Osamu Tezuka

Filmed in Japan, this program looks beyond the stereotypes to objectively examine the history of manga, how manga are drawn, and manga's influence on Japanese life as illustrated by cosplay bars, where people dress up as their favorite characters; manga kissa, 24/7 manga cafes; and Comicket, the twice-annual comics market that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. The program also introduces viewers to a cross-section of mangaka icons: Vagabond creator Takehiko Inoue; Naoki Urasawa, author of The Pushman and Other Stories; Jiro Taniguchi; Yoshihiro Tatsumi; and Kan Takahama.

This work was submitted in a special animation competition as part of a PR project for a power company, but was unfortunately not adopted. The reason is very clear: the setting of the story is the exhausted earth. There couldn't be a more instructive setting for a power company that uses enormous amounts of the earth's resources. Additionally, a girl robot discovered by the main character can store sunlight and convert it into energy; in other words, the robot does not require a power-generating company. In addition to this, the robot destroys herself to protect the established solar power generation system in space. The unsuccessful outcome of the competition for Tezuka Osamu was only natural, and it is clear that he created this piece, as it was intentionally, as he managed everything from the original story to the screenplay, animation, narration, etc., all the while knowing that the competition was sponsored by a power company.

A Japanese TV documentary, NHK Tokushu Tezuka Osamu: Sosaku no Himitsu (Secrets of Creation.), was originally released as a book-mounted DVD, with cooperation from Tezuka Productions. Screened in Japan in 1986, it was filmed as Tezuka prepared for the Hiroshima International Animation Festival in 1985. It shows him working in his private studio and with his team, and gives glimpses of his wife, colleagues and old friends.

The animation was produced for the Tezuka Osamu Manga Museum, thus it features scenes from the "life and nature" of Tezuka Osamu's childhood, themes that are central to the museum as a whole, through exchanges between the boy Osamu and the carabid beetle (Osamushi) who provided the origin for the artist's name.

A master of Japanese animation, Gisaburo Sugii talks candidly about his career and creative process in this rare and exciting piece of film.

An anthology of strange horror tales featuring yokai. It begins with astronauts finding a katana on the moon.

Aldin, a vagabond water vendor, embarks of a series of fantastical and tragic misadventures through the Middle East in search of love, fortune, and power.

A young unicorn named Unico must fight an evil magician and save everyone who's trapped under his spell.

Three people from the future, who travel spiritually to the era of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII Philopator and her Roman lovers Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, become their closest friends as they try to unravel the nature of the plan developed in their own time by a sinister enemy.

Bander is a 17-year-old boy from Earth who lives on a distant planet, which is populated by human shape-shifters who feed off of vegetables and animal tails. Violence soon breaks out, as invaders launch an attack on Bander's new planet. This was Japan's first 2-hour animated film for television. The program received high ratings when broadcast as part of a set of 24-hour TV programs called "Ai wa Chikyu wo Sukuu" on Nippon Television. After a long gap since his last animated film for television, this work fully reflects Osamu Tezuka's desire to achieve theatrical quality with this production.

Bander is a 17-year-old boy from Earth who lives on a distant planet, which is populated by human shape-shifters who feed off of vegetables and animal tails. Violence soon breaks out, as invaders launch an attack on Bander's new planet. This was Japan's first 2-hour animated film for television. The program received high ratings when broadcast as part of a set of 24-hour TV programs called "Ai wa Chikyu wo Sukuu" on Nippon Television. After a long gap since his last animated film for television, this work fully reflects Osamu Tezuka's desire to achieve theatrical quality with this production.

In the distant future, a young cadet is sent to find and capture "Cosmozone 2772", a mystical universal Phoenix which possesses the power to rejuvenate the drained Earth.

In the distant future, a young cadet is sent to find and capture "Cosmozone 2772", a mystical universal Phoenix which possesses the power to rejuvenate the drained Earth.

No synopsis available yet.

This extremely brief film was Osamu Tezuka's answer to a challenge presented to the leaders of the international animation community to create animated self-portraits.

When Unico, a young unicorn, is banished from his family by a pantheon of manipulative gods, his powers of joy and happiness are tested as he explores the lands with his friends Beezle and Katy.

Cat Coda, donkey Largo, dog Allegro, and hen Minuet are transformed from animals to people with alien technology to form a musical group, the Bremen 4. But when invading forces led by Colonel Presto are slaughtering their peaceful village, the musicians must band together and spread a message of peace with music, might, and a little bit of underground anti-fascist guerrilla warfare.

Cat Coda, donkey Largo, dog Allegro, and hen Minuet are transformed from animals to people with alien technology to form a musical group, the Bremen 4. But when invading forces led by Colonel Presto are slaughtering their peaceful village, the musicians must band together and spread a message of peace with music, might, and a little bit of underground anti-fascist guerrilla warfare.

In 1984 the Japanese government approved gene recombination experiments. Baggy is Tezuka’s response. A cute kitten escapes a lab, and is befriended by lonely child Ryosuke. Years later, he joins her in a quest that’s part spaghetti Western, part contemporary adventure.

In 1984 the Japanese government approved gene recombination experiments. Baggy is Tezuka’s response. A cute kitten escapes a lab, and is befriended by lonely child Ryosuke. Years later, he joins her in a quest that’s part spaghetti Western, part contemporary adventure.

Nuclear testing has resulted in the abrupt evolution of the Fumoon, a tiny but highly intelligent humanoid race on a small island, who are detected by Dr. Yamadano. The Fumoon are kidnapping animals from around the world to bring with them as they use their space ships to evacuate the earth, because they know Earth is shortly to be destroyed by an enveloping cloud of black gas created by a stellar explosion.

Nuclear testing has resulted in the abrupt evolution of the Fumoon, a tiny but highly intelligent humanoid race on a small island, who are detected by Dr. Yamadano. The Fumoon are kidnapping animals from around the world to bring with them as they use their space ships to evacuate the earth, because they know Earth is shortly to be destroyed by an enveloping cloud of black gas created by a stellar explosion.

Two young aspiring adventurers, Sindbad and Ali, find an old sailor who has washed up on the shore. With his final breath, the sailor tells them a tale of a hidden treasure and hands over the map he had held on to through his trials. And so, the two would-be heroes are off for adventure. But the road to riches is paved with hardships: their travels lead from stowing away on a ship to the sultan's dungeons -- only to escape with the sultan's daughter in tow!

The Goddess Venus is jealous of the beautiful human girl Psyche and blames her pet unicorn, Unico, as Psyche's source of good luck that keeps her from the harm of the goddess' cruel intentions. Unico has the amazing power to make anyone he meets happy. Whether it's because of his personality or the powers of his horn, no one knows. Venus has Unico banished, and the West Wind now takes Unico from one place and time to the next. Taken to a heavily polluted city, Unico meets a sickly girl named Chiko who is suffering because of the pollution of a nearby factory that darkens the entire sky. Unico then is determined to cheer her up, cure her, and destroy the nearby factory.

A lonely kid who lives in the countryside meets a strange boy who has a ragged umbrella over his head and there is always rain pouring over him. The rain boy is dazzled by the other kid's boots and offers three wishes in exchange for them.

A wandering samurai finds a straw dummy with a magical sword, which makes him overwhelmingly powerful but begins to drive him mad.

As a child, Sanbo was adopted by a mysterious green cat once owned by his father’s murderer. The cat grants his every wish, leading Sanbo to a lucrative life of crime, but the gift comes at a high cost. Ban, a family friend turned private detective, sets out to stop the cat’s influence before it can claim the young boy’s soul.

Akira is a lonely middle school boy, ignored by his classmates and bullied by his teacher. He falls in love with the image of a girl on a coffee advertising poster and names her Lunn. Through his "friendship" with Lunn, he gradually finds the strength to pursue his own dreams.

Compilation of Episodes 1,2 46, 56 and 71 from the 1963 Astro Boy series that were reproduced in color for this theater version.

Tezuka Osamu crafts a love story in the time when humans are expanding into space at the end of the 21st century, employing an omnibus form similar to Bradbury's "Martian Chronicle." Leaving the earth after marriage, a woman is left behind in space when her husband suddenly dies of a cosmic disease. Her friends on the Earth head for space to save the woman who was once everyone's ideal lady. Tezuka Osamu emphasizes his concepts that "love can save the earth" and "only love can save humans."