Tezuka Productions
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a Japanese
animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals ...
founded by
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
in 1968. It is known for animating notable works such as '' Marvelous Melmo'', the 1980 and 2003 ''Astro Boy'' series, and '' Black Jack''. It is also the holder of the intellectual property of Tezuka's works; his son,
Makoto Tezuka , officially romanized as Macoto Tezka, is a Japanese film and anime director, born in Tokyo. He fashions himself as a visualist and is involved in the creation of moving images beyond film and animation. He partially owns Tezuka Productions an ...
, currently aims to use the company to extend Tezuka's
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series with new issues and publish posthumous works such as ''Legend of the Forest''. Their logo is a blue silhouette of
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' vo ...
's head as a mascot.


History

In 1961, Osamu Tezuka established Osamu Tezuka Mushi Production as a video and animation production unit. It was officially incorporated as Mushi Productions Co., Ltd., the following year. Tezuka served as acting director of the company until 1968, when he left to start another animation studio, Tezuka Productions Co., Ltd., as a spun-off division of
Mushi Production or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wit ...
s dedicated to manga production and copyright management. In 1970, Tezuka moved the headquarters of Tezuka Productions to the second and third floors of a cafe business across from
Fujimidai Station is a railway station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Seibu Railway. Lines Fujimidai Station is served by the Seibu Ikebukuro Line from in Tokyo, with some services inter-running via ...
in
Nerima is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Nerima City. , the ward has an estimated population of 721,858, with 323,296 households and a population density of 15,013 persons per km2, while 15,326 f ...
. The second floor was reserved for employee offices and production assistants, while the third floor was Tezuka's own workspace and office. For the first few years, the studio took sub-contracted animation work from Mushi Production, which included a variety of animated shorts and a full television series, '' Fushigi na Merumo'' (Marvelous Melmo), which was broadcast by TBS for 26 episodes from October 1971 to March 1972. After Mushi Production filed for bankruptcy in 1973, Tezuka Productions took on animation production full-time along with its manga and copyright businesses and began growing rapidly as an animation studio. In 1976, Tezuka Productions relocated again to the in
Takadanobaba Takadanobaba (Japanese: 高田馬場 ''Takada-no-baba'') is a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. History Originally, the area's name was read ''Takatanobaba'' and many Tokyo residents in their 50s or older pronounce it as such. However, you ...
, Shinjuku. From 1980 to 1981, Tezuka Productions produced a remake for ''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' vo ...
'' that ran for 52 episodes on
Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
. Tezuka had been dissatisfied with the first ''Astro Boy'' series produced at Mushi Production, and had wanted to create a remake for the series since 1974. In 2007, Tezuka Productions began a multi-year project to digitize and color all of Tezuka's published manga series, comprising over 150,000 pages. Tezuka's former personal assistants reproduced the color charts that they originally used for all-color pieces while Tezuka was still producing series, in order to ensure that the new coloring process remained faithful to the colors used in Tezuka's time. In 2008, Tezuka's son, Makoto, announced that he would complete ''Legend of the Forest'', his father's final unfinished work, at Tezuka Productions. The film was completed in 2014, premiering at the 2014 Hiroshima International Animation Festival in August, and in North America at the Japan Society in New York City on February 21, 2015.


Works


Television series

*'' Marvelous Melmo'' (October 3, 1971 – March 26, 1972) *''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' vo ...
'' (October 1, 1980 - December 23, 1981) *''
Don Dracula is a manga by Osamu Tezuka that began serialization in 1979. An anime television series aired from April 5 to April 26, 1982. Plot After living in Transylvania for several years, Count Dracula has moved to Japan. (The English summary on the ...
'' (April 5, 1982 – April 26, 1982) *''
Blue Blink is a fantasy adventure anime series created by Osamu Tezuka. The anime is based from classic film Konjok-gorbunok by Ivan Ivanov-Vano. The film in turn is based from Pyotr Pavlovich Yershov's The Little Humpbacked Horse. This was Tezuka' ...
'' (April 7, 1989 – March 16, 1990) *''
The New Adventures of Kimba The White Lion is an anime television series produced by Tezuka Productions that first ran from October 12, 1989, to October 11, 1990, on TV Tokyo. It is a remake of Osamu Tezuka's 1960s anime series ''Kimba the White Lion''. Original Japanese cast *Megumi ...
'' (October 12, 1989 – October 11, 1990) *''
The Three-Eyed One ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (October 18, 1990 – September 26, 1991) *''
Dear Brother is a Japanese manga series by Riyoko Ikeda. It was adapted into an anime series that aired on the channel NHK-BS2 from July 14, 1991 to May 31, 1992. The series originally started out as a manga in the early to mid-1970s. The story is a ...
'' (July 14, 1991 - May 31, 1992) *'' In the Beginning: The Bible Stories'' (April 1, 1997 – May 9, 1997) *'' Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick'' (April 2, 1997 – May 12, 1999, from episodes 19–26) *''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' vo ...
'' (April 6, 2003 - March 28, 2004) *''
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
'' (March 21, 2004 – May 4, 2004) *'' Black Jack'' (October 11, 2004 - March 6, 2006) *''
Black Jack 21 is an episodic Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka in the 1970s, dealing with the medical adventures of the title character, doctor Black Jack. ''Black Jack'' consists of hundreds of short, self-containe ...
'' (April 10, 2006 - September 4, 2006) *''
Mokke is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takatoshi Kumakura. The manga was first serialized in the Japanese seinen manga magazine ''Afternoon Season Zoukan'' in August 2000. The magazine was suspended after its 14th issue, and the ...
'' (October 3, 2007 – March 25, 2008) *''
Genji Monogatari Sennenki is a Japanese anime adaptation of '' The Tale of Genji''. Originally, it was meant to be an anime adaptation of Waki Yamato's '' The Tale of Genji'' manga, but the director decided to make it a direct adaptation of the original tale. The chara ...
'' (January 15, 2009 – March 26, 2009) *''
Kids on the Slope is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Kodama. It was serialized in the manga magazine '' Monthly Flowers'' from 2007 to 2012, and was published as ten ''tankōbon'' volumes (collected editions) by Shogakukan. The serie ...
'' (April 12, 2012 – June 28, 2012) - co-produced with MAPPA *''
Little Astro Boy is an anime television spin-off series ''Astro Boy'' franchise created by Osamu Tezuka. Aimed at preschoolers, the series was produced by Tezuka Productions and Yomiuri TV Enterprises in partnership with Nigerian broadcaster Channels TV. Co ...
'' (March 22, 2014 – April 26, 2014) *''
Samurai Warriors is the first title in the series of hack and slash video games created by Koei's Omega Force team based closely around the Sengoku ("Warring States") period of Japanese history and it is a sister series of the ''Dynasty Warriors'' series, rele ...
'' (January 11, 2015 – March 29, 2015) - co-produced with
TYO Animations , known as from 2009 to 2017, is a Japanese animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators fo ...
*''
Young Black Jack is a Japanese manga series written by Yoshiaki Tabata and illustrated by Yūgo Ōkuma. It is based on '' Black Jack'' by Osamu Tezuka and serves as its prequel. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's ''Young Champion'' magazine between Novembe ...
'' (October 1, 2015 – December 17, 2015) *'' Dagashi Kashi 2'' (January 12, 2018 – March 30, 2018) *''
Dororo is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka's childhood memory of his friends pronouncing as ''dororo'' inspired the title of the series. ''Dororo'' was first serialized in Shogakukan's ''W ...
'' (January 7, 2019 – June 24, 2019) - co-produced with MAPPA *'' Go Astro Boy Go!'' (October 3, 2019 – October 1, 2020) *''
The Quintessential Quintuplets is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Negi Haruba. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2017 to February 2020, with its chapters collected into fourteen ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series f ...
'' (January 9, 2019 – March 28, 2019) *'' Adachi and Shimamura'' (October 9, 2020 – December 25, 2020) *'' How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω'' (April 9, 2021 – June 11, 2021) - co-produced with Okuruto Noboru; Tezuka Productions animated episodes 1, 3–6, and 8–10. *''
Girlfriend, Girlfriend is a Japanese romantic comedy manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki. It began serialization in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' in March 2020, and has been compiled into thirteen ''tankōbon'' volumes as of November 2022. A ...
'' (July 3, 2021 – September 18, 2021) *'' Muteking the Dancing Hero'' (October 3, 2021 – December 19, 2021) - co-produced with
Tatsunoko Production and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and " sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are ...
*''
The Dawn of the Witch is a Japanese fantasy light novel series written by Kakeru Kobashiri and illustrated by Takashi Iwasaki, with partial character designs by Yoshinori Shizuma, and a Spin-off (media), spinoff sequel of Kobashiri's earlier series ''Grimoire of ...
'' (April 8, 2022 – July 1, 2022) *''Mamekichi Mameko NEET no Nichijō'' (October 3, 2022) *''
Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte is a Japanese fantasy light novel series written by Suzu Enoshima and illustrated by Eihi. It was serialized online between August and November 2018 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō, and all 47 chapters wer ...
'' (January 7, 2023) *''
My Home Hero is a Japanese manga series written by Naoki Yamakawa and illustrated by Masashi Asaki. It has been serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' since May 2017, with its chapters collected in 19 ''tankōbon'' ...
'' (April 2023) *''
The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (April 2023) *''Astro Boy Reboot'' (TBA)


Specials

*'' Okazaki City in 70 Years'' (March 21 - May 17, 1987) *''Brave Fire S09'' (April 29, 1987) *''Tezuka Osamu Academy Grand Prize'' (December 31, 1999) *'' The Last Mystery of the 20th Century'' (December 5, 2000) *'' Black Jack: The 4 Miracles of Life'' (December 22, 2003)


Films

* ''Once Upon a Time'' (March 15, 1970) - short film * ''Misuke in the Land of Ice'' (July 1970) - short film * ''Misuke in Southern'' (August 1971) - short film * ''Thumbelina'' (March 18, 1978) - co-produced with
Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...
* '' One Million-Year Trip: Bander Book'' (August 27, 1978) * '' Unico: Black Cloud, White Feather'' (April 5, 1979) - short film * '' Undersea Super Train: Marine Express'' (August 26, 1979) * ''
Phoenix 2772 is a 1980 Japanese animated science fiction fantasy drama film directed and written by Osamu Tezuka and Taku Sugiyama. The film is based on Tezuka's manga series ''Phoenix''. Plot ''Phoenix 2772'' is set in the distant future where the planet E ...
'' (March 15, 1980) * ''
Fumoon Next may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Next'' (1990 film), an animated short about William Shakespeare * ''Next'' (2007 film), a sci-fi film starring Nicolas Cage * '' Next: A Primer on Urban Painting'', a 2005 documentary film Lit ...
'' (August 31, 1980) * ''
The Fantastic Adventures of Unico is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Sanrio's manga magazine ' from November 1976 to March 1979 and collected in two volumes. A pilot film for a potential television series was produ ...
'' (March 14, 1981) - co-produced with
Sanrio is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are sold ...
and Madhouse * '' Bremen 4: Angels in Hell'' (August 23, 1981) * ''
Unico in the Island of Magic is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Sanrio's manga magazine ' from November 1976 to March 1979 and collected in two volumes. A pilot film for a potential television series was produ ...
'' (July 16, 1983) - co-produced with Sanrio and Madhouse * '' A Time Slip of 10,000 Years: Prime Rose'' (August 21, 1983) * ''Jumping'' (June 1984) - experimental film * ''
Bagi, the Monster of Mighty Nature is a Japanese anime film that premiered on the Nippon Television network on August 19, 1984. It was written by Osamu Tezuka as a critique of the Japanese government's approval of recombinant DNA research that year. The film was streamed by A ...
'' (August 19, 1984) * ''Broken Down Film'' (August 15, 1985) - experimental film * '' Galaxy Investigation 2100: Border Planet'' (August 24, 1986) * '' Phoenix: Karma Chapter'' (December 20, 1986) - co-produced with Madhouse * ''Push'' (August 21, 1987) - experimental film * ''Muramasa'' (August 21, 1987) - experimental film * '' Legend of the Forest, Part I'' (December 18, 1987) - experimental film * ''Self-Portrait'' (June 1988) - experimental film * '' The Tezuka Osamu Story: I Am Son-goku'' (August 27, 1989) * '' Black Jack: The Movie'' (November 30, 1996) * '' Black Jack: Capital Transfer to Haien'' (1996) - short film * ''
Jungle Emperor Leo ''Jungle Emperor Leo'', known in Japan as is a 1997 Japanese animated film focusing on the last half of Osamu Tezuka's manga, ''Jungle Taitei'' (known in earlier US productions as ''Kimba the White Lion'' and '' Leo the Lion''). Plot At the ...
'' (August 1, 1997) * '' My Son Goku'' (July 12, 2003) * '' Astro Boy: Mighty Atom - Visitor of 100,000 Light Years, IGZA'' (September 1, 2005) * '' Black Jack: The Two Doctors of Darkness'' (December 17, 2005) * '' Dr. Pinoko's Forest Adventure'' (December 17, 2005) - short film * '' Jungle Emperor: The Brave Can Change the Future'' (September 5, 2009) * ''
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
'' (May 28, 2011) - co-produced with
Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...
* '' The Life of Budori Gusuko'' (July 7, 2012) * '' Buddha 2'' (February 8, 2014) - co-produced with
Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...
* '' My Tyrano: Together, Forever'' (December 10, 2021) * ''
Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...
'' (TBA)


Original video animations

*''
Lion Books is a 1950s Japanese manga series by Osamu Tezuka. It was published by Shueisha in the '' Omoshiro Book'' as a supplement. The same company published ''Lion Books II'' in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in the 1970s, which would commonly be referr ...
'' (October 10, 1983 - July 16, 1993) *'' Love Position - The Legend of Halley'' (December 16, 1985) *'' Phoenix: Yamato Chapter '' (August 1, 1987) - co-produced with Madhouse *'' Phoenix: Space Chapter'' (December 21, 1987) - co-produced with Madhouse *'' Symphonic Poem: Jungle Emperor Leo'' (April 1, 1991) *''
Ambassador Magma is the title and protagonist of a manga and tokusatsu TV series created by Osamu Tezuka. The TV series, produced by P Productions, Norway Productions and Krantz Films, was aired on Fuji TV from July 4, 1966, to June 26, 1967, lasting a ...
'' (February 21, 1993 - June 21, 1993) *'' Golgo 13: Queen Bee'' (May 21, 1998) *'' Black Jack'' (December 12, 1996 - December 16, 2011) *'' Black Jack: The Boy Who Came from the Sky'' (March 22, 2000) *''
Ravex in Tezuka World Ravex (stylized as ravex; a portmanteau of rave and Avex) is a Japanese electronic music group, consisting of Shinichi Osawa, Tomoyuki Tanaka and record producer DJ Taku Takahashi. Established to mark the 20th anniversary of the Avex label, the ...
'' (November 7, 2009) *'' The Prince of Tennis: Best Games!!'' (August 24, 2018 - present)


Original net animations

*''Black Jack'' (2001)


Video games

*'' Astro Boy: Omega Factor'' (2003) *''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' vo ...
'' (2004) *'' Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu's Dororo'' (2004) *'' Astro Boy: The Video Game'' (2009) *'' Astro Boy: Tap Tap Rush'' (2011) *'' Astro Boy Dash'' (2013)


See also

*
Makoto Tezuka , officially romanized as Macoto Tezka, is a Japanese film and anime director, born in Tokyo. He fashions himself as a visualist and is involved in the creation of moving images beyond film and animation. He partially owns Tezuka Productions an ...
*
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
*
Mushi Production or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wit ...
*
List of Osamu Tezuka anime This is a list of Osamu Tezuka's notable anime work in alphabetical order. This list of anime includes all those listed on Tezuka's official site as well as others that are directly based on his work, but not listed on the site yet. The English tra ...
*
List of Osamu Tezuka manga This is a list of Osamu Tezuka's manga work in alphabetical order. The English translations of the names used are from the original names found on the official Osamu Tezuka website. This is not a complete list of Tezuka's manga creations. While T ...
*
Osamu Tezuka's Star System is the name given to the recurring characters in manga created by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Throughout his career, Tezuka frequently re-used the same characters in different roles across series; for example, the character Shunsaku Ban appears as ...


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Japanese companies established in 1968 Animation studios in Tokyo Japanese animation studios Mass media in Niiza, Saitama Mass media companies established in 1968 Osamu Tezuka