@princess-unipeg / princess-unipeg.tumblr.com
We are gathered here today to witness the holy matrimony between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the Princess of Love, ruler of the Crystal Empire, guardian of the Crystal Heart and mother to Flurry Heart, Equestria's first born alicorn. And her groom Shining Armor, Twilight's brother & the guy who put a load of geese in the throne room.
Redraw of this image bc I think about it daily
Works listed:
Notes:
Osamu Tezuka 1972 calendar, with images of a few of the months included.
Osamu Tezuka Character Bus Passes (1998-2001)
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I discovered several very old banners from the official Osamu Tezuka website archived on google images. Unfortunately, clicking on the source leads to a 404 page on the Tezuka website, if I had to guess, these are from the early 2000′s and or maybe even the late 90′s.
Oh, what fun this reading was! I absolutely adore Japanese media in the interim/wartime period, as it’s a fascinating look into the popular culture and general sentiment of the time. Or at least, what the government allowed to be shown of popular culture/general sentiment of the time. Norakuro, with its roots in what I’m assuming is the Sino-Japanese War, was a particularly interesting piece, showing the author’s, and the general public’s positive outlook on the war. It almost seemed to serve a propaganda-like purpose at the end, with the “freed” peoples intermingling and praising Norakuro and his regiment for “protecting” them, as well as giving them “good politics.” Interestingly enough, the art style seems very Western in particular, I see a similarity to early characters such Felix the Cat, for example. However, I suppose this is before the government-enforced push for a more “Japanese” pop-culture that would come in the 40s.
Mighty Atom, or known to us as Astro Boy, was a particularly fun work, as its humor was very familiar, yet also very meta. One of my favorite scenes from the manga was during Pedro’s dramatic backstory, where Mustachio (these names are fantastic as well) kicks some odd character out of frame just because it wasn’t supposed to be there. The ridiculousness of the moon plot felt oddly natural in a story like this, and I loved every second of the over-the-top adventure. While both stories at hand were indeed enjoyable, the deeper meanings behind both were very much still within reach. Both stories-the first, with its morbid allusions to the potential evils of science (or mankind? 44 seems to have been a pretty bad year for the world…), and the second with its environmental themes-were impactful in their own ways. I can easily see now why Astro Boy is such a beloved story, as, like many other timeless works before and after, there really is something in it for everyone.
Promotional Tezuka Pro artwork for a sandal made in Japan.
Cover art for the 2000 Tezuka Star System special “The Last Mystery of the 20th Century”.
Osamu Tezuka at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 1982.
