The amazing Tezuka

Osamu Tezuka is specifically known in USA for his creation Astroboy which is also one of the first animes ever created.  To be completely honest, I could never get into the feel good aspect of Astroboy.  Particularly because the character designs were so cheesy retro and their personalities were in a similar tacky vein.

But herein lies the problem. Astroboy is a small blip on the Tezuka radar.  He has countless amazing works that make Astroboy pale in comparison.  It's sad that in the US he is known for this dated work when in Japan he is known as the father of modern manga (also known as the god of manga).  And it's a title he deserves.

Granted, he's no Will Eisner, who is a force that formed American comic books into a work of art, but his story telling is compelling and his style is what all of our animes and mangas of today are based off of (Big eyes, small nose, lipless mouths, etc).

The most amazing thing about him, to me, is that he was in medical school while he wrote many of his works.  That's right!  He was studying in an intensive graduate school program while making all this amazing shit for fun!  He even finished the damn degree before he began his comic career full time, but that is after years of studying and drawing professionally side by side.  Crazy!

I think that's why I find his manga series Black Jack, to be one of my favorites.  Though it's not medically accurate in many of its stories, it's about a 'rogue' doctor that goes around helping people with extreme and odd medical problems.  Tezuka's light, childish drawing style helps make the comic book digestible, as the subject matter can be fairly dark and hard to deal with, particularly if organs make you queasy.

Come to think of it, I think that's what I came to like most about Tezuka's work.  The very dark, adult content hidden behind the up-beat, simple artwork.  I feel this is what he's best known for since all ages can enjoy the same content but on different levels.

He also did an amazing series about the life of the Buddha (aptly named Buddha) following the birth, life, and death of Siddhartha Guatama.  It has a fair amount of inaccuracies if you base it upon historian research, however, it is a great introduction to Buddhist teachings as well as the historical evolution of buddhism in general.  It is also a very dark comic, with murder and other heinous acts in it, that you don't find so heavy because of his art and writing style.

So here's to you Osamu Tezuka.  I hope people take notice here in the U.S. of A. of your contribution to our culture and at least become more recognized in the comic community of today. Thank you for making so many enjoyable works that I can share randomly with others on all different levels of life.  Even if they could care less about my enthusiasm on an inane subject like comics.

Growing Older

My mother used to say when I was little that you are never the same person you were 7 years ago.  Looking back on the old posts of this blog, I can see some of the same qualities, personality, and views, however, my life is drastically altered from that person just 3 short years ago.  I'm definitely not as witty as that person, where I came up with such writing I'll never know.

As for my life, I'm now married to my sihaya which will most likely be a chapter of this blog, since it is by far a different relationship.  Good but different.

I'm also in the process of a full-time Master's in a field very different from what I've studied the past 10 years of my life.  Fisheries Stock Assessment has a much nicer ring to it than Museum Education, doesn't it?  Well, if anything, it gives me a chance to observe what a person's confused stare looks like before I get the question, "What is that?"  I guess you could say I have finally stopped running away from numbers and have embraced them fully, if a bit hesitantly.  I'm learning to be a mathematical coder, lecturer, and fish ecologist all while holding the knowledge of American art history, buddhist symbolism, and education to guide me!  Needless to say, it has been an incredible struggle, but I'm learning more and more each day; and for once, I'm generally happy in what I am accomplishing.  My work seems to have meaning and I feel better knowing that I'm not wasting my life with something I only have frustration towards.

For this degree, we've essentially moved to the sticks from a large city.  To keep myself entertained, I've become interested in the preparation of food.  I was pretty interested before but more in the nutrition aspect of it.  I've now learned the art of artisan bread, butter, and pasta making as well as a beginner's knowledge of herb growing.  This has changed my behavior in the kitchen to a point of snobbery particularly in the process of creating everything from "scratch" or their most essential ingredients up.  The fact that my sihaya has been put on a medical diet has exacerbated this into an obsession.  Looking at my posts on pescitarianism, I am back in my old stomping ground only with an arsenal of new techniques and more information than I previously had.  This time around I'm not having the fatigue or pains I did before.  It's not as restrictive as my last experiment, but it's working so much better than the bumpy road of 2009.

All in all, life is but a dream now.  I'm no longer stuck in a job I didn't care for.  I've moved my relationship with my plus 1 into the forever category.  I'm being mentally stimulated/exhausted every day.  And it's working me into a new career I could only hope for a few short years ago.

And to top it all off I'm now a master chef...or not. One can dream can't they?