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Osamu Tezuka's 90th Birthday Celebration Continues With Streaming Programs, Magazine Feature
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
As part of a special project to celebrate the 90th anniversary since manga creator Osamu Tezuka's birth, a special two-part program will stream on Niconico Live this month. The program, titled "Minna de Saikyō no Atom o Tsukurō! 90-Jikan Communication Robot Atom-san to Issho ni Sugosō Nama Hōsō + Seitan 90-Shūnen Kinen Tokuban" (Let's Make the Strongest Astro Boy With Everyone! Live Broadcast Spending 90 Hours Together With Communication Robot Atom + 90th Birthday Celebration Special), will debut on October 31 at 12:00 a.m.
The first part of the program will show the construction of Communication Robot Atom, an Astro Boy robot toy that first shipped in parts last year. Then, the program will show interaction with the robot, including its reading of Niconico user comments.
After the first part of the program concludes on November 11 at 5:00 p.m., the second part of the program will immediately follow. The one-hour special will feature guests connected to Tezuka's works, and it will also air new video content.
The two-part program is part of the collaboration project "Tezuka Productions x Niconico Tezuka Osamu Seitan 90-Shūnen Kinen! Oiwai Kikaku Motto Tezuka Osamu Anime World " (Tezuka Productions and Niconico's Osamu Tezuka 90th Birthday Commemoration! Celebration Project: More Osamu Tezuka Anime World). The project will also include Niconico Live broadcasts of five Tezuka anime over a five-day period. Astro Boy will stream on October 30, followed by The New Adventures of Kimba The White Lion on October 31, Dororo on November 1, Princess Knight on November 2, and Black Jack on November 3. Each marathon stream will feature 12 episodes of the day's television anime series.
In addition, the project is offering each of the anime streaming for free on the Niconico Channel website. The series will be available from October 30 to November 12.
For fans who want to read as well as watch about the late "God of Manga," the 36th volume of Switch Publishing's Switch magazine included a 60-page feature on Tezuka on Saturday.
The feature is titled "Tezuka Osamu Bōken Ō" (Osamu Tezuka: King of Adventure). The article includes adventure scenes from the remake of Tezuka's early work New Treasure Island. The article's "Atom no Saigo" (The End of Astro Boy) section is a collection of works that are like a sequel to Astro Boy. A discussion between artist Seitarō Kuroda and Tezuka's son Makoto Tezuka, an essay from Kuroda about the elder Tezuka, an interview with Makoto Tezuka and Tezuka Productions representative Takayuki Matsutani, and various illustrations also appear.
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People who buy the issue from Switch Publishing's official website will receive an A2-size poster.
The variety of current projects to celebrate the life and works of Tezuka include a Black Jack chair and Compile Heart's upcoming Eshigami no Kizuna (The Bonds of Gods of Artists) smartphone game.
Sources: Niconico, Switch's website, Comic Natalie (link 2)
