is a

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 ...

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 ...

that was published in

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...

form in 1950.

Plot

Based on

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

's closet play

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

came up with his own version of the classic

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

story. In the manga, Mephisto is a proud, confident devil who is causing much havoc and violence in the world. One of his most sinister acts is sending angels to fall to Earth, making them

fallen angel In the Abrahamic religions, fallen angels are angels who were expelled from heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" never appears in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven"Mehdi Azaiez, Gabriel Said ...

s. Witnessing this, God grants new life to the fallen angel as she is reborn as Princess Margaret, daughter of the King: Charles V. God then confronts Mephisto and bets him that he can not take the soul of Heinrich Faust, God's favorite human at the time, to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

. Sure of his ability, Mephisto agrees to God's wager and heads down to Earth to get Faust away from righteous pursuits so that he can take his soul. On Earth, Faust has hit a roadblock in his studies. He believes that no matter how hard he studies, he won't be able to reach his goals. Before him, Mephisto appears as a black furred, white eared and tailed poodle. Turning into a kind of

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

animal, he offers to grant Faust's every desire. Faust signs a contract with Mephisto, agreeing that Mephisto can have his soul if Mephisto can satisfy everything that Faust desires. The rest of the manga details Faust's journeys to win the love of Margaret, meet the demands of the King in finding the beautiful Goddess Helen, and blends

Faust Part One ''Faust: A Tragedy'' (german: Faust. Eine Tragödie, links=no, , or aust. The tragedy's first part is the first part of the tragic play ''Faust'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and is considered by many as the greatest work of German literature ...

and

Faust Part Two ''Faust: The Second Part of the Tragedy'' (german: Faust. Der Tragödie zweiter Teil in fünf Akten.) is the second part of the tragic play ''Faust'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It was published in 1832, the year of Goethe's death. Only part o ...

together.

Characters

''NOTE: Character names are listed under the English translation of the Japanese names used in the manga, followed by a more proper English translation as found in translations of

Goethe's Faust ''Faust'' is a tragic play in two parts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, usually known in English as ''Faust, Part One'' and ''Faust, Part Two''. Nearly all of Part One and the majority of Part Two are written in rhymed verse. Although rarely st ...

.'' *'' Heinrich Faust:'' A scholar looking for a way to end human suffering in any way possible. He makes a deal with the devil Mephisto claiming that he can have his soul, but only after Faust experiences a moment of true bliss where he never, ever, wants that moment to end. Through his journeys, Faust is aided by the devil Mephisto who is often in the shape of a small, black furred, poodle. *''

Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...

:'' A devil from Hell causing much torment and mischief until approached by God with his wager. Often takes the form of a small black dog, or as an anthropomorphic dog-like humanoid while helping Faust achieve his goals. *''

Doctor Hanamaru Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

as "

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

":'' The Divine King of Heaven who orders Mephisto to try to sway Faust from a righteous path. His true motive, however, is to test Faust's will with the intent of proving that even when led astray, one can make their way back again and achieve redemption. *''Margaret/Gretchen:'' An angel who fell from Heaven, but was saved by God who reincarnated her as a human. She soon becomes Faust's love interest *''King ( German Emperor Charles V):'' A portly King of Germany who wants Faust to help bring him Helene from the Hartz Mountains during Walpurgis. *''Warenchin (Valentin):'' Margaret's brother who is not fond of Faust. *''Wagner:'' Faust's assistant and student who is with him when they are followed home by Mephisto, shaped as a

poodle The Poodle, called the Pudel in German and the Caniche in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle var ...

. He is also responsible for creating the

Homunculus A homunculus ( , , ; "little person") is a representation of a small human being, originally depicted as small statues made out of clay. Popularized in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction, it has historically referred to the ...

*''High Priest:'' *''Helene (

Helen of Troy Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...

):'' Daughter of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek relig ...

and Leda in

Greek Mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...

, "The Face that Launched 1,000 Ships", and is considered to be an epitome of beauty. *''Hiron (

Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology ...

):'' The legendary centaur of Greek mythology. He is sought after by Faust in his search for Helene. In the manga, he can take both centaur and horse forms. *''Horukiasu:''

Manga as an important cultural medium

When creating this manga,

applied a cartoony style of

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

Masterpiece A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

. He did this with the intent of helping manga become an important medium in Japanese culture. It allowed serious subject matter to be portrayed in a style that would normally be reserved for more light-hearted material.

References

External links

''Faust''
at TezukaOsamu.Net {{Faust navbox Osamu Tezuka manga Works based on Goethe's Faust 1950 manga Works based on the Faust legend

Plot

Characters

Manga as an important cultural medium

See also

References

External links