context: comics > Osamu Tezuka

Buddha

A parable told twice in the series, once to and once by Buddha

This is the last major series that Tezuka created, running for ten years from 1974, and published in English in eight volumes. It took me a while to get around to it, I guess because my committed atheism made me think it wouldn't be to my tastes, but eventually I concluded that I wanted to read everything I could get by Tezuka, whatever the subject matter.

It tells the story of the Buddha, following the history and legend, but adding lots of his own invention to it. It's a breathtaking accomplishment, blending seriousness and reverence for the ideas of Buddhism with action and humour - as ever, he regularly interjects moments that not only remind us it's a comic, but that it's a Tezuka comic, having totally anachronistic appearances from other characters of his. Formally, it may be his most consistently beautiful work.

backwards: Princess Knight

forwards: Animation