Tag: osamu tezuka

A legendary manga by Osamu Tezuka will have a new chapter… made by AI

A mythical manga by Osamu Tezuka will have a new chapter… made by AI, with human collaboration, and not a little controversy behind it due to its use

There are two inevitable things: taxes and death. And while for the wealthy it seems the former is true, we fear the latter spares no one. Death comes to all, even if some can postpone it more gracefully than others. Nevertheless, humans have always sought ways to evade it, to find a path to immortality. The latest attempt to do so is through AI, in a somewhat questionable creative exercise.

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Osamu Tezuka, considered the father of manga, a pioneer in Japanese animation, and the creator of iconic manga such as Astro Boy or Phoenix, is set to release a new chapter of one of his most well-known works, Black Jack. However, anyone familiar with Osamu Tezuka’s biography might be incredibly confused right now. Why? Because Osamu Tezuka has been deceased for 24 years.

To explain how this is possible, as hinted earlier, we have to turn to AI. Known as Project TEZUKA2023, it began in June 2023 with the goal of creating a new chapter of Black Jack for its 50th anniversary. This project involves combining AI technology with human artists. So, what will the AI be responsible for? Generating the overarching story, character biographies, and the facial features of the characters. All of this will serve as reference material for the human artists to create the actual artwork itself, without directly using any of the content generated by the AI.

In this way, their intention is to use AI as a tool for creative support. As explained by one of the involved individuals, Kaizo Hayashi, it feels like they’re having a conversation with someone while they work. However, we add, if the important decisions of the story are made by an AI, it still carries all the issues associated with AI.

This new Black Jack manga appears in the November 22nd issue of Weekly Shonen Champion. The artists involved are the film director Kaizo Hayashi, the mangaka Shigeto Ikehara, and the character designer Tsunohai. Whether it turns out well or not, one thing is certain: it’s going to generate a lot of discussion within the manga and anime community, and quite possibly beyond it as well.

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Everything you need to know about Pluto, the next big Netflix anime

Pluto, the acclaimed cult manga by Naoki Urasawa, will arrive on Netflix at the end of the month and we will tell you everything you need to know about it.

Few anime series are causing more excitement among a certain sector of anime fans than Netflix’s adaptation of Pluto by Naoki Urasawa. It’s a cult classic from a cult author that, for many people, might not just fly under the radar, but might not even ring a bell. But that’s where we come in, to provide you with context and let you know why this is a significant event in the anime world. And why you shouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.

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Who is Naoki Urasawa?

Naoki Urasawa is a mangaka born in 1959 in Tokyo. Starting his career in 1981, his first long story would be Pineapple Army. Success wouldn’t come until 1986 and 1988 when he released two of his most popular manga: Yawara and Master Keaton. However, it wasn’t until the 90s that he created the three cult works for which he is now known: Monster, 20th Century Boys, and Pluto. Recognized for being an excellent storyteller, both in literary and visual terms, he is known for the idiosyncrasy of his character designs.

What is Pluto about?

“Pluto” is a story set in the world of Astro Boy, the manga created by Osamu Tezuka and published between 1952 and 1968. Specifically, it is a reimagining of the arc “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” taking the name of the villain from the original story for the title of the manga. In this tale, a robot detective named Gesicht is trying to uncover who is behind a series of murders involving robots and humans that seem to be connected. All of this unfolds in a society that, while accepting the essential rights of robots, still harbors deep suspicions and prejudices against them.

Do I need to know anything about Osamu Tezuka or Astro Boy to watch it?

While it helps to be familiar with the original story it’s based on, it’s not necessary to have read or know ‘The Greatest Robot on Earth’ or ‘Astro Boy’ to enjoy Pluto. Those familiar with the character and, more specifically, the story, will appreciate many subtle nods, non-explicit references, and hidden details, but the narrative doesn’t require any prior knowledge of the world.

Where can I see it?

The anime will be exclusively released on Netflix. No other streaming platform currently has the broadcasting rights for this anime.

How many chapters will it have?

According to information from Netflix, the Pluto anime will have 8 episodes. Since the original manga is made up of 8 volumes, it seems like a perfectly reasonable length for a story of this kind.

When does it arrive on Netflix?

Pluto will arrive on Netflix next Thursday, October 26th.

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Anime Perfection: Osamu Tezuka’s Magnum Opus Shines Bright in its Epic Adaptation

Osamu Tezuka will have a new adaptation of his unfinished magnum opera, this time adapting one of his most dramatic arcs

Osamu Tezuka is often referred to as the father of manga. Not without good reason. Although manga has been around long before Tezuka started publishing, it was he who turned it from niche entertainment to mainstream art. Inspired in equal parts by Disney, Takarazuka Revue and his university studies in medicine, he is the creator of immortal manga such as Astro Boy, Princess Knight, Black Jack, Buddha, Dororo, or the one we are dealing with today, Phoenix. Because today has been released the first teaser and a lot of relevant information of the new adaptation of this unfinished manga of the most famous mangaka in history.

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Phoenix: Eden 17 is an adaptation by Studio 4ºC with director Shojiro Nishimi, director of the notable Mutafukaz, and screenwriters Katsunari Mano and Saku Konohana, whose most notable works are Death Note Light up the NEW World and Children of the Sea respectively. The character designer and art director are Tatsuzou Nishida and Shinji Kimura, respectively. Since most of the team is the same as in Children of the Sea, we can expect a very delicate animation work, a use of muted colors with much emphasis on the contrast of lights, and languid characters within the canons of Tezuka’s own character design.

In the case of this anime, we will follow Romi and his companion, who leave a devastated Earth in search of a new life on the planet Eden17. Unfortunately, in this new world, life is already extinct and they will have to find a way to survive in a context even more difficult than that of Earth. The anime is based on the original manga arc called Nostalgia, of which we will not give any details so as not to give away any of the possible plot of the anime.

Phoenix: Eden 17 can be seen through Disney +, with a world premiere date for September 13. This ONA, or anime created specifically for streaming services, will also have a version in the form of a film that will be titled Phoenix: Reminiscence of Flower, whose official premiere in Japan will be on November 3. But unless you are lucky enough to be in Japan on those dates, for now you will have to settle for its streaming premiere in less than two months.

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Reviving a Legend: Artificial Intelligence Breathes Life Into Iconic Manga Series

The AI has learned the plot structure and character relationships of Black Jack and is supposed to be ready to make its own episode.

“Hey, ChatGPT, make me a chapter of the manga ‘Black Jack'”. Osamu Tezuka’s heirs don’t seem to have as much respect as they seem to have for the so-called “god of manga” now that it’s almost 35 years since his death. The artist, who in his death throes asked to be allowed to work a little longer and who drew some 150,000 pages of manga by himself, would surely be delighted with artificial intelligence writing an extra chapter of his most remembered manga. Oh, yes. Almost for sure.

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In shirtsleeves

That artificial intelligence is supposed to have come to take away our jobs, salaries and lives is not news, but that the authors themselves (or the distant family of the same) agree to have their work studied by a machine and passed through filters to have something more or less new. In this case, the AI has learned the plot structure and character relationships of ‘Black Jack’ and is supposed to be ready to make its own episode.

To add insult to injury, it will be the first chapter since the last manga was published in 1983 in Shukan Shonen Champion magazine. Tezuka’s son Makoto is not entirely convinced, though: “Although I proposed it myself, I’m aware that it’s outrageous and, even today, I’m hesitant about whether it will work.” Just the words of encouragement you want to hear from your leader.

However, in another statement he has pulled out of his sleeve that his father would use AI if he were alive and that’s enough to try to do the creative Ouija board. To demonstrate what artificial intelligence is capable of doing they showed drawings in which the doctor uses a cell phone as proof of what machines are capable of doing.

It is not the first time that an AI creates a work, precisely, by Osamu Tezuka: in 2020 ‘Paidon’ was already published with his style and his way of making the arguments but without the express permission of the family. What is known as “stealing”. Anyway, we know that this project will use ChatGPT-4 and that it will mark a new barrier in artistic ethics that, to tell the truth, nobody seems to care too much about. Strange times.

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Osamu Tezuka’s Unwavering Spirit: Working Till the End on his Deathbed

After him he left 700 different titles and about 60 anime: a total of 150,000 pages. Doing a quick calculation, it is about ten a day throughout his life. And still wanted to do more.

On February 9, 1989, the god of manga left us forever. Osamu Tezuka, who started creating his own stories professionally in 1945, never stopped working until the very moment of his death. He left “Ludwig B” unfinished, a fictionalized biography of Beethoven. Behind him, he left 700 different titles and around 60 animes, totaling 150,000 pages. Doing a quick calculation, that’s about ten pages per day throughout his entire life. And he still wanted to do more.

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It is curious that Tezuka drew inspiration from Disney films to add more expressiveness to his designs because later on, it was the American company that “got inspired” (to put it mildly, shamelessly copied) one of his works, ‘Kimba the White Lion’. From Kimba to Simba, they didn’t put much thought into it.

Before Rumiko Takahashi, Eiichiro Oda, Clamp, or Tite Kubo, there was Tezuka, who always refused to confine himself to a single genre. He created shonen (manga for boys), seinen (for adult readers), and shojo (his unforgettable ‘Princess Knight’). Although he enjoyed creating, he had so many ongoing projects that he often escaped from editors to have a peaceful drink.

Tezuka’s life was filled with paradoxes and coincidences. He started his adult life by obtaining a medical degree, and his career as a mangaka was built on a work about medicine (the fantastic ‘Black Jack’). Finally, his last words were spoken to a nurse. It is said that when he was lying in bed, suffering from terminal stomach cancer, a professional removed his drawing equipment.

“Please, let me work!” were the last words spoken by the god of manga at the age of 60, knowing that he still had many more stories to tell. His legacy continues to this day with works like ‘Pluto,’ which presents ‘Astroboy’ from a modern perspective. But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of his posthumous career was the discovery made by his daughter. In 1994, five years after his death, she opened a drawer that had remained closed since then.

Inside, she found a half-eaten ounce of chocolate, an essay about Katsuhiro Otomo and his work on ‘Akira,’ various sketches… and a significant number of erotic drawings featuring anthropomorphic animals. Frankly, even forty more years would have been too few for Tezuka.