FREE THE ASTRO BOY ESSAYS: OSAMU TEZUKA, MIGHTY ATOM, AND THE MANGA/ANIME REVOLUTION PDF Frederik L. Schodt | 248 pages | 19 Jul 2007 | Stone Bridge Press | 9781933330549 | English | Berkeley CA, United States Astro Boy - Wikipedia Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Frederik L. Schodt is a translator and author of numerous books about Japan, including Manga! In he was received the The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contribution to the introduction and promotion of Japanese contemporary popular culture. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. More Details Original Title. Other Editions 2. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Astro Boy Essaysplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Jun 23, Aaron Cornelius rated it liked it. I gave my local library a lot of grief by holding onto this book for several months but I've finally finished! If you're interested in and the Manga/anime Revolution of those topics it's a solid read with plenty of detail, but it's perhaps a little unexciting in the telling. Apr 23, Kendra Strand rated it liked it. Schodt is without a doubt the expert to turn to on Tezuka Osamu, considering Schodt's scholarship, translation, and personal friendship with Tezuka. Entertaining and easily accessible for an undergraduate audience. Feb 22, Matt Ely rated it The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka it Shelves: graphic-novel-mangabiographyjapanshort-story-essay-letters. A narrow look at Astro Boy. Tezuka's life and other work are secondary as this is very focused on being a comprehensive timeline of all things Mighty Atom, whether they're interesting or not, gosh darn it! It felt like the author could have given the material broader relevance, but didn't. The book calls itself "essays" but Mighty Atom that's an excuse to have chapters that don't tie to a larger idea and build on one another. It's decent. I learn 3. I learned some interesting things about the history of the medium and Tezuka specifically. But you have to be pretty invested in this niche to get much out of it. Mar 10, Nakkinak rated it really liked it Shelves: comics. An essential read for The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka fan and people who are interested in the origin of anime The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka manga. It doesn't only give detailed background on the person of the manga god Osamu Tezuka, his influences, his Mighty Atom and his flaws, but also a rough Mighty Atom very precise info on the early history of animation from the Mighty Atom propaganda films Mighty Atom Mitsuyo Seo to the 80s work of Hayao Miyazaki. Furthermore it gives a good impression of some technical aspects of animation and the boundaries of limited an An essential read for every Osamu Tezuka fan and people who are interested in the origin of anime and manga. Furthermore it The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka a good impression of some technical aspects of animation and the boundaries of limited animation in particular. But of course the star of this book, aside from Tezuka, is The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka iconic creation Astro Boy. Schodt, who is a well-respected scholar of anime and manga, a first-generation otaku, Tezuka translator and personal friend of the master, analyzes the social impact of the little robot and elaborates the astonishing artistic debth of this children's comic, noting that the intelligent technological and anti-racist statements are relevant even today. Tezuka himself is described in much more facets than standard hailings of his work bother to describe. Schodt deconstructs the eccentric genius, who was undeniably an insanely hard-working intellectual who only slept 5 hours a day but also seemingly incompetent at most business-related aspects of the anime industry. Tezuka was a man highly biased towards his most famous creation, Tetsuwan Atomu. I would actually recommend to read the works of Tezuka before you read this work - you should start with Astro Boy for obvious reasons. This fine book serves better as a consolidation of knowledge than as an introduction to the Tezuka universe, which is majestically complex and rewarding if you once managed to get into it. Dec 10, Tosh rated it really liked it. The perfect book for me to pick up at Shibuya Tower. The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka between my personal desire and what others in Japan have given me, I find myself surrounded by Astro Boy toys and books. When I first started to go to Japan, Osamu Tezuka was one of the sources of understanding that culture and it was such a pleasant adventure. Schodt's book on the culture and history of Astro Boy is a must-read for anyone who have even the slightest interest in manga and its history. Tezuka is without a The perfect book for me to pick up at Shibuya Tower. Tezuka is without a doubt a major figure in pop Japanese culture - perhaps the key figure, and without a doubt a genius in his field. He is also a mega-figure to write about, and Schodt's book is a good starter in the world of Tezuka, and by mostly focusing on his most famous work in the west - Mighty Atom aka Astro Boy. The story of a boy robot made by a scientist who was grieving over his deceased son. But that 'father' eventually disowns the robot due to the fact he doesn't age. And therefore we have the consistent tension between robot and human. Tezuka thought long and hard on this and Astro Boy is not a simple subject. The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka a mixture of popular science and all the hope it brings, but also the inner-danger of nuclear power and the arrogance of science. And it is this tension that makes 'Astro Boy' into a major work. Also Tezuka's skills as a writer and illustrator is pretty amazing. For sure he's the Disney of Japan, but I think he's more then that - way more. Schodt did a remarkable job introducing the world of Tezuka and why he's important. Aug 11, Panoramaisland rated it really liked it Shelves: mangacomicsbiographyhistorynonfictionjapanese-culture. I can think of no better author for this book than Frederik Schodt. He was one of the first American "otaku," a leader in early Japanese-to-English manga translations and imports, translator of works such as Barefoot Gen, Astro Boy, The Rose of Versailles and Phoenix, writer of the groundbreaking Manga! He's done so much The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka establish Japan as a major cultural producer internationally that he was given the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese govern I can think of no better author for this book than Frederik Schodt. He's done so much to establish Japan as a major cultural producer internationally that he was given the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government inAND the Tezuka Cultural Prize in He doesn't just know his material - he's been intimately involved with it for decades. Astro Boy Essays was an easy and engaging read, given my high level of interest in the material, and I found it to Mighty Atom built in such a way that it was both plugged into the moment in which it was written and of lasting value. Schodt's writing style is journalistic more than it is scholarly, and you won't find any complex sociological theories here - but for what it is, his work is damned near perfect, and his influence has been enormous. As for Tezuka-Sensei himself, what needs be said? Certainly a and the Manga/anime Revolution subject. Jan 11, Sarah rated it really liked it. An excellent collection of essays analyzing the Astro Boy canon and examining Tezuka's life as both a scientist and a manga-ka. A lot of great insight in one book. One issue: I wish Schodt did not try to brush off Tezuka's overtly racist artwork the images of black people as grass skirt-wearing savages with big lips and so forth as just a sign of his The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka influenced by Disney or that he didn't intend the art to be racist. Authorial intent means jack squat when the actual finished product depi An excellent collection of essays analyzing the Astro Boy canon and examining Tezuka's life as both a scientist and a manga-ka. Authorial intent means jack squat when the actual finished product depicts people in color in a racist light. It's okay to say Tezuka had problematic issues in his work! He isn't a man to be worshipped as someone without faults or problems. Still, overall, a great volume of meta about everyone's favorite boy robot from the future. View 2 comments. May 17, Paranerd rated it really liked it. The Astro Boy Essays details many aspects of Osamu Tezuka's personal life, and the surroundings that led to the robot's creation. Yes, it's a history lesson, but Tezuka is a fascinating person to learn about.