Astro Boy - URAN!

Tezuka Productions: Astro Boy and Friends - Uran - Heathside Trading 2022

In the past 10 years or so I've become a big fan of Osamu Tezuka. He is known by many nicknames, but I was always fond of "The Godfather of Manga." At over 150,000 pages and 700 volumes of manga in his brief 60 years, he earns that title easily. Interestingly, I think what finally turned me from a casual appreciative fan into a mega-fan was the launching of KickStarter and the almost immediate campaigns to translate various works of his into English. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I picked up the very first KickStarter-funded manga of his at my local comic shop and was instantly smitten. But way before I began obsessing over his manga, I was a big of the 1963 black & white Astro Boy anime (an adaptation of Tezuka's Mighty Atom manga from 1952). I had an  VHS with a handful of episodes and I was blown away by the quality. It's was lightyears ahead of American animation. I even played the exact same tape on a loop in my college years for background ambiance at parties, and it always got attention. 

Iguana no Musume - IGUANA GIRL!

Fewture Comic Character Series - Iguana Girl - Art Storm/Fewture 2002

In 1992, a unique 51-page manga called Iguana no Musume (Iguana Girl), written and drawn by Moto Hagio was published in the manga magazine Petit Flower. It's a bizarre little tale about a young girl named Rika whose mother sees her as an Iguana. Other characters see Rika as a normal, albeit plain, young girl. But in her mother's eyes, she is a scaly beast in a dress. Her mother treats her very poorly, especially in comparison to her fair-haired perfect little sister Mami (whom the mother adores). The story follows Rika from birth to adulthood and illustrates how deeply she is affected by her mother's behavior. She is plagued by low self-esteem and fear of falling in love, believing that she actually is an Iguana inside and will only bring hurt to those around her. The story is insightful with a fairy tale quality that I adore. I personally exhibit a few adult character traits that are a direct result of my parents' perception of me as a child. So I have always found this story to be a unique, poignant, and universal tale. 

Cyborg 009 - FRANCOISE ARNOUL (Cyborg 003)!

Cyborg 009 - Zero Zero Number Box Three - Cyborg 003 - Bandai 2002

Shotaro Ishinomori is a prominent creator in Japanese culture and across the world. He is probably best known for creating the Super Sentai (aka Power Rangers) genre. But he is equally notable for various manga and anime properties, my favorite of which is Cyborg 009. Beginning as a manga series that ran from 1967-1981, it has spawned 7 animated movies, and 3 separate animated series. The story focuses on Joe Shimamura (aka Cyborg 009) who wakes up to find himself cybernetically enhanced and with only intermittent memories of his past. He meets all the other previous Cyborgs (numbers 001 through 008) and they all escape the facility that kidnapped and experimented on them. Each Cyborg has one unique ability, like flight, shapeshifting, telepathy, etc. The premise reminds me of other more modern properties that I've loved like Next Men and Gen13. Something I especially appreciate about Cyborg 009 is their matching uniforms that barely changed throughout their 56-year run.

Centauria - GO NAGAI ROBOT COLLECTION!

Go Nagai Robot Collection - Centauria 2017-2018

Go Nagai is a provocative and prolific creator. He is most known in the US for Mazinger Z, Devilman, and Cutie Honey. All of which were groundbreaking in many ways, but they also all have oddly objectifying themes for the female characters. On one hand, Cutie Honey (1973) has the first female protagonist in a shonen manga series. But every time the character transforms into the heroine, she is nude for a second. Devilman (1972) is full of female characters, but a large number of them are humanoid demons who wear no clothes. And of course, Mazinger Z (1972) introduced female mecha to manga and anime, but that innovative inclusion is tempered by the fact that almost all these robots have breasts that are weaponized and can be launched as warheads. All that said, I don't find any of these traits actually offensive. Sometimes they are worthy of an eye-roll, but nothing is overtly sexual and there is a consistent playfulness that let's you just enjoy the simple retro designs and historical context.

Urusei Yatsura - LUM!

Figma Action Figure Series #063 - Urusei Yatsura (Lum) - Max Factory 2010

Urusei Yatsura is an iconic manga series which was published from 1978-1987 (plus an anime series from 1981-1987). I was often exposed to images of Lum, the bikini-clad flying girl with little horns, when I was young (her popularity in Japan somehow traveled across the ocean, albeit without much context), but my first real exposure came when the comics began to be reprinted in the US in the early 90s. I was instantly hooked. Lum's author and artist, Rumiko Takahashi, is one of my top five favorite creators of all time. She's most commonly known for Inu-Yasha or Ranma 1/2, but I've literally loved every series she's created. Urusei Yatsura roughly translates into "Those Obnoxious Aliens" and deals with a threatened alien invasion that can only be thwarted if a randomly chosen young man, the lecherous and comically unlucky Ataru, can win a game of tag against the young alien princess, Lum. Wacky hijinks, zany characters, and ridiculous scenarios ensue - for nine years and 374 stories!

Funko POP! Asia - PRINCESS SAPPHIRE!

POP! Asia #55 - Osamu Tezuka Official: Princess Sapphire - Funko 2015

Several years ago I was in one of my local comic shops and picked up the first volume of the 12-volume manga epic, Phoenix by Osamu Tezuka. Many years prior I had notice an abundance of Phoenix figurines which prompted me to investigate and discover the manga. But at the time, the first volume was selling for well over $100. I was interested, but not obsessed enough to spend that much. So years later when I found it for cover price on the shelf I was really happy. Then overnight I became a huge Osamu Tezuka fan. I had heard his name all my life (I was a big fan of Astroboy in high school and I knew of the Tezuka manga award). His 44 year career in comics earned him the title "The Godfather of Manga" and in the course of his life he drew over 700 volumes (very few of which have been translated into English, relatively). I've read quite of bit of his work since then (and loved it all) but my favorite by far has been Princess Knight. For a comic published between 1953-56, it was shockingly relevant.