If there’s a Mt. Rushmore of manga artists, then Osamu Tezuka definitely belongs on it. Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy, Buddha, and Kimba the White Lion, is often referred to as “the god of manga” and compared to Walt Disney. It only makes sense that this acclaimed artist and animator would be the subject of a documentary fittingly titled TEZUKA! God of Manga.
TEZUKA! God of Manga is a feature-length documentary from director Jason Andrew Cohn (No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics) and production company Bread & Butter Films. You can check out a trailer for the film on YouTube.
The film traces Tezuka’s postwar life and career, as well as his lasting impact on the entertainment world. It features interviews with manga artists, animators, scholars, and filmmakers like Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Riyoko Ikeda (Rose of Versaille), Naoki Urasawa (Monster), Go Nagai (Devilman), Toshiyuki Tomino (Gundam), MADHOUSE co-founder and anime producer Masao Maruyama (Tokyo Godfathers), anime director Rintaro (Metropolis), Ada Palmer (Too Like the Lightning), Samuel Sattin (Unico Awakening), Jorge R. Gutierrez (The Book of Life), Helen McCarthy (The Art of Osamu Tezuka), Natsu Onoda Power (God of Comics: Osamu Tezuka and the creation of post-World War II Manga), and Fred Schodt (Manga! Manga!). Once funded, the project will add additional interviews with Paul Pope (THB) and Ron Wimberly (Prince of Cats).
“TEZUKA! God of Manga celebrates Tezuka-sensei as a preposterously prolific, enigmatic creator who forever altered popular culture by introducing young readers to a brand-new, DIY medium that rocketed around the world,” said Cohn in a statement. “The creative cross-fertilization between artists in Japan and the rest of the world made Tezuka one of the most beloved and influential artists of the 20th century. TEZUKA! God of Manga is a moving, immersive, and visually stunning romp through comics history. This film will celebrate his legacy and introduce his incredible creations to a new generation.”
TEZUKA! God of Manga is coming soon to Kickstarter.
For more manga goodness, check out the best manga for beginners and the 10 greatest romance manga.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
