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Showing posts with label Artifacts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artifacts. Show all posts
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tezuka Mural in Takadanobaba
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Stan Sakai meets Astro
Found this great picture recently on the blog of Stan Sakai, creator of that world famous samurai rabbit, Usagi Yojimbo. Here's Stan with Astro and Uran at the Tezuka Museum in Takarazuka about 11 years ago. 
You can see the original post here.
Of course, Usagi is an awesome character and The Art of Usagi Yojimbo is one of my most favorite books about comics I've got in my collection.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Carbon Boy
Check out this Astro Boy sculpture/statue made entirely out of carbon fiber!
See Akihabara News for the whole story along with even more images and a video.
Monday, July 6, 2009
SPOON!
I have nothing to talk about right now and I might not be able to update for the next few days.
So, to tide you over, here are some spoons.
Astro Spoons!
Wish I knew more about these, but the fact that they exist is freaky/cool enough for me.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tezuka's Desk
Ever wanted to see where a genius worked? If you're in Tokyo, you've got your chance! Osamu Tezuka's desk is going on display! Read this article from the The Yomiuri Shimbun for more.
Tezuka's work desk to be displayed for 1st timeHmm, simple tools, huh? That almost makes me feel bad about buying one of these. Almost, but not quite! Continue reading "Tezuka's Desk"...
The work desk at which legendary manga artist Osamu Tezuka is believed to have drawn some of his classic works, such as "Black Jack" and "Hi no Tori" (Phoenix), will go on public display for the first time at an exhibition that starts in Tokyo next week.
Tezuka used the regular steel office desk for 20 to 30 years until his death in 1989. Inside the desk drawers were his favorite pair of glasses, notebooks and a vintage stethoscope--a reminder that Tezuka was a qualified physician.
The desk had been left in Tezuka's eight-tatami-mat workroom on the second floor of his home in Higashi-Kurume, western Tokyo, where he had lived since 1980.
According to Tezuka's son Makoto, Tezuka did much of his work at home, and would pull out a futon when he got busy and draw while lying on his stomach.
"When my dad was young, he wasn't very picky about his tools--he even drew on mikan boxes," Makoto said. "I think the simplicity of his beloved desk shows that he lived his life without being too hung up on his tools."
The desk will go on display beginning April 18 as part of an exhibition on Tezuka's work at the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Sumida Ward, Tokyo. The Yomiuri Shimbun is a cosponsor of the exhibition.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Happy Birthday, Astro. Now let's get CAKE!
April 7th, 2003 is officially recognized as the day when Astro Boy was first activated by Dr. Tenma. That would make him 6 years old today!
You know what that means, don't you?
That means cake!
Last year at around this time I scoured the net looking for images of Astro Boy themed cakes. I can't believe it, but I actually found even more this year in preparation for today. Click the link below to read on and take a look at the wide and often hilarious assortment of Astro-cakes!
Here's a wider shot of the cake with the Astro decoration seen in the image above.
Many more pictures found here.
A simple but well done cake of Astro's face.
Found here.
Now THIS is an Astro-cake! Awesome job, and the space-background is a nice touch!
Found here.
These ones though, not so much. The plastic Astro figures are cool and all, but they're just standing on a blank cake. And what's the deal with the piles of green goo?
Found here.
Now this just might be an ordinary cake, but the clear chibi Astro and the addition of the Uran figure at the top makes it extra special!
Found here.
Why hello there. Just waking up, are we? This one just might be the best realized figural Astro cake I've seen. 
Found here.
Cupcakes are cakes too! Tiny cakes.
Found here.
Now this is a very creative and highly detailed cake that features Astro and Uran hanging out with some... fruits and vegetables for some reason. Are all of those things baked into the cake?
Found here.
And finally, I'm just not sure that I could ever bring myself to bite into these tiny little works of art. Astro and Uran cupcakes!
Found here.
I'm pretty sure I've found every Astro Boy cake on the Internet right now. Will I be able to to a feature like this again next year? There's only one way to make sure, and that's for all of you to get baking!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Korean Toys in Kansas
And another toy post!
The Spencer Museum of Art on the University of Kansas campus has got a very cool exhibit going on right now all about Korean toys from the 70's and 80's. Of course, Japanese anime culture has had a big effect on Korea, and so famous anime characters like Astro Boy are a part of that. Clearly, toys like this often interpret characters in unique and often bizarre ways! Take a look at how Astro is just as tall as Superman!
You can see more information about the exhibit on The Pitch Kansas City and on Artdaily.org. It on until January 24. If you're in the area, check it out for me and tell me what it's like!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tin Toys
My friend Rin recently went on a trip to Disney World, and while at the Epcot Center she took a few pictures of an awesome display of classic Japanese tin toys found in the Japan pavilion. Click the images for a larger look at them.
This sign introduces the collection.
Here's Astro Boy in all his tin plated glory! Ha ha, he's kinda chubby here. Behind him you can see the super hero Mirrorman. 
What Japanese toy collection would be complete without Ultraman? The skull-headed guy is an interesting character called "Ogon Bat", also known as Phantoman. Ogon Bat was created in Japan in 1930, making him the very first superhero ever. There was a manga version created by Osamu Tezuka, as well as an anime version that was translated into several languages.
Astro rides a motorcycle! What purpose does that serve when he has rockets in his feet? The purpose of being a cool toy, I guess. Looks like there's some kind of vehicle behind it based on Big X, another Tezuka character.
And of course, we have Godzilla. Being made primarily out of metal and paint rather than plastic gives this toy of The Big G an interesting look here.
Such awesome pieces of Japanese toy history. I love looking at this stuff. There's a certain unique charm about how these famous characters were rendered into stylized toys in Japan back in the day. Big time thanks to Rin for taking these pictures for me!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Takadanobaba Train Station
Vong Yonghow of the blog Halcyon Realms brings us these incredible photographs of the train station in the Japanese town of Takadanobaba, the place of Osamu Tezuka's birth. The station features an absolutely amazing mural covered with tons of Tezuka characters.
Take a look at the rest of the images right here. Big time thanks to Vong for these shots!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Back in Grey
I have returned from a long vacation. Too long, if you ask me. But when I came back home I had a package waiting for me. Inside was this awesome t-shirt!
Oh yeah! That is one handsome ninja sporting that rockin' Astro Boy promotional shirt. This is the same shirt that was given out at Anime Expo this year. Big time thanks to Collider for sending it to me.
I'll be doing my best to catch up on the latest updates and adding new content, but it could take awhile. Hold tight, we'll be back to full operating status soon enough.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tickets Please!
Now this is cool!
This mural of Astro, Dr. Ochanomizu, Uran, and Ban Shunsaku, currently on display at the Shinjuku Takashimaya Department Store, is impressive enough on it's own. What makes it even more impressive is that this 10 foot by 7 foot piece of art is actually made up of 138,000 recycled train tickets!
Lots more information and plenty of pictures can be found at Pink Tentacle. Take a look at the detail!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Jewel Covered Astro
Yet another part of the 2003 Astro Boy Birthday celebration took place at the Takashimaya department store in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo, where a huge Mighty Atom exhibit took up most of an entire floor. There, amidst large statues of Astro Boy characters, was this tiny little figurine. 
Weighing 102.72g and standing 97mm (about 3.5 inches), this jewel covered Astro is made out of 18-carat gold and covered in diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. While small, it's still elaborate. The head and both arms can move, and the hatch in his chest can open to reveal his detailed robotic heart.
How much would something like this cost? Well, it was not available for sale, but its estimated value is 100 Million yen, or about 1 Million US dollars at the time. Crazy! In comparison, this item doesn't seem so outrageous! Of course, this jewel covered Astro is one-of-a-kind. I wonder where it is now?
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Time for CAKE
What's a birthday without cake, right? To celebrate the birthday of Astro Boy yesterday, I took a look around the net to see if I could find some Astro-themed cakes. To the right is an officially licensed cake topper based on the 2003 anime series, and it may still be available. But some folks have used their own creativity to make some really unique cakes featuring Astro Boy. Read on to take a look at them all.
Here's a great looking cake made for the 40th anniversary of the English premiere of the original Astro Boy anime. Fred Ladd himself was on hand for this feast.
Found here.
Nice subtle effect used on this cake.
Found here.
Astro looks suprised to be standing on this cake. He doesn't look thrilled with the idea of being eaten.
Found here.
Hopefully, Natasha really likes Astro Boy. Otherwise this cake would be pretty awkward.
Found here.
Gotta love the effort put into this one!
Found here.
Now this is impressive! Character portraits and a background and everything. It's so cute that it looks like it'll give you a tooth ache before you even bite into it.
Found here.
That's all the cake I can handle for now, but if you ever find anymore AstroBoy cakes, or bake one yourself, send me the links and I'll do a follow up post. And if anyone would like to bake an Astro cake for me, please understand that you are more than welcome to do so and that I like both chocolate and vanilla.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Astro BLING
Made from 80 grams of gold, and featuring a natural diamond, this incredible limited edition figure is the ultimate way to prove your devotion to AstroBoy. Or to prove that you've got way too much money! Produced by Japan's Imperial Enterprise mail-order company in celebration of what would be Osamu Tezuka's 80th birthday, one of the 80 being produced can be yours for...
***Dramatic Pause***
ONE....MILLION....YEN!
About 9,900 $US! That's right, OVER 9000!
Read on for a closer look at what you're paying for.
I tip my hat to anybody who buys one of these. But as far as this evil genius is concerned, at that price it had better shoot freakin' laser beams!
Source: Anime News Network.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Stan The Man
Big news out of Japan is that a brand new manga anthology magazine will feature a collaboration between "Shaman King" creator Hiroyuki Takei and American comic book legend Stan Lee. This is, of course, very cool news, but not entirely unprecedented. Japanese pop culture and American comics have been tied together many times, from the Live Action Spider-man TV series in the 70's, Kia Asamiya's work on X-Men and his Batman manga, the upcoming Batman Gotham Knight direct to video release, and the recent Witchblade anime, to name a few instances.
In that spirit, here's a great picture of Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan meeting Osamu Tezuka! Talk about a meeting of the minds! Pretty amazing to know that they actually met.
And for good measure, here's another one of Stan and Gene meeting the awesome Go Nagai, creator of Devilman, Cutie Honey, and Mazinger Z!
These pictures come from a 1978 issue of "Foom!", apparently an in-house fan magazine from Marvel Comics. I found them on Dave Merril's blog. Hope he doesn't mind me using them here.
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