How are Bambi and Buddha related? For Osamu Tezuka, “the godfather of Japanese manga comics,” the connection was clear. Inspired by Disney’s Bambi and Donald Duck, Tezuka defined the iconic wide-eyed features of Japanese cartoons. And while he is best known for Astro Boy, the manga turned animated cartoon, his series depicting the life of Buddha made manga accessible to all ages.
The cutesy aspects of Tezuka’s characters are balanced by hefty themes of sacrifice, discrimination and spiritual awakening (also by some surprisingly crude language at times). Tezuka’s drawing style varies depending on the caste each character belongs to: Brahmin, Warrior, Commoner or Slave.
We first meet Naradatta, a Brahmin, on his search for “the great one.” Meanwhile a slave named Chapra and his mother are tormented as slaves. When Chapra is robbed by a beggar, his slave master threatens to sell his mother if he can’t get it back. This is where we meet Tatta, a beggar who looks more like a kewpie doll than a thief. We learn that Tatta has special powers and a sensitivity that his crude humor belies. While Chapra and Tatta’s city is decimated by General Budai, all of these characters’ lives become intertwined.
I prefer pages that demonstrate Tezuka’s technical skills as an illustrator and storyteller. Tezuka’s sprawling landscapes, featuring the Himalayas and the Indus River Valley, give these characters a historical context.
Keep an eye out for Tezuka’s cameo as a doctor in this volume. As someone who left medical school to pursue his art, Tezuka gets to explore what his life may have been like in the fantasy of his drawings.
This volume introduces the birth of Buddha. I hope to learn more about him in the next volumes. I hear there’s an animated movie adaptation of this series. Does anyone know a good way to find it?
Books I've Read Since College 