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A review by eely225
The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution by Frederik L. Schodt
3.0
3.5 for being workmanlike but failing to be much more.
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 really that's an excuse to have chapters that don't tie to a larger idea and build on one another.
It's decent. 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.
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 really that's an excuse to have chapters that don't tie to a larger idea and build on one another.
It's decent. 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.