A new live theater stage production based on the life and work of Osamu Tezuka is set to debut in Washington D.C. next month. Natsu Onoda Power, who wrote God of Comics: Osamu Tezuka and the Creation of Post-World War II Manga will be bringing "ASTRO BOY AND
THE GOD OF COMICS" to the Studio Theater starting on February 15th, 2012.
Here's a brief description from the show's creator herself:
Astro Boy and the God of Comics combines three narratives — the fictional story of Astro Boy, the story of how the Astro Boy series was created, and the story of the series’s creator, Osamu Tezuka. It’s about a little boy robot who tries to be “human” and fails (and eventually come to terms with his identity... he is a robot and he is proud); it’s about a comic book series that becomes a national icon; it’s about a cartoonist who is admired as the “god of comics”; it’s about a young artist transforming the dehumanization of World War II into something hopeful. It’s really about “trying to be human,” whatever it means in all these different situations. I am hoping to explore this theme in the staging too... what does it mean to be “live theatre with real humans”?
You can read the entire text on the Studio Theater website, or by clicking the link below for an archived version.
Sounds like a very exciting project! Wish I could go see it. If anyone in the Washington area is lucky enough to be able to check it out, please let me know what you thought of it.
Trying to Be Human: Astro Boy and the God of Comics
Natsu Onoda Power is a director, writer, and designer. As rehearsals for Astro Boy and the God of Comics approach, Literary Director Adrien-Alice Hansel chatted with her about the inspiration behind her newest work, which combines Tezuka’s life, the history of Japanese animation, and the fictional world of his greatest creation: Astro Boy, a crime-fighting boy robot.
AH: You’ve literally written the book on Osamu Tezuka (God of Comics: Osamu Tezuka and the Creation of Post-World War II Manga) and now you’re exploring his life and cartoons theatrically for Studio 2ndStage. Why are you drawn to Tezuka’s work?
NOP: I’ve loved his work since I was a child. He is a genius at borrowing techniques from other art forms, like theatre or film, to make his comics alive and interesting. One of the most interesting things that he does is what he calls the “Star System” — he “casts” his comics from an ensemble of fictional “stars” (really, stock characters) that he has created. It’s like the Star System in film, where an actor brings all kinds of associations with him/her into a character, making the character all the more complex. Tezuka is also a master storyteller. He can create absorbing narratives, but will always pull you back and make you aware that you are reading a comic book. It’s really Brechtian.
What do you hope to explore in the story of Astro Boy?
Astro Boy and the God of Comics combines three narratives — the fictional story of Astro Boy, the story of how the Astro Boy series was created, and the story of the series’s creator, Osamu Tezuka. It’s about a little boy robot who tries to be “human” and fails (and eventually come to terms with his identity... he is a robot and he is proud); it’s about a comic book series that becomes a national icon; it’s about a cartoonist who is admired as the “god of comics”; it’s about a young artist transforming the dehumanization of World War II into something hopeful. It’s really about “trying to be human,” whatever it means in all these different situations. I am hoping to explore this theme in the staging too... what does it mean to be “live theatre with real humans”?
That’s fascinating—the idea of playing with real humans and real action on stage. Astro Boy, like some of your other work, will feature live animation—actors drawing while the audience watches. Why do you think it’s so engaging to watch people draw on stage?
I am obsessed with watching skilled people carrying on a task. I love great acting for that reason, but I also enjoy watching people draw, paint, cook, knit, build things. I once stood outside watching a person spread plaster on a wall on stilts for an hour. It was completely mesmerizing. There is magic to witnessing an object come into existence in front of you. Sort of the same idea as an open kitchen.
You describe this play as a sort of high tech/low tech retro-sci-fi piece. Can you talk a little bit about the aesthetic you’re going after and how you and your design team are hoping to achieve it?
Astro Boy gives us a vision of the “future from the past”... an image of the early 21st Century from the perspective of the 1950s-60s. I just love this. Growing up, I was also obsessed with Tex Avery cartoons from the 50s (“The Farm of Tomorrow,” “Cars of Tomorrow” and the like). It is completely anachronistic. Astro Boy periodically has to “change his vacuum tube” because they sometimes fail... like an old TV. I am trying to do something similar with the staging. We will use video (Jared Mezzochi, who is doing projection design for the show, is the master of high-tech), but mix it with low-tech elements like drawing. It should be clunky and cartoony. Not at all slick. My goal is to make the show look like it was an animation made by Tex Avery or Tezuka in the 50s/60s: “The Theatre of Tomorrow.”
Hey, it sure has been a while, huh? Well, I moved to a new city and thus have been busy with other things, but I'm looking to devote some time back into this site, starting now with this incredible fan movement.
Tezuka Day was created by some anime fans in Brazil, who upon discussion of Osamu Tezuka on his birthday in November, decided to set aside a day to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions that Tezuka made towards the world of anime and manga. The day was chosen simply to give enough time to research, and just about every anime website and blog in Brazil has gotten on board. Now it's spreading all across the world via Twitter.
The purpose of Tezuka Day is to make fans aware of how important and significant Osamu Tezuka has been to the development of anime and manga. Many people claim to be anime fans, yet know little about who Osamu Tezuka was and what he did. So let's change that! Brazil has got the right idea, but everyone can join in on the fun, help spread the word, and get the whole planet hooked on Tezuka!
So take some time out to tell a friend, watch some anime, read some comics, and pay homage to the God of Manga. Of course, for people like me, every day is Tezuka Day!
The Sadler's Wells theatre in Islington, London, England will be holding a new stage production featuring music, dance, and multimedia, celebrating the work of Osamu Tezuka. It is being choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and will have 5 performances this September.
Visionary Japanese animator and manga artist Osamu Tezuka provides the inspiration for internationally renowned choreographer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s brand new work - TeZukA.
Working with a cast of nine dancers, two musicians, an actor and a calligrapher, all drawn from Europe and Asia, Cherkaoui explores Tezuka’s fascinating world - a blend of tradition, science fiction and contemporary reality. Two of Tezuka’s manga stories which are well known in Japanese popular culture – Astro Boy and Buddha – have particularly captured Cherkaoui’s imagination in creating this new work.
TeZukA will feature a specially commissioned score from award-winning composer Nitin Sawhney with lighting and visual design by Willy Cessa, plus projections of Tezuka’s original illustrations alongside work by video artist Taiki Ueda. Using the dancers’ movements to trace the physical evolution of Tezuka’s drawings - from a line on a blank page to a single Japanese kanji (letter) to a fully-formed manga character - Cherkaoui will bring the “God of Manga’s” philosophy, drawings and characters to life.
You can book your tickets here. The September 9th performance will include a talk with Helen McCarthy.
The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka will soon host an exhibition featuring re-imagined Tezuka character illustrations by many famous artists in the modern moe style. The roster of contributing artists numbers at about 20, including Noizi Ito (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Shakugan no Shana), Narumi Kakinouchi (Vampire Princess Miyu, Ryoko's Case File) and Haruhiko Mikimoto (Macross, Gundam 0080, Gunbuster).
There are about 90 different art pieces and dolls set for display at the exhibition. Here are some examples featuring Princess Knight.
This seems to be along the same lines as the Tezuka Moe Gallery I first reported about last year, only that one was held in Akihabara. So now more people will get another chance to see what the current generation of artists can do with Tezuka's classic characters.
Continue reading "Tezuka Museum's Moe Re-imaginings"...
This incredible painting featuring Astro Boy and his sister Uran was made by Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley and is for the “Water Works” art show at Giant Robot in Los Angeles. It's based on this frame from the 60's Astro Boy anime.
As I'm sure you're all aware, Japan has been struck by a huge earthquake and tsunami. It's a terrible tragedy that has shocked the world.
As an anime fan and admirer of Japanese culture for many years, I'm heartbroken by the news coverage I have seen. The comics, animation, video games, and movies of Japan have always been so inspiring to me, and in light of these terrible events I am compelled to do something to help.
I'm joining with Anime and Manga Bloggers for Japan to get the word out on how people like you can donate to a cause that will assist in disaster relief efforts.
You can also donate through the Red Cross. In America you can use your cell phone to text REDCROSS to 90999, which will donate $10 through your phone bill, or call 1-800 RED CROSS. In Canada, text REDCROSS to 30333 for donations, or call 1-800-418-1111.
There are other ways to donate as well, but please make sure that you are giving to a legitimate organization.
Although this is a trying time for the Japanese people, I know that the Japanese spirit will rise above it all, rebuild, and prevail. Anime and manga are full of stories about extraordinary heroes. Let's become heroes ourselves and do our part to give back to the country that created these stories we love so much. You don't need rockets in your boots to be a hero. You can help by donating today. Give them a hand and let them know that we stand together!
Continue reading "Help for Japan."...
Reporting on a new exhibition taking place at the RMIT Gallery in Melbourne, Australian newspaper The Age has a new article about the sophisticated themes behind some of the cute characters found in Japanese anime. Here's a sample:
TO MANY, Astro Boy is just a cartoon; a children's show about a robot with rocket-powered legs. But beneath its animated exterior is a surprisingly dark undertone.
Consider the origins of the title character, who, the story goes, was created by the head of Japan's Ministry for Science to replace the son he lost in a car accident. After a brief period of happiness, the grief-stricken bureaucrat realised he would never fill the void in his heart - so he sold his robot franken-child to a cruel circus owner. As you do.
But fortunately, the kindly new head of the Science Ministry spotted Astro performing in the circus and obtained legal guardianship of him, thus discovering he was capable of human emotions. All of which allowed the series to explore artificial intelligence, feelings and what makes us ''real''.
Toying with humanity
Michael Lallo
February 4, 2011
The cute characters of anime frequently explore dark themes.
TO MANY, Astro Boy is just a cartoon; a children's show about a robot with rocket-powered legs. But beneath its animated exterior is a surprisingly dark undertone.
Consider the origins of the title character, who, the story goes, was created by the head of Japan's Ministry for Science to replace the son he lost in a car accident. After a brief period of happiness, the grief-stricken bureaucrat realised he would never fill the void in his heart - so he sold his robot franken-child to a cruel circus owner. As you do.
But fortunately, the kindly new head of the Science Ministry spotted Astro performing in the circus and obtained legal guardianship of him, thus discovering he was capable of human emotions. All of which allowed the series to explore artificial intelligence, feelings and what makes us ''real''.
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''These are not just fluffy cartoons,'' says Evelyn Tsitas, public programs co-ordinator at RMIT Gallery. ''The Western approach sees animation as a kids' thing, but in Japan they use it to explore more adult themes. It's not about telling a pretty story; often, it's about darker themes and emotions.''
Which is why the gallery has just launched two exhibitions: one about Japanese characters such as Astro Boy, Hello Kitty and Pikachu, and another about animated Japanese films - or ''anime'', as they're known - most of which are geared towards adults.
It's clear that cartoon characters occupy a special place in the Japanese psyche. They appear on bank cheques and train tickets, electric shavers and tampons. You can drink Hello Kitty wine and eat Pokemon beef curry. You can even choose from a range of Astro Boy-emblazoned ''boxers, briefs and men's panties''.
''If you look here,'' says Tsitas, waving towards a mocked-up girl's bedroom furnished entirely with Hello Kitty merchandise, ''you'll see some of the most popular products. But you won't just see them in bedrooms - it's perfectly reasonable for office workers to line up dolls and cups with characters on their desks to make them feel happy and comforted.''
Indeed, comfort is the goal of a Hello Kitty-themed maternity hospital in Taiwan, in which everything from the sheets and towels to the walls of the examination room feature the feline motif ''to ease the stress of childbirth''.
In Bangkok, however, a police chief has taken to disciplining his officers by adhering Hello Kitty armbands to their uniforms ''to make them feel guilt and shame''.
But despite her Japanese heritage, Kitty was ''officially'' born in suburban London in 1974. Her favourite word is friendship, she likes goldfish and lollies, brushes her teeth with strawberry toothpaste … and her blood type is A.
Not surprisingly, her hyper-cute tastes - and the fact she has no mouth - have angered critics, who say she's a bad role model for girls.
But according to Sanrio, the company that owns her, ''Hello Kitty speaks from her heart. She's Sanrio's ambassador to the world and isn't bound to any particular language.''
The females in animated Japanese movies, on the other hand, are unequivocally strong. Unlike the pathetic Disney princesses who are in constant need of rescuing, anime women are empowered, says Tsitas. ''They're not waiting for a prince to release them from a spell, they're conquering evil with their magic sword.''
The character exhibition is divided into decades, helping contextualise the creation of each cartoon idol with the key events of the time. For instance, Astro Boy - who turns 60 next year, and whose Japanese name means ''Mighty Atom'' - was conceived in the aftermath of atomic warfare, just as television was taking hold. Information panels also explain the historical roots of modern cartoons.
''The fact [the Japanese] have lots of different gods means they can associate with lots of different characters and good-luck charms,'' Tsitas says. ''And it's interesting how the anime and manga characters, which are often quite expressionless, are different from the Western cartoon characters.
''If you think of a cartoon like Scooby Doo, the animators tell you how to perceive those characters and what emotions they're feeling. Whereas with a lot of the Japanese characters, you can project whatever you want on to them.
''You can make them happy or sad or whatever you want them to be, which is probably one of the reasons they're so endearing.''
The epic revisioning of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy universe by Naoki Urasawa has once again been honored with another award
The PLUTO manga won the the Intergenerational Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France this weekend. This is one of the biggest comics events in the entire world, and France has a huge comic book culture.
The Intergenerational Award is a recently created honor, and it seems appropriate to give such an honor to Pluto, as it is the product of 2 generations of manga artists.
I can't believe I'm typing this (actually this is Japan we're talking about so nothing is truly unbelievable) but there's an event happening right now that combines the famous works of Osamu Tezuka with the modern day cute fad of "moe". The "Osamu Moet Moso" exhibition is being held at the Tokyo Anime Center in Akihabara. It opened on September 18 and runs until October 11.
Upon viewing the images above, my guttural reaction would be "Is nothing sacred?", but upon reading more, there is some reason to suggest that the concept of moe can directly trace its roots to Tezuka's influence on manga culture. It's an interesting topic at any rate, though there's something kind of creepy to me about that Astro artwork. The Princess Knight one is HAWT though.
Anime North was great this past weekend. My panels were well attended and went smoothly. But one of the highlights for me was seeing this youngster cosplaying as Astro Boy. He's 3 years old and was quite enthusiastic to show his lasers. Pew Pew Pew! Too cute.
I think it's amazing that the first important anime character for everyone can be, even all these decades later, the first important anime character for anyone.
I asked his family if it would be OK to show pictures here on ABW so hopefully they will be happy to see this. This is one awesome kid who has an awesome family too.
Anime Fans Unite in Toronto this weekend for the biggest Japanese Animation convention in Canada. Anime North takes place May 28 - 30, 2010 and is held at the Toronto Congress Center, Doubletree Hotel, and Sheridan Toronto Airport.
I will be there and will be participating in a number of panels. Here's my schedule.
FRIDAY
Sheraton Hotel - Muskoka room
10pm: Super Mario Bros
SATURDAY
Doubletree - Toronto B room
11am: Classic Anime
12pm: The Mecha Panel
3pm: Transformers
10pm: Live Action Heroes
SUNDAY
Doubletree - Toronto A room
1pm: Anime Wannabes
Doubletree - Main Plaza Ballroom
2pm: Classic Anime with Dave Merril
You are definitley going to want to check out that classic anime panel on Sunday, it's going to be huge, with tons of awesome video clips focusing on how classic anime has been made available in North America. Expect some rare stuff courtesy of Let's Anime's own Dave Merril. I'll be there talking about Tezuka and some of my other favorite classics, and I promise I won't make anything up unless it's funny.
To make my mysterious self more slightly recongizable, I will be wearing this shirt from deviantArt on Saturday with a green camo bandanna and probably a Gatchaman shirt on Sunday. It would be great to see you there, so come say hi and tell me that you read the site!
Continue reading "Anime North 2010!"...
Proposed to open in 2012, Robot Land will be a theme park in Incheon, South Korea totally devoted to the awesomeness of robots! Robot rides, robot fish, robot competitions, robot shopping, and more are planned to entertain pathetic flesh creatures in what might just be the greatest park in the galaxy. There will be some real, actual scientific-type stuff to learn too, thanks to a research facility staffed by Seoul National University engineers.
Astro Boy, Transformers, and other famous robot characters are planned to be a part of the action as well, including movie sets recreated from films like The Matrix, Minority Report, and I, Robot.
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. is holding a massive tribute to Osamu Tezuka, featuring panel discussions, film screenings (including Unico, shown at right), and more. It's being held at the Freer and Sackler Galleries and it starts this weekend, running from November 13 until December 13 2009.
If you are in the area or can make it down there, you don't want to miss it! If not, there are some essays available to read by some of the notable figures who are participating in the event. See the "Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime" web page for all the details.
Plenty of cool coverage of this past Monday's Hollywood premier of the Astro Boy movie is now on the net. Let's dive right in and see what we've got! Gossip Center has some photos of Freddie Highmore and Kristen Bell, along with an Astro character mascot.
L.A. Looks was in the house, giving Astro-hair-dos to volunteers. Read their press release here.
Coming out of the UK, ITN has a video report of the premier.
The Mainichi Daily News brings the Japanese perspective of this American premier, featuring Makoto Tezuka who had this to say about the festivities:
"My father would be happier than anyone else that his work has been titled in English and screened in Hollywood. My heart is too full for words,"
And finally, thanks to Pacific Rim Video, I am able to present some video coverage of the red carpet. Below is an interview with Freddie Highmore. Click the "Continue reading" link to see the rest of the videos.
This is totally cool and really touches my heart. The Hospital for Sick Children, aka "SickKids", is a world renowned facility and I know people who were taken care of there when they were young. It's only fitting that such an important place dedicated to the health of children would be visited by the child creation of Osamu Tezuka, who was a doctor himself. Kudos to everyone involved in making this happen.
Japan wants to host the World Cup in 2018, and who better to be the country's ambassador to the cause than the Mighty Atom himself.
Here we see Astro kicking off the campaign. Very cool that a character like this can be used by a country to spread its goodwill regarding such a globally important event like this.
Specialty Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya is having a special Osamu Tezuka Day, celebrating the God of Manga, at their New York Location on October 18th.
There's going to be animation screenings and presentations on Tezuka books.
Check out MediumAtLarge.net for the details and the full schedule. Sounds like a good time!
The New York International Children's Film Festival has a special pre-release screening of the animated Astro Boy movie happening on October 17th and 18th, with the showing on the 18th being a special party with goodie bags and everything. Take a look at all the info here to buy tickets and click the link below for the full Press Release. New York Int'l Children's Film Festival Presents "Astro Boy" Special Pre-Release Screening
ASTRO BOY USA, Animation, David Bowers, 2009, 95 min
Recommended ages 5 to 12 - film is Rated PG Sat & Sun, Oct 17 & 18, 11:00am at IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue (at West Third)
Sunday 10/18 Only - Astro Boy Blast-Off Party! -- A limited number of tickets are available to the Sunday special event screening, which includes audience giveaways, live Astro Boy costume character and other family fun, plus box lunch and goodie bags for all attendees!
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NYICFF presents two special advance screenings of ASTRO BOY, a modern take on the iconic character created by Osamu Tezuka, whose original Astro Boy introduced the world to Japanese anime and who is considered one of the most visionary and gifted animators of all time. The all-new CG-animated film features a star-studded voice cast including Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Samuel Jackson, Nathan Lane, Eugene Levy, Matt Lucas, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland, Charlize Theron and Nicolas Cage as "Dr. Tenma".
The futuristic world of Metro City is a gleaming island in the sky where the wealthy and powerful are waited on hand and foot by robots. There the brilliant Dr. Tenma creates Astro Boy to replace his dead son Toby, and he programs his new creation with the best of human values and endows him with extraordinary superpowers. But Astro Boy is dealt a cruel double blow when he is cast out of his grieving father's home and discovers that he is a robot and not a human boy. Unaccepted by either humans or machines, he decides to travel to the earth's surface, where he befriends a crew of orphans who accept him as part of their motley family.
The new Astro Boy is a high-octane animated adventure, taking joy in aerial acrobatics as the title character swoops and crashes through the modern floating metropolis and battles robots in the dilapidated surface world. But most importantly, the film preserves Tezuka's message that, beyond the jet-powered feet and laser-cannon arms, Astro Boy's sense of duty and willingness to sacrifice in defense of his friends and family are what truly make him human. Presented by Summit Entertainment and IMAGI Studios. The film is produced by Maryann Garger and directed by David Bowers.
To make a tax deductible contribution to NYICFF click here . donate
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Here's a shot of the Japanese premier of the CG Animated Astro Boy movie from Imagi, which happened yesterday in Tokyo. You can see director David Bowers along with the Japanese voice cast, including the Japanese voice of Atomu, Aya Ueto, who is quite clearly a very pretty girl!
Even the world famous robot Asimo gets in on the action. What a lucky bot.
The North American release of the Astro Boy animated movie from Imagi is only a month away! But, before that, there will be a number of special premier events.
Astro's home country of Japan goes first, with its premiere on October 5th. The film will be officially released on October 10th.
Then, in Imagi's home base of Hong Kong, the film will premier on October 17th. It is confirmed that members of the Cantonese voice cast will be in attendance.
Shortly afterward will be the North American premier, taking place in Los Angeles on October 19th. Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell and Nicolas Cage are set to be in attendance. How about sending an invite to a certain Toronto ninja, hmm?
It is said that this will be the first ever Hong Kong produced movie to be released across 4 continents and 20 markets in the same month! Not bad for a little robot kid!
This site is dedicated to everything Astro Boy, the works of Osamu Tezuka, and other related anime & manga. Whether you're an old-school fan, a newcomer, or anything in between, AstroBoy World is bound to offer something interesting for you.
