AstroBoy Online Forums

From this very site

Osamu Tezuka’s message:

What I try to appeal through my works is simple. The opinion is just a simple message that follows: "Love all the creatures! Love everything that has life"! I have been trying to express this message in every one of my works. Though it has taken the different forms like "the presentation of nature" "the blessing of life" "the suspicion on too much science oriented civilisation" anti war and so on.


So does everybody think Tezuka has been successful in conveying this message throughout his pieces of work?

Just some quick thoughts:

At first glance it may seem a little odd that this is a message Tezuka is conveying throughout his works where in a series such as Astroboy where we have so many people dying. And not "meaningless" charactors nobody cares about as we often see in TV shows or the movies. All the charactors that die in Astroboy have been built up so the audience cares something about them and with that I think lies the key to Tezuka's message. We care about every single death that happens in Astroboy. Even the "enemies" of Astro. Not one single person in the series is made for the audience to cheer when he's dead. We respect all life.

I remember that episode where Atlas is using up earth energy for his crystal castle and as a result is causing death to several animal creatures indirectly on earth. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the all the animals. Even though their charactors hadn't been built up they were shown in a sympathetic state where the viewer could not help but feel for them. Again, love all life depicted in the "the presentation of nature" as Tezuka said in his message.

That brings me to the episode that I'm forgetting now where that guy dressed up as a cat is protecting a bunch of nature's creatures. In it he goes on about humans are disrectful to animals with the example of the racehorse who is forgotten about after he is broken down from racing so much. Just stuff that makes you think.

Yeah, I think that Tezuka couldn't have his message brought over any better than through his manga and anime works.

Always when I watch any anime-episode by Tezuka, I can feel the great amount of love he'd put in ev'ry detail, i.e. even in common things like blink of eyes, moving of arms and hands, facial expressions etc.
Somehow just those little actions can move something inside of one. I don't know any other cartoonist who could done this with the same perfection as Tezuka.

Every Astroboy episode can be regarded as in real life in a way.
When Astro's dog Jump gets badly injured by the robot vikings, you want nothing more than to leap thru the TVscreen to hug and comfort him.
When Astro himself is jumping for joy about his succeeding of preventing the volcano's crater from erupting, you'd like to do the same thing as above, but this time not out of compasssion but out of sheer joy with him.
You get angry with Atlas, you laugh about Uran's dancing, you feel with the caracters' fate of every different episode..., and the boundry TVscreen to soul seems to disappear and it fills your heart out. At least that's what happens to me most of the time when I watch the 80's series.

Or take Walt Disney: Still one of their best animation works IMO is 'Robin Hood', made somwhere in 1973, but todays Walt Disney animations seems to me kinda cold and steril.
They just extend their style of humour over and over again with lesser heed to details, the 'common things', that is. Today they seem to set 'quantity' before 'quality', which is very sad.
Tezuka's works play on a totally higher level, even the new AB-series.

The depht of Tezuka's message he convey through his works is incomparable to any other artist of the same genre.
As far as I'm concerned, his message has broken through.

However I'm not sure of what someone might think who watches Astroboy the first time, or even Kimba, Blackjack or whatever.
I for one grew up with Astroboy, rediscovered him somewhere during the 90's and finally today I'm a hopeless case of an Astroholia-addict. Therefore, certainly my post isn't quite objective, I've got a bias lasting for about 18 years by now .

Originally posted by Louis'74@Sep 21 2004, 03:59 AM
Yeah, I think that Tezuka couldn't have his message brought over any better than through his manga and anime works.

Always when I watch any anime-episode by Tezuka, I can feel the great amount of love he'd put in ev'ry detail, i.e. even in common things like blink of eyes, moving of arms and hands, facial expressions etc.
Somehow just those little actions can move something inside of one. I don't know any other cartoonist who could done this with the same perfection as Tezuka.

Every Astroboy episode can be regarded as in real life in a way.
When Astro's dog Jump gets badly injured by the robot vikings, you want nothing more than to leap thru the TVscreen to hug and comfort him.
When Astro himself is jumping for joy about his succeeding of preventing the volcano's crater from erupting, you'd like to do the same thing as above, but this time not out of compasssion but out of sheer joy with him.
You get angry with Atlas, you laugh about Uran's dancing, you feel with the caracters' fait of every different episode..., and the boundry TVscreen to soul seems to disappear and it fills your heart out. At least that's what happens to me most of the time when I watch the 80's series.

Or take Walt Disney: Still one of their best animation works IMO is 'Robin Hood', made somwhere in 1973, but todays Walt Disney animations seems to me kinda cold and steril.
They just extend their style of humour over and over again with lesser heed to details, the 'common things', that is. Today they seem to set 'quantity' before 'quality', which is very sad.
Tezuka's works play on a totally higher level, even the new AB-series.

The depht of Tezuka's message he convey through his works is incomparable to any other artist of the same genre.
As far as I'm concerned, his message has broken through.

However I'm not sure of what someone might think who watches Astroboy the first time, or even Kimba, Blackjack or whatever.
I for one grew up with Astroboy, rediscovered him somewhere during the 90's and finally today I'm a hopeless case of an Astroholia-addict. Therefore, certainly my post isn't quite objective, I've got a bias lasting for about 18 years by now .

Louis you complain of being ignored, but no Real Astroboy would say anything against Walt Disney... The interior Cinema cultus has Walt Elias Disney as an incarnation of Elias Angelus. This should be considered along with Thomas Edison being worshiped as a Devi or God. Or incarnation of the Light giver. The Mouseketeers were evolved into Astroboys... The points on Astros head are vestigial mouse ears. Astro is just a "Tomorrow Land" toon. Tezuka is an obvious agent of The Disney plan.
Did you play the Game or NOT? :wacko:

Originally posted by Louis'74@Sep 20 2004, 02:59 PM
Yeah, I think that Tezuka couldn't have his message brought over any better than through his manga and anime works.

Always when I watch any anime-episode by Tezuka, I can feel the great amount of love he'd put in ev'ry detail, i.e. even in common things like blink of eyes, moving of arms and hands, facial expressions etc.
Somehow just those little actions can move something inside of one. I don't know any other cartoonist who could done this with the same perfection as Tezuka.

Every Astroboy episode can be regarded as in real life in a way.
When Astro's dog Jump gets badly injured by the robot vikings, you want nothing more than to leap thru the TVscreen to hug and comfort him.
When Astro himself is jumping for joy about his succeeding of preventing the volcano's crater from erupting, you'd like to do the same thing as above, but this time not out of compasssion but out of sheer joy with him.
You get angry with Atlas, you laugh about Uran's dancing, you feel with the caracters' fait of every different episode..., and the boundry TVscreen to soul seems to disappear and it fills your heart out. At least that's what happens to me most of the time when I watch the 80's series.

Or take Walt Disney: Still one of their best animation works IMO is 'Robin Hood', made somwhere in 1973, but todays Walt Disney animations seems to me kinda cold and steril.
They just extend their style of humour over and over again with lesser heed to details, the 'common things', that is. Today they seem to set 'quantity' before 'quality', which is very sad.
Tezuka's works play on a totally higher level, even the new AB-series.

The depht of Tezuka's message he convey through his works is incomparable to any other artist of the same genre.
As far as I'm concerned, his message has broken through.

However I'm not sure of what someone might think who watches Astroboy the first time, or even Kimba, Blackjack or whatever.
I for one grew up with Astroboy, rediscovered him somewhere during the 90's and finally today I'm a hopeless case of an Astroholia-addict. Therefore, certainly my post isn't quite objective, I've got a bias lasting for about 18 years by now .

I have not watched many newer Disney productions, but yesterday, I sat down with my 5 year-old neice, & started watching home on the range. I found its attempt at humor, lame at best, and often rude. What parent wants his kid thinking that burping is funny? When I was a kid, Disney was still Walt, & there were standards. Parents could trust the content to be inoffensive, & even to enforce certain morals that many parents valued. Since Walt died, it seems the content has become increasingly crude, even disregarding the crudeness, many productions are very much inferior to those made during Walt's life time.

I think Tezuka's successors have been faithfully carrying on his vision, while Disney's have been using his name to sell their own ideas that were often contrary to his. However, other than the films Metropolis & Jungle Emporer, I know of no new productions carrying Tezuka's name.

I just watched The Three Musketeers and it was just fine.
But you guy's will speak of any inane subject other thannnnn.....
THE GAME!!!

Originally posted by cybotron@Sep 21 2004, 06:13 AM
Louis you complain of being ignored, but no Real Astroboy would say anything against Walt Disney... The interior Cinema cultus has Walt Elias Disney as an incarnation of Elias Angelus. This should be considered along with Thomas Edison being worshiped as a Devi or God. Or incarnation of the Light giver. The Mouseketeers were evolved into Astroboys... The points on Astros head are vestigial mouse ears. Astro is just a "Tomorrow Land" toon. Tezuka is an obvious agent of The Disney plan.
Did you play the Game or NOT? :wacko:

Yeah. Right down to the fact that Astro's hair never changes perpectives just like Mickey Mouse's ears.

People, please do a bit research on Felix the Cat (the artists and Felix's design). You will be surprised that Mickey is a cat!

Even though Walt Disney did "borrow" the design to create Mickey, I do like him. Anything around and after his death, I do not like. I agree with Jeff all the way.

Originally posted by Breakman@Sep 20 2004, 07:07 PM
People, please do a bit research on Felix the Cat (the artists and Felix's design). You will be surprised that Mickey is a cat!

Even though Walt Disney did "borrow" the design to create Mickey, I do like him. Anything around and after his death, I do not like. I agree with Jeff all the way.

I found this site http://felixthecat.com, that gives a fairly good history of this character. However, I find its dates for the development of television, a bit earlier than I thought they should be. I need to check into this, before I can comment further.

Originally posted by Louis'74@Sep 21 2004, 04:59 AM
Or take Walt Disney: Still one of their best animation works IMO is 'Robin Hood', made somwhere in 1973, but todays Walt Disney animations seems to me kinda cold and steril.
They just extend their style of humour over and over again with lesser heed to details, the 'common things', that is. Today they seem to set 'quantity' before 'quality', which is very sad.
Tezuka's works play on a totally higher level, even the new AB-series.

Sorry. Can not let that go without comment. U hit a nerve.

Dysney did not have soul until they did away with convention and actuially started concentrating on "common things" in their presentation. The turn did happen around the time that Dysney aquired the rights to A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh Stories. Before that all dysney had was a hell of a lot of pretty and watered down traditional storytelling with songs to break the monotiny.

Trying something new almost killed Dysney to start with. THe Black Cauldren was the first 'flop' Dysney Animation had made, and they were on a popularity slide to that point. This movie is well noted as the final "traditional" animated movie in their catalogue. It was not until they "Started over" that they began the climb back. THE LITTLE MERMAID was the movie that put Dysney back in the players circle. I movie that took an original heartbreaking story, and reworked it into a hope filled and heart felt fable that the world loved. The "new" Dysney Animation studio was at that point still a minority for dysney on the whole, and they had to make BEAUTY AND THE BEAST on a (comparitive) budget that was the lowest they ever had. Guess what? They made the most sucessful Animated movie in history, culminating in an Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture.

Dysney works now BECAUSE they started to put the Heart in. Granted they buggered up big time with HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (they took one of the greatest heartfelt stories of history and turned it into a street parade of flash and boredom) and ALLADDIN (Who ever cast Robin Williams need a smack to the head), but they also scored near perfect hits with TARZAN, ALADDIN 2 and 3 (Both of which were OAV titles! The EMPORER'S NEW GROOVE, and even their PIXAR co-productions. It is simply incorrect to say "Modern" Dysney is cold or Sterile.

As a final point. Go and play KINGDOM HEARTS on PS2, and then try saying Dysney has become 'cold' or focuses more on quantity over quality.

Alright, I admit it wasn't correct to call todays Disney animations as 'cold & sterile', I'm sorry if I may have hurt anybody's feelings with my statement.
'Quantity before quality' also may be wrong. I have chosen the wrong words which are depreciative, I agree on that.

All I wanted to say is that I just seem to have more fun with Disney's earlier works than with the newer animations, this is just an opinion of mine.
It's a fact that I'm too biased by Tezuka's creations, maybe that's because nowadays I'm less openminded for Disney's animations as I was in the past.

I seem to have poked in a hornet's nest with my comments about Disney. I didn't mean to, of course.

Oh well, it won't be the last time I put one's foot in it.