- Astro Boy (鉄腕アトム）-
The cel (below) is from the "Shin Tetsuwan Atomu / New Adventures of Astro Boy" (1980)
- Osamu Tezuka -
Who would imagine a cute and kind child robot (with big red shoes), could save the world or a feminine looking, baby white lion could become Emperor of all the jungle?
................Who could imagine?
-Osamu Tezuka could imagine-
Known as the "God of Manga", Tezuka was the defender of the good and protector of the meek......
He grafted together ideas from Buddhism, Pop Culture and "limited Animation" techniques (pioneered by the newly emerged US masters of TV animation; "Hanna-Barbera").
In latter years he also became an important and respected member of A.S.I.F.A (the International Association of Animators), where he was highly praised as a fine artist in the field of experimental animation.
The tenderness that Tezuka demonstrated within his narratives might be seen as a Buddhist compassion for those who suffer. This was perhaps as a result of witnessing the pain of those who endured the bombings of Japan during the last stages of World War Two?
A Japanese Astro Boy comic (cover) from the 1950's
-His works seem to be motivated by a genuine Love or Humanity-
A model cel believed to be made prior to the original Black and White TV series
-Tezuka speculated that robots could be our friends and not just our servants-
....... even if they were powered by radioactive materials.
Script for an early episode of Astro Boy (above)As a small boy Tezuka gained a love of the animated image from watching cartoons such as "Popeye" and "Betty Boop" (both Fleisher Brothers Productions), on his fathers film projector. Tezuka's father was wealthy enough to purchase imported short films and cartoons from the USA that were produced for home viewing. These types of film had been a popular form of entertainment prior to television becoming common.
Tezuka was so influenced by the "Fleisher" cartoons that he incorporated the large eyes of these characters into his own character designs in latter years. It was then that the large eyes of the Tezuka cartoons influenced an entire generation of Japanese animators to produce wide eyed characters.
Japanese children's playing cards ("Menko")
1950's & 1960's
The early fans of Tezuka cartoons were held mesmerised infront of the TV screens by the bright primary colours, the strange hand drawn camera angles (Tezuka had pioneered this animation technique through experimenting and copying newly emerging "extreme" camera angles now common in live-action films).
Tezuka's animation works also used experimental techniques such as "front on" angles of characters running towards the screen, unlike the conventional and established techniques of side on tracking.
Tezuka's characters appeared to run towards the camera, as a sequence or series of backgrounds (usually 12), were placed behind the character and recycled, usually at the rate of one twelth of a second. This had the strange visual effect of making the world appear to spin beneath the character.
- who could forget the ground spinning under "Kimba's" feet as he ran?
Astro Boy emerged as a character in Tezuka comics (Manga) in 1951.
Astro Boy became the first "for television" (Black & White) animated series made in Japan.
Tezuka had managed to secure a large pre-production deal with the NBC (USA) which allowed this project to proceed.
A Jetta Mars cel and matching drawing
Jetta Mars (1977) was produced as a copy of Astro Boy, several years after the original had finished.
It was commissioned by Toei Animation Studio.
Tezuka is said to have quickly lost interest in the project because of studio interference.
A commercial limited edition serigraph cel.
Osamu Tezuka was the first to pioneer complex and long narratives within Manga -
Astro Boy is such a story
It tells of a father who is so grief stricken following the death of his son, that he builds an intelligent robotic replica.
The father disapproves of his own creation.................................................
and from then on all that is left for Astro Boy, is to save the world
Cel from the "New Adventures of Astro Boy" -1980 -
At the age of 18 Osamu Tezuka had enrolled as a Medical student in University.
When he recieved his Physicians licence in 1961 he was already a famous cartoonist and so he made a choice to devote his life to Manga.
The USA "New Comics" version which appeared September 1st 1987
*All images are from Geoffrey Clifton's collection*
(Above) A collectors watch which was limited to 500 pieces
A cheaper, yet still charming girls wrist watch
A Japanese limited edition phone card (above)
The fabulous Australian collection of Astro Boy DVD's
Although the toys above are cheap and mass produced - they are still Charming, as they reflect the primative simplicity of the early Japanese Astro Boy toys. 
Small Japanese collectable Astro Boy model kits
A postcard produced in Japan in 2003 to mark the birth of Astro Boy
The official 2003 Tezuka Productions calendar featuring the Birthday Boy
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