Article by: anees

Manga artist Fujiko Fujio A, who passed away in April this year, kept more than 60 manuscripts, including a remake of his early work "Magic Mansion" (1948), by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka Productions released it on the 17th.

Manga artist Fujiko Fujio A, who passed away in April this year, kept more than 60 manuscripts, including a remake of his early work "Magic Mansion" (1948), by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka Productions released it on the 17th.

"Magic Mansion" is a full-length manga about 160 pages about the confrontation between science and magic published in the year after "Shin Treasure Island" (1947). At that time, photoengraving was not popular, and the manuscript was copied by a craftsman, and was published as a 'drawing version'. Tezuka frequently complained that his original lines were not accurately reproduced.

The remake manuscript is 40 pages. The facial expressions and movements of the characters are vividly drawn with beautiful lines, and there are traces of ingenuity such as simpler shapes of speech bubbles. The original manuscript has not been found, and Tanaka, 61, from the reference room, said, "There was talk of publishing it with photoengraving, so it may have been redrawn. It's hard to find such a large volume of unpublished manuscripts.

Tezuka often gave unused manuscripts to younger manga artists, and it is believed that this manuscript was also given to Fujiko A and Fujiko F. Fujio (who passed away in 1996).

The manuscripts were put together in a file with the frames of other works, and among them was the actual manuscript presented by Mr. Tezuka, who also appears in Fujiko A's autobiographical work "Manga Road".

According to Izumi Matsuno (63), Fujiko A's niece and Fujiko Studio CEO, Fujiko A placed a file by her side and looked at it from time to time. Mr. Matsuno returned the file to Rumiko, Tezuka's eldest daughter at the end of June.

News Edited and uploaded by Yuiko Abe