History of Anime

HISTORY OF ANIME: Osamu Tezuka

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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.

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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 Atom), the story about a robot boy invented by a man who lost his own son. Like Pinnochio, the robot wishes he were human. His art style was fully formed, the characters were appealingly designed, the story well written, and rife with subplots, intrigue, and danger for the little robot. Tetsuwan Atom was an instant hit, and made Osamu Tezuka's name a household word. Suddenly the manga industry was reborn. Before, comics were not widely read, but Tetsuwan Atom spread far and wide, engulfing all walks of life in Japan.

In 1957 Toei Animation was formed as a subpart of Toei Productions, currently the largest film company in Japan, with the goal of producing animated feature films. Tezuka, currently the country's most popular cartoonist, was contracted to direct one of their first feature length productions, Monkey King (seen in the U.S. as Alakazam the Great). Though a large success within Japan, the film was panned by critics in the U.S., although many admit that it was the poor quality of the translation that ruined it. The year after Toei Animation opened it's doors, Osamu Tezuka became Dr. Tezuka, when he received a doctorate in human anatomy in 1958.

In 1962, his contract with Toei expired, and he set out to form his own company, Mushi Productions, which at first, seemed like a move to put him in direct competetion with his former employer. This was not so. Dr. Tezuka saw the rapidly expanding technology of television as his future. He predicted that the best way to reach a larger auidence than the movies was through the black and white box that sat in any and every home that could afford one. He also decided that his first made for T.V. animation would be based on his number one best selling Manga, Tetsuwan Atom.

This was a rapid departure from the norm, and in effect, changed almost all Japanese animation from that point on. Dr. Tezuka's drive, vision, and determination brought about a new concept to the then young Japanese television industry. The animation was fluid enough for T.V. audiences, with movie like plots and methods of direction previously reserved only for live action flims, such as attention to lighting and using close-ups for dramatic effect. When NBC bought the rights to show Tetsuwan Atom in the U.S. as Astroboy, Tezuka's worldwide success was assured. The move also gave birth to a new era of production as Japanese studios refitted themselves for TV production and new studios formed quickly, as producers raced to catch up to the level that Dr. Tezuka's pioneering spirit had brought him. Mushi Productions grew to be one of the largest animation houses in the business by the time Dr. Tezuka stepped down from the position as Acting Director in 1970. Among his achievements there, it should be noted that he produced an animated version of his Manga, Jungle Emperor (seen in the U.S. as Kimba the White Lion), and that he beat out Ralph Bakshi's Fritz the Cat as the first X-rated animated film with his production Cleopatra, Queen of Sex. Though he never actively practiced medicine, he continued to study and vacillated between his two lives. His manga series' sold consistently in record-breaking quantities, and he continued to receive profits from Mushi, so it goes without saying that, by this point, he was extremely wealthy, and international

ally known. But, he could not rest on his laurels, the animation bug had bit him. He took again to directing and producing when in the late 1970's he formed Tezuka Production Co. Again, one of the first productions of this new unit was a color T.V. series of Tetsuwan Atom. Also, the feature film Space Firebird 2772 was produced. Space Firebird was a story loosly based on one of his longest running Manga works, Hino Tori, which was the story of the legendary chase for the immortal Pheonix. The work was semi-autobiographical, and a very personal piece for Dr. Tezuka. Space Firebrid broke new ground in animation quality, and became a yardstick to measure all other films by.

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Tezuka's Other Life:

While his dual life as Doctor (though he never actively pursued a medical career), and commercial cartoonist is well known, what many fans of Japanese animation do not know was that Dr. Tezuka led yet another life within the field of animation, that of an independent producer. Independent animation is a field usually reserved for the