One of the coolest websites EVER!!!!

[Angelcake]

I get asked these questions alot:

"Hey Angelcake, why do you keep harping about Osamu Tezuka so much?"

"Hey Angelcake, how do you know so much about Osamu Tezuka?"

"Hey Angelcake, quit quoting me in your posts!"

Ok, ignore the last guy.

Anyway, the reason I keep harping about him is obvious, the guy was THE greatest manga-ka of the 20th century AND BEYOND.

However, I might never have been introduced to this wondorous man and his works if it hadn't been for Tezuka Osamu @ World.

This is the definitive site for everything Tezuka, and will help you become a Tezuka otaku, like me!

It has everything, beside from having information on just about all of his 500+ titles he made in his lifetime, it also has information on the various anime based on his work, information about the man himself, information on the Tezuka Osamu Manga Museum (located in his home town), information on his five science fiction novels he wrote, as well as images of posters, album covers, greeting cards, and various other bric-a-brac that was graced with his magic pen.

So go ahead, give it a try.

And if anyone asks, tell them Angelcake sent you......

.....go ahead, it'll confuse the heck out of them

Sincerely,
Angelcake

[Stan Sakai]

I had the privilege of meeting Dr Tezuka a couple of times at the old San Diego Comic-cons. He was a very nice man, and, yes, he did wear his beret.

In 1998 Sharon and I went to Japan as guests of Tezuka Productions. Dr Tezuka had passed away awhile back, but I met his wife and son and daughter. It was my favorite trip of all time. One of the neatest things was going into the studio showroom and seeing all the merchandising. The best evening on that trip was being a guest at the "100 Year Celebration". If Dr Tezuka was still alive he would have been 70, and it was the 30th anniversary of the studio, so 70 + 30 =100. There must have been a thousand people there--many animators and mangaka. The high point for me was when a choir of school girls, about 7 or 8 years old, dressed in their uniforms and white gloves sang the Astro Boy theme song in their crystal clear voices. The food was incredible, and included live lobster sashimi.

[Angelcake]

I read how he often toured the world as an ambassador, bringing manga culture to the masses. He even once made a speech at the UN building in New York!

It's awesome that you actually got to meet the man, Stan. I believe that, when I die, and I go to heaven, I will meet Mr. Tezuka and, after giving him a hardy handshake (and trying on that beret) I'll learn all of his secrets about drawing.

Tell me, Stan. When you were talking with Dr. Tezuka, did you converse in Japanese, or could he speak English? Or was it really just a brief meeting?

[Stan Sakai]

For all his accomplishments, Dr Tezuka struck me as a very humble person. Our conversations were very brief, but I think we spoke in a mixture of Japanese and English. The San Diego Cons during this time was much smaller than it is now--about 6,000, rather than the 85,000 attendees that it is now.

He was also a fanatical worker. Jack Kirby drew about 50,000 comic book pages during his lifetime. Dr Tezuka wrote and drew about 150,000. I saw a documentary that show him working at his drawing board, eating his dinner of rice balls. Mr Matsutani, the CEO of Tezuka Productions, told us of the time Dr Tezuka was to go to France. He also had deadlines for three books. His three editors were sleeping in the the reception room, waiting for the pages. He finished two of the installments before having to leave for the airport. The last editor followed him to the airport where Dr Tezuka kept inking in the car. While someone checked in for him (this was before all the security airlines have now), he stayed in the car and inked. He finished 8 pages on the ride to and at the airport.

[Angelcake]

The man's work ethic was outrageous, perhaps even bordering on the obsessive side.

What truly amazes me is that, not only was he able to continually write complex stories like Black Jack and The Phoenix, but was able to keep installments coming on a fairly regular basis!

One need only look at Adolf and see how good of a writer he truly was. If this guy could write like this on a whim, just imagine what he could have produced if he had put all of his efforts into one huge franchise!

What kills me is that, you see, you have contemporary manga writers such as Kazuo Koike or, better yet, Rumiko Takahashi. Takahashi has, in her lifetime, only made a few manga franchises (Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, etc.), and is one of the wealthiest people in Japan.

Now compare that to Dr. Tezuka who, although he did become rather wealthy, worked like a maniac to get that way!

I'm not saying that Takahashi is taking her generation for granted, I'm just showing how much times have changed sent Tezuka's passing.