Astro Boy Teaser Online

At last! There's more to see of Imagi's Astro Boy feature! Unfortunately, the designs look pretty watered down. I realize that Tezuka's designs are challenging for CG, but I wish that more of the original manga's graphic appeal had been retained. Oh, well... ultimately, it'll all pivot on the story anyway.

I'm probably just envious... I'd love to direct an Astro Boy movie!

Mighty Atom Gains Weight

"Forget the svelte little feller capable of soaring through the skies and 100,000 horsepower strength: the roly-poly latest incarnation of Japan's most famous cartoon character of all is more like LardAss-tro Boy, according to Shukan Shincho (4/10).

In a collaboration with decorated illustrator Lily Franky, Tezuka Productions has produced a version of Astro Boy (known as 'Mighty Atom' in Japan) with fleshy jowls and a belly that wouldn't look out of place on Japan's other icons, sumo wrestlers."

Read the rest of Ryann Connell's Manichi Daily News article here.

Another New Flickr Group

Here we go again! You have to admit, though - don't you think it's a little bizarre that the titan of manga doesn't have a Flickr group devoted to him? I do - so I made one!

I've made it an 18+ group, because a lot of Tezuka's work deals with violent and/or sexual subject matter. I don't intend to dwell on that facet of his work - mainly, I'm just being careful.

Join, post, enjoy!

The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum: A Mini-Tour

Christopher Butcher (manager of The Beguiling, a Canadian comic book store) has generously posted a bunch of his Tezuka Museum photos on his blog, Comics212. Until you can afford a trip there yourself - enjoy!

Colin Brady on Directing Astro Boy

Colin and I worked together on Toy Story, so it's great to see him take the helm of one of the most iconic animation projects ever! Here's an interview where he discusses his approach as they move into production. Go Colin!

To navigate: IMAGI main page > Our films/Astro Boy > introduction > Colin Brady Q & A.

Toy OTD: Cominica Japan Metropolis Maquette: Tima

I'm not a big fan of the film version of Tezuka's Metropolis manga - I thought technically it was amazing, but the story was weak. Still, director Ritnaro kept the essence of the Tezuka character designs, so the merchandise is still very cool!

Here's a resin staute of the main character Tima, the robot around which much of the story revolves. It's an appealing design, and the sculpt and paint work is quite nice. I do remember some fragility issues - originally I had wanted to buy a statue of Kenichi, but the figure came off the base too easily, or there was some damage to it that I hadn't noticed in the display case. If you can, be sure to check an item in this line carefully before purchasing!

The figure is 18 cm tall, and is from an edition of 1500 pieces. You can get one from kibidango.ch (for 49.90 CHF Switzerland Francs or 41.88 USD) if you can read German. I bought mine from Things From Another World, but I don't see it listed on their website.

Tezuka Exhibit Coming To The U.S. In June

Tezuka: The Marvel Of Manga will be displayed at the Asian Art Museum from June 2nd through September 9th. It's a collection of over two hundred "drawings, paintings and more" by Osamu Tesuka. Apparently, this is the first exhibition is the first of its kind outside of Japan. I can't wait! Mark your calendars, and keep checking here for more info.