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The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution by [Frederik L. Schodt]

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Frederik L. Schodt

The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution Kindle Edition

by Frederik L. Schodt (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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The pioneering genius of Japan’s “God of Comics,” Osamu Tezuka (1928–89), is examined through his life’s masterwork: Tetsuwan Atomu, also known as Mighty Atom or Astro Boy, a comic series featuring a cute little android who yearns to be more human. The history of Tetsuwan Atomu and Tezuka’s role in it is a road map to understanding the development of new media in Japan and the United States. Topics include Tezuka’s life, the art of animation, the connection between fantasy robots and technology, spin-offs, and Astro Boy’s cultural impact.

Frederik L. Schodt is a translator and author of numerous books about Japan, including Manga! Manga! and Dreamland Japan. He often served as Osamu Tezuka’s English interpreter. In 2009 he was received the The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contribution to the introduction and promotion of Japanese contemporary popular culture.

Print length

248 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Stone Bridge Press
Publication date

July 1, 2007
File size

5964 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fluent in spoken and written Japanese, Frederik L. Schodt is an author, interpreter, and translator who has written extensively on Japanese culture and Japan-U.S. relations. His classic Manga! Manga! introduced the English-speaking world to Japanese comics culture.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005QBKY2C
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Bridge Press (July 1, 2007)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2007
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5964 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,908,145 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #237 in Animation Graphic Design (Kindle Store)
- #284 in Comics & Graphic Novels Literary Criticism
- #1,076 in Animation Graphic Design (Books)

Customer Reviews:
13 ratings

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Paul G

A fun read

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

Detailed, serious, interesting,........and fun! Lots of fun! If you love Astro Boy, Manga or Osamu Tezuka.....grab yourself a copy. NOW!!

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Tony Medeiros

Made in Japan

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2007

I don't think the onslaught of Japanese pop culture would not take fruition if not for the talented work of Osamu Tezuka. He influenced his country men for many generations and his manga books are still published today and are fresh as they were printed over 60 years. The man has left a mark on more artists/animators than Walt Disney ever did. Frederik L. Schodt delves into the framework of this genius who set the blueprint to all manga and anime that we are used to. If not for Osamu Tezuka, I think Japanese manga and anime would be dormant, as with the Beatles a slew of bands followed them, but there was only one Beatles and they will always be standing tall in their heap in the part pop culture as will Osamu Tezuka will be for the Japanese culture, his name is under every breath of new creation that comes from that part of the world and has crossed oceans with his universal ideas and will leave a giant imprint for many more years yet to come. Astro Boy Collection Box Set

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ada Palmer

Say Hello to the God of Manga! (Manga no Kami-sama ni Yoroshiku!)

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2007

You will not believe me when I try to tell you about Osamu Tezuka. He drew over 150,000 pages of manga in his lifetime, more than 700 separate series, and more than 70 anime, films and movies. He was a pioneer every genre, from hard sci-fi to mahou shoujo to adult films. He developed the drawing and animation techniques that still dominate the industry today. Today's greats, from Rintaro to Yoshiyuki Tomino, worked and studied with him. He was a political activist, writing against war, racism, environmental exploitation, medical corruption. He was a national hero of Japan, and under consideration for the Nobel Prize in literature when he passed away in 1989. Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, Metropolis, Phoenix, Buddha and Princess Knight are only the best known of literally hundreds of creations which have impacted every corner of the manga world. If you think this sounds like too much for one man to plausibly accomplish in a lifetime, you're far from the only one who finds Osamu Tezuka a little superhuman.

Fred Schodt, author of Dreamland Japan Manga! Manga!: the World of Japanese Comics and translator of Phoenix, Astro Boy and more, was a personal friend of the "God of Comics" and his translator when Tezuka visited America. In his long-awaited Astro Boy Essays, Schodt gives a concise and detailed introduction to the life, influence and significance of Tezuka in the history of Japan and the international comics world. Focusing on Tezuka's best known work, the anti-racist children's classic Astro Boy, it gives efficient, approachable portraits of Osamu Tezuka's life and personality, the atmosphere in Japan during and after WWII and their effect on the manga industry, the nightmarish behind-the-scenes production schedule that birthed Japan's first animated TV series, and the spread of Astro Boy as a Japanese, and later an international symbol of peace, technology, hope for the future, and above all of Japan itself. The rocky history of Astro Boy's American distribution gives a fascinating look at the beginnings of American anime fandom, and how many barriers had to be broken to achieve the comparatively-smooth licensing and distribution system in place today. All the material is presented in a format beginners can understand, but with enough details that even experts will find themselves learning more with every page. The Astro Boy Essays is an invaluable contribution to manga scholarship, and provides a window for American otaku to finally learn about the "God" who made anime what it is today.

For more information about the book, see:
[...]

For more information about Osamu Tezuka, his life and works, see:
TezukaInEnglish.com

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

D. Frederickson

A book every anime/manga fan needs to read

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2007

I just happened upon this book when I was shopping for manga and thought it looked like a good read. Well, it's a great read! Finally a book in English about Tezuka!

Schodt does an amazing job breaking down Mighty Atom/Astro Boy along with Tezuka. He actually knew Tezuka so he brings a great insight to this work. The images in the book are great as well, especially the color inserts at the beginning of the book. Included are a great index of all the manga and anime episodes, and a character guide with both Japanese and English character names.

If you are a fan of anime, manga, or both, you will want to read this book to know why the two art forms are so popular today, not only in Japan, but all across the world!

5 people found this helpful

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H. L. Parten

A serious examination of a frivolous topic.

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2014

I liked the variety of chapter subjects. It was a good overview of how Astroby influensed japanese culture, and eventually, world culture.

One person found this helpful

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