing the Buddha's ideas; the emphasis is on movement, action, emotion, and conflict as the prince Siddhartha runs away from home, travels across India, and questions Hindu practices such as ascetic self-mutilation and caste oppression. Rather than recommend resignation and impassivity, Tezuka's Buddha predicates enlightenment upon recognizing the interconnectedness of life, having compassion for the suffering, and ordering one's life sensibly. Philosophical segments are threaded into interpersonal situations with ground-breaking visual dynamism by an artist who makes sure never to lose his readers' attention.
Tezuka himself was a humanist rather than a Buddhist, and his magnum opus is not an attempt at propaganda. Hermann Hesse's novel or Bertolucci's film is comparable in this regard; in fact, Tezuka's approach is slightly irreverent in that it incorporates something that Western commentators often eschew, namely, humor.
Message to Adolf
Publisher : Vertical Comics (June 8, 2016) Publication date : June 8, 2016 Author : Osamu Tezuka |
It is 1936 in Berlin, Nazi Germany. A Japanese reporter named Sohei Tohge is covering the Berlin Olympic Games for the Japanese press. As he sits in the Japanese press box watching the many track and field events of the day, he receives a call from his younger brother Isao, who has been studying in Germany as an international student. The two make plans to meet as Isao mentions he has something of importance to share with his sibling. While Sohei initially thinks his little brother may have found a young frau, Isao's tone is clearly that of one who is troubled by topics much heavier than romance.
When Sohei arrives at Berlin University, he finds his brother's room has been through some sort of violent ordeal. A mysterious message was left on a note pad and a window was left wide open. And tangled in the branches of a tree directly below Isao's window rested his dead body. Isao was murdered.
Sohei would immediately launch an investigation to the murder, but almost instantly all traces of information regarding his younger brother's study in Germany has vanished. The police were of no help. Isao's room was also cleared and rented out to another person. Even his building manager feigned ignorance. It was as if he had never existed.
Investigating the matter, it is later learned that this murder is connected to a document he mailed to Japan with information regarding Adolf Hitler. As events progress, the lives of three Adolfs, each from distinct origins, intertwine and become more and more tangled as Sohei Toge searches for his brother's murderer.
Ode to Kirihito
Publisher : Vertical Comics; 1st American Ed edition (July 22, 2015) Publication date : July 22, 2015 Author : Osamu Tezuka |
A promising young doctor, Kirihito Osanai visits a remote Japanese mountain village to investigate the source of the latest medical mystery. While he ends up traveling the world to discover what it takes to be cured of such a disease, a conspiracy back home attempts to explain away his absence. Hinging upon his fate are those of his loved ones: an unstable childhood friend and colleague trapped between factions of the medical establishment that nurtured him; a fiancée emotionally transformed by Kirihito’s mysterious disappearance; and a stranger who becomes his guardian angel, a sensual circus-act performer with volatile psychological secrets.
From plutocratic Taipei and racially divided South Africa to backwater Arabia and modern Osaka, ambition and desire beckon “normal men” to behave uglier than any beast. Riveting our attention on deformity and its acceptance like The Elephant Man by David Lynch, Ode to Kirihito examines the true worth of human beings through and beyond appearances.
MW
Publisher : Vertical Comics; 1st edition (July 13, 2016) Publication date : July 13, 2016 Author : Osamu Tezuka |
A secret U.S. chemical weapon called "MW" accidentally leaks and wipes out the population of a southern Japanese island. Though Michio Yuki survives, he emerges from the ordeal without a trace of conscience. MW is manga-god Osamu Tezuka's controversial testament to the Machiavellian character and features his most direct engagement of themes such as transvestism and homoeroticism.
MW is a chilling picaresque of evil. Steering clear of the supernatural as well as the cuddly designs and slapstick humor that enliven many of Tezuka's better-known works, MW explores a stark modern reality where neither drive nor secular justice seems to prevail. This willfully "anti-Tezuka" achievement from the master's own pen nevertheless pulsates with his unique genius.