Animation Revelation Forum

Other Entertainment => Comics / Manga => Topic started by: LumRanmaYasha on October 23, 2014, 08:44:19 PM

Title: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on October 23, 2014, 08:44:19 PM
I think it's about time someone finally made a thread to discuss the collective works of the "God of Manga" himself. I could go on at length about why his contribution to the industry was so important and why I love his works, but I sort of already did that in the Favorite Manga thread and don't want to be redundant here, though certainly I'll come back and bring up several aspects I like about his body of work from time to time in other posts. But to be brief, in my opinion, Tezuka was an eclectic and highly skilled artist and storyteller, who produced the most interesting and diverse body of work than any other mangaka who's ever worked in the industry, and influenced the medium and how comics were perceived and came to be in Japan more than any other as well. There's been no one like him since, and there probably never will be.

The reason I decided to make this thread now of all times is because of some incredible news that's just popped up. For the past three or so years DMP has released several incredible works of Tezuka in print in the west through multiple Kickstarter campaigns, ranging from series like Barbara to Unico to Captain Ken, the latter of which will come out next year. But now they've decided to pull out all the stops and finally try and publish some of the most highly requested titles in the Tezuka catalog in english, namely The Three-Eyed One, Rainbow Parakeet, Wonder 3, Alabaster, The Vampires, AND Birdman Anthology! And instead of doing individual kickstarters for each, they've made one big campaign for all 6! (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/tezukas-world-release-publishing-osamu-tezuka-mang) And if the project is fully funded, they will release every volume of all seven series at the same time next summer!  :shakeshakeshake:

I am very excited by this news! Most of these series have not even been fan-translated, and considering these are some of the most unusual and interesting titles in Tezuka's body of work, it's great to see an english print release for them is going to come out. Since all the past projects have been funded, I hope this one will be too, even though it is the highest amount they've needed yet to an almost exponential degree.  :sweat:

In the meantime, I still have a few spare series here and there I still haven't gotten to yet, so by the time these are ready to come out, I hope to be fully read up on everything Tezuka I can find in english. But man, if this does get funded, I'll have my work cut out for me scrounging up the dough to purchase all of these volumes next summer. And I'm definitely going to have to invest in a new shelf for my manga too. :il_hahaha:

At any rate, use this thread to talk about the late great Osamu Tezuka, his works, and any news about them!


Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Spark Of Spirit on October 23, 2014, 09:09:16 PM
Who is this? Is he as good as Kubo or Kishimoto?

I find that hard to believe.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on October 23, 2014, 09:23:54 PM
Well, he may nah be no Hiro Mashima, but ah, y'know, I think he's purty good.  :sly:
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Avaitor on October 24, 2014, 01:53:49 PM
Whoa! That's fantastic news!
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on November 09, 2014, 08:39:54 AM
Vertical is putting out digital releases of all of their Tezuka titles! (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2014-11-08/vertical-adds-e-book-rights-for-tezuka-catalog/.80793)

This is fantastic news! Especially considering that many of these series, such as Black Jack and Apollo's Song, are now out of print and hard to find affordable copies of.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on November 20, 2014, 06:41:16 PM
So, DMP failed to reach their Kickstarter goal (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-11-20/digital-manga-tezuka-kickstarter-fails-to-meet-us-380000-goal/.81270). Miserably. They barely raised 7% of what they need just to meet the first stretch goal.

Sigh... :imnothappy:

But, honestly, the timing and promotion of this Kickstarter was executed poorly. They didn't give any notice or release a press release or anything, and the only reason I even learned about it was that they sent a email to the backers of previous donaters to their kickstarters. The fact they did this as the holiday shopping season quickly approached, and the fact that to even get one of the books you have to contribute a huge sum, certainly turned some people off. Not to mention the goal, while necessary, was really unfeasible considering how astronomically large it was compared to previous kickstarters. To publish both volumes of Captain Ken they only needed $13,000. To publish all 13 volumes of Three-Eyed One and all 8 of Rainbow Parakeet, though, they wanted $380,000. And that's just the first goal. What they should have done was start with the smaller stuff, Alabaster and The Vampires, and work their way up, one series at a time. That would have made people more confident that they would be able to reach a goal and fund something, and they would have been able to get at least one series published. They really planned this badly, honestly. Hopefully, they re-evaluate and retool their strategy, because I really want them to be able to get these series finally translated. Right now, though, I just share their and other Tezuka fans' disappointment that they didn't reach their goal, and weren't even close to meeting it.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Avaitor on November 20, 2014, 09:50:58 PM
It really is a shame that this fell through. I wish that I had the money to donate, but I honestly didn't.

Bu wow, only 7%. That's crazy.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on November 26, 2014, 08:59:58 PM
Well, that big Kickstarter might have failed, but that sure as heck won't stop DMP from trying to get more Tezuka manga published! The latest campaign is to release both volumes of one of Tezuka's last (and unfinished) series, Ludwig B, (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-osamu-tezukas-ludwig-b-vol1-2) a bio-manga about Ludwig van Beethoven. I've never even heard of this one before, but it sounds interesting enough to me. The goal is very feasible, so this should one should succeed without problems.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: The Shadow Gentleman on December 06, 2014, 09:17:40 AM
As part of my growing interest in older, classic manga, I've started taking the time to try different series by this God among men. The way he handled such a huge variety of genres and topics makes it an engrossing experience all its own. Black Jack is probably my favorite, but I've also taken a shine to Buddha due to my great interest in history and religion. I plan on taking on some of his lesser known series, such as Dororo or Ayako sometime soon.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: goody2shoes on December 12, 2014, 02:53:11 AM
Read Adolf too if you can. I liked it a lot.

Astro Boy is fun too, for children's adventure stories they're often very maturely written and interesting.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on December 12, 2014, 08:15:19 AM
I also recommend Ode To Krihito. At only 2 volumes it's a short read, and it's a top notch piece of fiction that any Tezuka fan would admire.

I also need to finish reading Black Jack, and finally get around to Phoenix and Buddha and pretty much every other Tezuka work on the planet.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: The Shadow Gentleman on December 12, 2014, 10:22:51 AM
Quote from: goody2shoes on December 12, 2014, 02:53:11 AM
Read Adolf too if you can. I liked it a lot.

Astro Boy is fun too, for children's adventure stories they're often very maturely written and interesting.
I've heard about Adolf from several people (including Pharass), and I've been meaning to get around to it. Seems like something right up my alley. I have to read Astro Boy as well, of course. I'd like to see what the original "Greatest Robot in the World" story was like in comparison to Pluto.

Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on December 12, 2014, 08:15:19 AM
I also recommend Ode To Krihito. At only 2 volumes it's a short read, and it's a top notch piece of fiction that any Tezuka fan would admire.
That's also near the top of my list.

QuoteI also need to finish reading Black Jack, and finally get around to Phoenix and Buddha and pretty much every other Tezuka work on the planet.
I know that feel.

Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on December 21, 2014, 11:14:02 PM
A new promo image for the new Astro Boy anime series has been released. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-12-21/astro-boy-reboot-1st-image-unveiled/.82493)

(http://cdn01.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max1000x1500/cms/news/82493/astroboy.jpg-large.jpeg)

I like the stylized design showcased here, but as for the series itself, I don't have any expectations. I do, of course, hope it will be a good show, at least for children, though it would be nice if this series captured the all-ages appeal of the original manga and first anime series.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: gunswordfist on December 22, 2014, 12:11:44 AM
wait, astro boy is for children?
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on December 26, 2014, 07:04:58 PM
It was looking close for a while, but today Ludwig B just barely met it's kickstarter goal with only a few hours to spare. I'm glad it got funded - it would have been devastating if two Tezuka manga kickstarters in a row failed, and I'm really interested in reading the series at any rate, even though it's technically unfinished.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on January 28, 2015, 08:23:11 PM
The next Kickstarter is up. This time it's for Alabaster. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-osamu-tezukas-alabaster-vol1-2)
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Spark Of Spirit on January 28, 2015, 08:31:04 PM
The majority of backers are under the Print Copy section. Big surprise there.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on January 28, 2015, 08:51:36 PM
Some people prefer print. Some prefer digital. That's why they offer both options.

I'm a print man all the way, myself. And the print tiers for these kickstarters generally get more backers than the digital only ones, so it's certainly not an uncommon preference.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: The Shadow Gentleman on February 09, 2015, 10:08:17 PM
I finished Ode to Kirihito yesterday. As the first Tezuka manga I actually completed, it was a fretful and dark, but also gripping read. The references to Christianity were also a pleasant surprise.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Spark Of Spirit on February 09, 2015, 10:24:36 PM
Tezuka was a very thoughtful man in regards to religion and philosophy.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on February 09, 2015, 10:59:15 PM
Christianity and it's themes are reflected upon in a fair number of Tezuka's works, actually.

Glad to see you enjoyed Kirihito, Shadow.  :)
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on February 25, 2015, 02:29:35 PM
The new release date for the first Astro Boy omnibus is now in September. (http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2015/02/comics-a-m-dark-horse-to-release-astro-boy-omnibus/)

It's nice to know they're still coming out, thankfully.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: The Shadow Gentleman on February 26, 2015, 07:09:40 PM
Alabaster has been successfully funded. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-osamu-tezukas-alabaster-vol1-2)

I await my rewards later this year.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Spark Of Spirit on February 26, 2015, 07:13:23 PM
I wish I had the extra money to contribute, but a friend did so at least that's something.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on February 26, 2015, 10:32:05 PM
Was worried whether this one would get funded for a second there. I'm so glad it has! And it's great to have another backer of these Tezuka Kickstarters on this board as well. :thumbup:
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on March 07, 2015, 11:03:53 AM
Two newly translated Tezuka titles, Age of Adventure and Crime and Punishment, are now available to purchase and read digitally. (http://m.emanga.com/search?authorid=47)
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on March 20, 2015, 08:38:57 PM
A newly translated Tezuka title, Mr. Cactus, is now available to purchase and read digitally. (https://www.emanga.com/detail?itemid=2074)
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on March 21, 2015, 06:03:01 PM
The first trailer for the new Astro Boy anime is now out. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z240pys_D4A)

The designs don't feel like Tezuka at all...but the art style is freaking BEAUTIFUL so I don't mind one bit! I'm really excited about this now.  ;D
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on March 27, 2015, 09:59:29 AM
Yet another newly translated Tezuka manga, The Castle of the Dawn, is now available to purchase and read digitally. (https://www.emanga.com/detail?itemid=2075&returnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.emanga.com%2F)

Dang, DMP has really been cranking them out lately! I really need to get around to collecting these once I get some room in my budget.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on April 07, 2015, 04:50:02 PM
A new Tezuka kickstarter is up! This one's for Clockwork Apple. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-osamu-tezukas-clockwork-apple?mc_cid=9a06187500&mc_eid=6a01ca78af)
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: The Shadow Gentleman on April 17, 2015, 07:01:16 PM
I've finished Buddha. Probably my favorite Tezuka work so far, as it combines so many religious, spiritual, and philosophical concepts with a huge narrative. Probably one of the few comics I would truly consider an "epic".

And it's also (technically) one of the greatest shonen series ever made.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on April 17, 2015, 07:07:47 PM
Damn straight. It's my personal favorite work of Tezuka's, myself for those very reasons (though Phoenix is definitely a close second). I'm glad you enjoyed it so strongly!  :)

It's a seinin series, though.  :P

On that note, the Clockwork Apple kickstarter has met it's goal, and now has set a stretch goal to publish Brave Dan in print. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-osamu-tezukas-clockwork-apple/posts/1201840) And by the looks of it, it could very well happen, and we might even make the second stretch goal and get Barbara reprinted to boot! Both would be great to see, so I'm hoping it comes to pass!
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: The Shadow Gentleman on April 17, 2015, 07:31:50 PM
I've seen a lot of people say it was published in a shonen magazine, but I can't find any real source on that. In english anyway.

Quote from: Cartoon X on April 17, 2015, 07:07:47 PM
On that note, the Clockwork Apple kickstarter has met it's goal, and now has set a stretch goal to publish Brave Dan in print. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-osamu-tezukas-clockwork-apple/posts/1201840) And by the looks of it, it could very well happen, and we might even make the second stretch goal and get Barbara reprinted to boot! Both would be great to see, so I'm hoping it comes to pass!

Time to update my backing amount.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on April 25, 2015, 10:56:15 AM
The stretch goal to publish Brave Dan has been met. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-04-25/digital-manga-clockwork-apple-kickstarter-reaches-stretch-goal-to-publish-brave-dan/.87500) Good progress is being made towards the second stretch goal and getting Barbara re-printed and there's plenty of time left, so I have a good feeling we'll reach it.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on April 29, 2015, 11:21:04 PM
The stretch goal to re-print Barbara has been met! (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-04-29/digital-manga-clockwork-apple-kickstarter-reaches-stretch-goal-to-reprint-barbara/.87667) A new stretch goal has been added to re-print Swallowing the Earth. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-osamu-tezukas-clockwork-apple/posts/1215499) There's a week left, so who knows, we might reach this one as well!
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: The Shadow Gentleman on April 30, 2015, 12:03:44 AM
That's great! I personally did not have enough interest in Barbara after reading some of it to get the add-on, but I'll check out Swallowing the Earth. This success gives me a lot of hope for future Tezuka products.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on May 04, 2015, 09:18:12 PM
The first Astro Boy omnibus is now slated for a september release. (http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/2u-F-VWbDQ4hONE4kv/browse/item/105535/4/0/0) Hopefully Dark Horse doesn't delay it a third time.

Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on May 06, 2015, 10:24:13 PM
The stretch goal to reprint Swallowing the Earth has been met! (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-05-06/digital-manga-clockwork-apple-kickstarter-reaches-stretch-goal-to-reprint-swallowing-the-earth/.87893) It is unlikely we'll meet stretch goal 4, the Unico reprint, considering there's less than a day left and still $10,000+ needed for it. Even so, this kickstarter has to be the most successful DMP has ever done. Very promising for the future of these, and getting the rest of the catalog published.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on May 18, 2015, 08:30:08 AM
A Young Black Jack anime is coming this fall. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2015-05-18/young-black-jack-tv-anime-to-premiere-this-fall/.88280)

Anime based on Black Jack proper have rarely been much good, so I don't expect much out of one adapting some spinoff. Still, it's about Black Jack, and that alone is enough to get me to watch the first few episodes at least. Not really a fan of the artstyle, but so long as the writing is solid I shouldn't mind it much.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on June 16, 2015, 03:32:50 PM
New kickstarter is up! This one's to publish Storm Fairy and Crime and Punishment, and re-print Unico. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-tezukas-storm-fairy-and-reprint-unico?mc_cid=f9cd42814f&mc_eid=6a01ca78af)
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on June 19, 2015, 08:26:38 PM
I definitely need to read more Tezuka manga, and more of it definitely deserves to be translated, but all of these Kickkstarters got me thinking about how awesome it would be for other classic manga from the 60's and 70's from other mangaka to get funded and officially translated and released in English. Of course none are as renowned as Tezuka in the West, but it's just wishful thinking on my part.

But....would it be too much to ask to at least bring Ashita no Joe over to North America so that I could actually physically own it....and maybe also translate Kyojin no Hoshi too?

Because, at this point, I'm seriously just contemplating sending an e-mail to Hox and begging asking him if he would translate it once he clears up some of his other projects.

To bring this to something back on topic, though, I was wondering: Are all of the Dark Horse editions of Astro boy published in the flipped format, or is the manga available unflipped? Because that really bothers me if it's not.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on June 19, 2015, 08:36:40 PM
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on June 19, 2015, 08:26:38 PM
Are all of the Dark Horse editions of Astro boy published in the flipped format, or is the mamga available unflipped? Because that really bothers me if it's not.

I'm afraid that they are all flipped. Any scans you might find (yes, some have recently surfaced) are all flipped as well since those people just scanned the Dark Horse volumes. The omnibi coming in the fall probably won't be unflipped either, considering how Dark Horse failed to do that for their Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner omnibus releases.  :(
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on June 19, 2015, 08:44:13 PM
Well, that's a bummer. :whuh:

But, if it's the only way that I can read the manga, then I'll just bite, since I have no choice other than to flat-out learn Japanese AND also learn specifically how to read Kanji.

Honestly, though, you wouldn't think that it would be so hard for DH to digitally flip the images and just re-type the text for the new format, which anyone could do since the whole thing is already translated and done.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: gunswordfist on June 19, 2015, 08:45:51 PM
I got weirded out going from Lone Wolf to Rurouni Kenshin thanks to them.

I just want all of Grappler Baki translated.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on July 17, 2015, 02:22:28 PM
Storm Fairy has been funded with both stretch goals to reprint Unico and publish Crime and Punishment in print met! (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-07-17/digital-manga-reaches-stretch-goals-to-print-tezuka-unico-crime-and-punishment/.90551) I kinda fucked up and forgot to add the latter two onto my pledge, but I'm sure they'll be available as add-ons in a future kickstarter (besides, I already own a digital copy of C&P anyway).
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on September 19, 2015, 03:05:25 AM
The next Kickstarter will be for Wonder 3. (http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=4de775be3d811031565af2958&id=ce858141cd&e=6a01ca78af) This is one that I've been interested in reading for a while now, so I'm pretty pleased to see it up next.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on October 03, 2015, 03:17:23 AM
Forgot to mention this earlier, but the kickstarter for Wonder 3 is now up! (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/help-publish-wonder-3-by-osamu-tezuka-creator-of-a) It's already reached about a third of it's goal with almost a month of time left, which is a very good sign.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on October 20, 2015, 10:50:31 PM
Stone Bridge has licensed The Osamu Tezuka Story manga (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-10-20/stone-bridge-press-licenses-the-osamu-tezuka-story-manga/.94428), a 900 page chronicle of the man's life and career, and consequently, the evolution and history of anime and manga in Japan. Definitely going to be a Day-1 purchase for me when it comes out.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 21, 2015, 07:16:18 PM
I just bought Astro Boy Omnibus 1 today. It's about damn time that I found this gem on store shelves. My only gripe is that Dark Horse still decided to give us the flipped artwork rather than reverting back to the traditional format for this release, but it's something that I can get over.

Now just put the rest of the series in Omnibus format on store shelves, Dark Horse, and I'll be good.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 26, 2015, 10:01:19 PM
I read through the first half of the Omnibus today.

Of the stories presented so far, I particularly enjoyed His Highness Deadcross. It's a great example of how you can tell a story that's appropriate for young-children, yet cleverly disguise an adult theme in it that they may pick up on when they are a little older.

I also love how each story is accompanied with an intro by Tezuka himself, explaining a bit about what he was trying to accomplish with the story, as well as cleverly addressing unwarranted criticisms about it being too violent or whatnot.

And although Tezuka himself was dissatisfied with the uneven quality of his work, I always personally find his art-style to be thoroughly charming, and even his weaker stories still have a strong sense of heart to them, IMO.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on October 26, 2015, 10:22:31 PM
I really love Tezuka's intros in AB as well. It's really interesting to see what he was thinking about when he came up with certain stories, and how he felt about them after the fact.

Deadcross is a good one, though my favorite story between the first two volumes is probably The Hot Dog Corps. I still need to pick up the first omnibus. Hopefully Rightstuf does a Dark Horse sale sometime, and I can preorder the second omnibus along with it.

On the subject of Tezuka manga, the Wonder 3 kickstarter has less than three days left but still needs about $15,000 more in order to get funded. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/help-publish-wonder-3-by-osamu-tezuka-creator-of-a) If anyone here can contribute, it'd be mighty appreciated.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on October 30, 2015, 09:12:51 PM
Unfortunately, the Wonder 3 kickstarter did not meet it's goal. This bums me out, but I think people have just been burned out on these kickstarters. I mean, I still haven't received the books from the last two. The pace of these has just been too fast and too much for most people to keep up and support. Apparently they'll be taking a break on these until Spring, and I think that'll do everyone some good. But I also think they shouldn't try to go for over $40,000 as a goal, or spring for hardcovers unless as a stretch goal. That's just pushing it too far, and just not feasible. Even if the pace will have to be slower, more will get funded if the costs for these are kept low and to the point, and each kickstarter is spaced out to allow just a little more breathing room for backers.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on November 03, 2015, 07:28:56 PM
Having read "The Greatest Robot on Earth" a few days ago, I can certainly see why it's such a critically praised story-line and how it inspired many future mangaka, including Naoki Urasawa, who later went on to adapt the story into a sci-fi murder-mystery noir (which I've been inspired to re-read for the first time in over six years).

I understand that it's not necessarily the best story-line in the entire series, but I do see why it's so iconic. I love morally conflicted villains like Pluto, and the overall smart commentary on society in Tezuka's work in a way that's age-appropriate for kids without talking down to them, and while still being great reading material for adults of any age.

My only real criticism (and it's a mere nitpick, at most), is the way in which Pluto defeated Epsilon with a cheap shot while he was defenseless, trying to protect a kid. It both felt wildly out of character for Pluto (given his honor-code for fighting), and also ignored an earlier scene in which he thanked Epsilon for saving him and said that he wouldn't forget it (which similarly happened with Astro earlier on, causing Pluto to spare his life once in return). And yes, Epsilon caused Pluto to sink in the first place, but Pluto never knew that. So, to see him win their battle in the way that he did just didn't feel right. That said, it's really only a minor blemish on a superb, classic story-arc.

Having said all of that, one thing that I was kind of perplexed about was how Astro was apparently on good-terms with Dr. Tenma in this story-line. I understand that the stories in these publication releases are not presented in chronological order by year of release, but I do find it odd that the introduction story "The Birth of Astro Boy" shows Dr. Tenma rather harshly disowning Astro, and then being shown to have a much more affectionate relation with him later in the volume without any interactions with them featured in-between. I can't help but feel like I'm missing some context, here.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on November 05, 2015, 08:25:42 PM
The story where Tenma and Astro Boy come to better terms is in a later volume, iirc. To be honest, Astro Boy's continuity is not dissimilar to american comic books, in that it has retcons and changes made to the origin story and character motivations every now and again. It doesn't help that the books don't have the stories in chronological order, either by year of release or the in-universe continuity, as opposed to Black Jack where at least supporting character introductions and appearances are kept in such. Like, both Uran and Cobalt's debut chapters are in later volumes, despite stories featuring them being shown long before. Also doesn't help that the AB books are also "best-of" collections, just like the BJ ones. It is how it is, but I do wish they had been better organized.

Glad to see you enjoyed "The Greatest Robot on Earth!"  :) I'm planning a re-read of it and Pluto sometime myself. In fact, I finally got around to buying the first omnibus recently, so after I give that a read through I'll probably hit those up right after.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on November 05, 2015, 08:40:04 PM
I'm really interested to learn about how exactly this publication order was decided. According to an introduction piece by Frederik L. Schodt at the beginning of the omnibus, the order that the stories are presented in the Dark Horse publications are based on the Akita Shoten Sunday Comics imprint of the manga from Japan, which were decided by a collaboration between the publication editors and Tezuka himself, though I don't really know what their thought process was for how to re-chronicle these stories.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on November 05, 2015, 08:45:08 PM
I assume they were chosen based partly on the popularity of certain stories, as well as the thematic or content cohesiveness between them. Either way, unless they ever publish a note from Tezuka or the editors who decided the order explaining why they chose to present and publish them the way they did, we'll never really know for sure.
Title: Re: Osamu Tezuka
Post by: LumRanmaYasha on October 28, 2016, 01:52:18 AM
DMP has a new Kickstarter up! This one is for Under the Air...and The Crater!!  (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/re-launch-of-tezukas-under-the-air-classic-manga)

That latter series is particularly noteworthy because of an...infamous Kickstarter campaign attempted by another party a couple years ago to publish the series, where the publisher pocketed the money from the campaign and never shipped the books, and to this day backers of that campaign have never received their copies. DMP has no association with that company, but the fact they have the license to The Crater now definitely lays any hope of that previous campaign ever being fulfilled to rest. It must be a bitter pill for backers of that old campaign to swallow, as they won't be able to get a copy of the book unless they back DMP's campaign, even if they are offering it at a discounted price than what the street price will be.

What's curious to me is that the Kickstarter isn't also to fund publishing The Crater, but it's available as an add-on. This would imply that DMP has already translated and produced the books, leading me to question whether the copies produced by that company from the Kickstarter years ago were really made, Tezuka Productions took possession of them when they were never shipped, and they were given to DMP in a new licensing deal. That would be an especially low blow to backers of the old campaign to essentially have to pay again for the very books that they already paid for in the first place. Whether or not that's the case, it makes me glad I never backed that campaign.

Luckily, the stigma of the old unfulfilled Crater kickstarter doesn't seem to be deterring fans from backing this project, since Tezuka fans know by this point that DMP is a reliable and trustworthy company that won't let them down in giving them a quality product. But The Crater is always going to be a contentious title in western Tezuka fandom because of the stigma and bitter memories of that old campaign and it's upsetting outcome. I'm definitely keen on seeing whether the book will be worth all the trouble it's taken to get it out over here.