Ravex in Tezuka World

Produced in time for what would have been Osamu Tezuka's 80th birthday, Ravex in Tezuka World is a short animation featuring characters from Tezuka's body of work meeting an animated version of the musical trio Ravex. It was included as an extra DVD with the group's debut album.

I first reported on this a couple of years ago, and in reading that now I'm kind of surprised at how unfavorable my initial reactions where! I was kind of harsh on it when this project was first announced.

Well, it's taken awhile for me to see it, but it's out there now thanks to a recent fansub. You're on your own if you want to see it for yourself, but I thought it would be fun to give it a quick review with some screenshots right here on ABW for those who are curious. After finally seeing it, I can say that it's at the very least worth being curious about because watching this is kind of bizarre! Whether it's good or bad, it sure is different, so let's go through the the whole story.

Click on the images for a bigger look. Feel free to leave your comments because I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say.

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Osamu Tezuka Manga Movable Feast

Manga Critic

Be sure to check out The Manga Critic for a huge celebration into the life and work of Osamu Tezuka. Many reviews and articles are being collected and anyone is able to participate. This is going on right now and new content is being added throughout the week. Here's some more info.

From February 19th through February 25th, I will hosting a week-long tribute to legendary manga-ka Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy, Black Jack, Buddha, Dororo, Jungle Emperor Leo, MW, Ode to Kirihito, Phoenix, Swallowing the Earth, and many other titles. Everyone is encouraged to participate, whether they wish to review one of the many Tezuka titles available in English, write an in-depth article about Tezuka’s star system, or trace his influence on other famous manga-ka.

Seems like Tezuka tributes are becoming a common occurrence! All is as it should be.

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Manga Artists Make Tezuka Tributes

This week marked the 23rd anniversary of Osamu Tezuka's passing. He died on February 9th, 1989. While it's much better to celebrate the life of someone rather than mark the occasion of their death, I mentioned on Twitter that the best way to pay homage to Tezuka's legacy on that day would be to draw something.I was happy to see my message spread around a bit, and a number of people did do a Tezuka inspired drawing.

It looks like I wasn't the only one with that idea, as several Japanese manga artists have also created new illustrations of famous Tezuka characters

 Here is one I really like by Keiichi Tanaka, creator of a story called "Doctor Chichibuyama".

You can find more at Anime News Network.

I drew some cool anime-esque robots for another project that I'm working on, but you'll have to wait a bit before you get to see those!

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