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A review by theseventhl
The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution by Frederik L. Schodt
4.0
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 being influenced by Disney or that he didn't intend the art to be racist. 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.
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 being influenced by Disney or that he didn't intend the art to be racist. 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.