History of Anime
HISTORY OF ANIME: Osamu Tezuka
________________________________________ (picture)
Dr. Osamu Tezuka: Legend. by Brian Cirulnick
"Walt Disney of Japan", "God of Comics", "A Legend in his Own Time". Many of these phrases will forever be used to describe Dr. Tezuka, but mere words cannot even begin to describe his work, or how it changed an industry, or even the incredible wealth of material produced by this one man. As I began to research this article, friends sent me copies of magazines that attempted to detail his works, and among them, I discovered that the more I learned about him, the more I realized how little I knew. This single person output more Manga than can be detailed in these pages. The sheer volume of his works could fill several warehouses. There are those much more qualified to explain his Manga history, and I will leave that task to them, and instead, I will concentrate on his animation career.
Osamu Tezuka was born 1926 in Osaka, Japan, the son of a doctor. According to Tezuka:
"My career as an animator began when at the age of 4 I copied a picture of Popeye. My house was full of comics when I was a schoolboy. Because we were able to obtain a projector and several films, I was able to see Mickey Mouse, Felix the Cat, Chaplin, and Oswald Rabbit at home. When in the third grade in primary school, I drew comics in my notebook, which was immediately taken away by the teacher. Later, however, he encouraged me with praise....." The then still young Tezuka was heavily influenced by Disney and especially the Max Fleischer cartoons of the period. The early 1930's character designs coming out of the New York based Max Fleischer studio featured round heads, and large round expressive eyes.
________________________________________
Commercial Animation
While studying to enter the medical practice, following in the footsteps of his father, he also conceptualized and then published several Manga, most notably Tetsuwan Atom (Mighty
________________________________________ (picture)
Dr. Osamu Tezuka: Legend. by Brian Cirulnick
"Walt Disney of Japan", "God of Comics", "A Legend in his Own Time". Many of these phrases will forever be used to describe Dr. Tezuka, but mere words cannot even begin to describe his work, or how it changed an industry, or even the incredible wealth of material produced by this one man. As I began to research this article, friends sent me copies of magazines that attempted to detail his works, and among them, I discovered that the more I learned about him, the more I realized how little I knew. This single person output more Manga than can be detailed in these pages. The sheer volume of his works could fill several warehouses. There are those much more qualified to explain his Manga history, and I will leave that task to them, and instead, I will concentrate on his animation career.
Osamu Tezuka was born 1926 in Osaka, Japan, the son of a doctor. According to Tezuka:
"My career as an animator began when at the age of 4 I copied a picture of Popeye. My house was full of comics when I was a schoolboy. Because we were able to obtain a projector and several films, I was able to see Mickey Mouse, Felix the Cat, Chaplin, and Oswald Rabbit at home. When in the third grade in primary school, I drew comics in my notebook, which was immediately taken away by the teacher. Later, however, he encouraged me with praise....." The then still young Tezuka was heavily influenced by Disney and especially the Max Fleischer cartoons of the period. The early 1930's character designs coming out of the New York based Max Fleischer studio featured round heads, and large round expressive eyes.
________________________________________
Commercial Animation
While studying to enter the medical practice, following in the footsteps of his father, he also conceptualized and then published several Manga, most notably Tetsuwan Atom (Mighty