Tezuka, Osamu << TEH zoo kuh, oh SAH moo >> (1928-1989), was a Japanese animator and cartoonist . Tezuka became a pioneer of manga and anime . Manga is a comic book style that first became popular in Japan in the 1950’s. Anime is a style of animation that developed in Japan in the 1960’s. Anime and manga have a flat look and feature colorful images and heroic characters. Many manga and anime characters have large, saucerlike eyes, small mouths, and wild hair. Tezuka was strongly influenced by the animation of the American motion-picture producer Walt Disney. Tezuka created a number of popular manga series in the 1950’s. His animation studio then made these into popular anime TV series shown around the world. Two such series are “Astro Boy,” which followed the adventures of a nuclear-powered robot boy; and “Kimba the White Lion,” about a lion cub who must learn to survive after the death of his parents. Both series aired in the 1960’s. “Astro Boy” was Japan’s first anime TV series. “Kimba the White Lion” was Japan’s first color anime TV series.
Tezuka was born on Nov. 3, 1928, in Toyonaka, a city near Osaka. His family later moved to the nearby city of Takarazuka. He began drawing as a child. Tezuka became a licensed physician after graduating from the Osaka University College of Medicine in 1951. But he began creating published manga while still a student. In the early 1960’s, he formed the animation studio Mushi Productions. Tezuka later left the company and formed another animation studio, Tezuka Productions.
Tezuka’s notable manga series include “Princess Knight” (1953-1956), which follows the adventures of a princess who pretends to be a prince to prevent an evil duke from inheriting her kingdom’s throne; “Phoenix” (1954-1988), which explores the theme of reincarnation and features stories with plots that move back and forth from prehistoric times to the distant future; “Black Jack” (1973-1984), which follows the adventures of a medical doctor; and “Unico” (1976-1979), which follows the adventures of a baby unicorn. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Tezuka published manga inspired by the lives of such historical figures as the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and Siddartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. A number of these manga were made into anime TV series and motion pictures.
Osamu Tezuka died on Feb. 9, 1989. His son, Makoto Tezuka, is also a motion-picture writer and director. In 1994, the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum opened in Takarazuka. It features exhibits on the work of Tezuka and on his life in Takarazuka.
