The Astonishing Work of Tezuka Osamu

Tezuka Osamu (1928-89), creator of the widely popular Astro Boy, as well as hundreds of other comics and television series, is often referred to—without exaggeration—as the father of both manga and anime. But as he notes in the 1986 interview included on this DVD, the works he himself held in highest esteem were the animated shorts he produced over the years as independent projects. The 13 included here—the first seven made between 1962-68, the last six between 1984-88, and varying from a few seconds to 40 minutes-plus—present a strong argument for his preference. Unfailingly imaginative and demonstrating absolute command of an amazing variety of styles (though always returning to certain themes—reverence for the environment and antipathy to mindless industrialism and militarism), the films in The Astonishing Work of Tezuka Osamu confirm Osamu's standing as a major artist. All are worth viewing (although Male is probably suitable only for mature audiences), but pride of place must go to the witty Broken Down Film, in which cowboy characters have to contend with the supposedly distressed old print they're appearing in; Tales of the Street Corner, about humans, animals, and inanimate figures in a single cul-de-sac; Pictures at an Exhibition, a chain of vignettes on human types depicted on a gallery wall; and especially Legend of the Forest, which tells a story of impending environmental destruction while simultaneously depicting the history of animation from 19th-century etching to contemporary anime. Legend is brilliantly scored to Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony; others feature classical pieces by Offenbach, Ravel, Orff, Debussy, and, of course, in Pictures, Mussorgsky. Of the 13 shorts, eight have no dialogue, and five are in Japanese with English subtitles. DVD extras include the aforementioned interview with the director. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)