Film / Reviews Nov 25, 2020
‘Tezuka’s Barbara’: A dazzlingly dull descent into madness
by James Hadfield
Macoto Tezka’s adaptation of his father’s racy 1970s manga is visually intoxicating, but liable to leave viewers with a hangover.
Books / Reviews Nov 21, 2020
‘The Japanese: A History in Twenty Lives’: Personal stories present a fresh perspective on Japan
by Iain Maloney
Christopher Harding scales Japan’s history down to the level of the individual with portraits of the eminent as well as the overlooked.
National Oct 18, 2020
Original comic strips by manga legend Osamu Tezuka to be released in book form
The three-volume box set includes the complete stories, in the size they were originally drawn, of "Tiger Land" — a comic about the coexistence of humans and animals.
National Jul 7, 2020
Tokyo home of ‘Astro Boy’ creator and other manga legends opens as museum
A museum replicating the Tokyo apartment building that was home to the late Osamu Tezuka and other legendary manga artists opened Tuesday, 38 years after the original wooden building was dismantled in 1982.
Entertainment News Feb 27, 2020
New manga created by AI and inspired by late 'Astro Boy' creator Osamu Tezuka hits bookshelves
A new manga plotted and designed by artificial intelligence that learned the artistic style of "Astro Boy" manga creator Osamu Tezuka was released Thursday. The manga "Paidon," released in the weekly comic magazine "Morning," was created by AI, which analyzed 65 works by Tezuka, including ...
National Jul 16, 2019
Store featuring 'Astro Boy' creator Osamu Tezuka's manga characters opens in Tokyo
A store themed around the work of "Astro Boy" manga artist Osamu Tezuka opened earlier this month in Tokyo's Asakusa district, putting an array of available products on display, from traditional Japanese crafts to artificial intelligence robots. The Tezuka Osamu Shop & Cafe is currently ...
National / Media | Japan Pulse Apr 13, 2019
Social media weighs in on design and purpose of Japan's new bank notes
by Patrick St. Michel
Social media has been awash with posts following the public unveiling of Japan’s new era name, Reiwa, at the beginning of April. The announcement was almost the complete opposite of an April Fools’ Day joke and yet every detail has been picked apart online, ...
Issues | LAW OF THE LAND Mar 6, 2019
Robot rights: From Asimov to Tezuka
by Colin P.A. Jones
Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" are fictional rules, so why do we keep looking to them for guidance? The closest thing to real-world robot law we could have more seems likely to develop around the question of when autonomous military drones can make "kill" ...
Language | BILINGUAL Dec 4, 2017
Frederik Schodt recalls the 'different world' of manga translation in the 1970s
by Ayako Nakano
"I loved manga but there was no way to make a living (with it)," recalls manga translation pioneer Frederik Schodt.
Entertainment News Sep 13, 2017
Japanese pop icons and traditional paintings mingle in a mash-up exhibition
A unique exhibition opened Wednesday in Kyoto featuring famous anime and manga characters, as well as other icons of Japanese pop culture, drawn in the style of traditional Japanese paintings. The exhibition, titled "Bokura-ga Nihon-wo Tsuideiku" ("We Will Inherit Japan"), shows a collection of 35 ...
Art Apr 2, 2017
Leiji Matsumoto surfs the floating world
by Tim Hornyak
The work of manga artist Leiji Matsumoto mixes historical periods, themes and technologies, often in a science-fiction setting: His signature comics involve steam locomotives and reborn World War II battleships sailing among the stars. These grand flights of fancy, which have found fans around ...
National Jul 8, 2016
Tokyo ward to resurrect dwelling famed for housing manga artists
Tokyo's Toshima Ward plans to restore Tokiwa-so, a wooden apartment building known for housing many manga artists, including Osamu Tezuka, to promote the nation's anime culture. The ward will create the building at a park near the place where Tokiwa-so originally stood, ward officials said ...