A feature documentary about Osamu Tezuka is asking fans to help finish it. Per Anime News Network, Tezuka: God of Manga launched a Kickstarter on October 14 with a US$49,999 goal and a November 13 deadline, and had raised about US$10,726 at press time. The film is aimed at 2028, the 100th anniversary of Tezuka's birth.
The project
Director Jason Andrew Cohn is making the film with Bread & Butter Films, whose producing team includes Camille Servan-Schreiber, Jinko Gotoh, Glen S. Fukushima and Roland Kelts. Backer rewards and physical media are slated to ship in July 2028.
Who's in it
The interview list reads like a lineage chart of manga and anime. ANN lists Katsuhiro Ōtomo, Riyoko Ikeda, Naoki Urasawa, Gō Nagai, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Madhouse co-founder Masao Maruyama and director Rintarō, plus Western voices including Fred Schodt, Helen McCarthy, Ada Palmer, Samuel Sattin and Jorge R. Gutiérrez. Two more, Paul Pope and Ronald Wimberly, are tied to the campaign succeeding.
Why Tezuka still matters on the board
Tezuka's fingerprints are all over the catalogue: Astro Boy, Black Jack, Phoenix, Dororo, and Urasawa's Pluto, which reworked an Astro Boy arc. On SenpaiRanks, MAPPA's 2019 Dororo is among his highest-scored adaptations at 7.97, and the 2004 Black Jack TV series sits at 7.21. The surgeon-for-hire is also a fixture of our best medical anime ranking, and older Tezuka adaptations turn up on the best 80s and 90s anime board.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is Tezuka: God of Manga?
A: A feature documentary about manga creator Osamu Tezuka, directed by Jason Andrew Cohn and planned for 2028, his birth centenary.
Q: How much is the Tezuka documentary Kickstarter asking for?
A: US$49,999, with the campaign running from October 14 to November 13, 2026.
Q: Who is interviewed in Tezuka: God of Manga?
A: Katsuhiro Ōtomo, Riyoko Ikeda, Naoki Urasawa, Gō Nagai, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Masao Maruyama and Rintarō, among others.
Q: What is the best Tezuka anime?
A: On SenpaiRanks, MAPPA's 2019 Dororo is one of the top-scored Tezuka adaptations at 7.97.