Sunday, July 09, 2006

Manga

Buddha_Osamu_TezukaSingapore's Kinokuniya with 500,000 volumes is said to be one of SE Asia's largest bookshops: not surprisingly, it has a large selection of Japanese books, including Manga and graphic novels. Manga is highly developed in Japan, and is spreading west. Blackwells in London now has a manga section.
I came across the first two volumes of Buddha by Osamu Tezuka ("the godfather of Japanese graphic art"). There are eight volumes in total, all in print as far as I can tell. Not scholarly works, nor making claim to historical accuracy, they are nonetheless a compelling read and cover the essence of Buddhist teachings well as best I can tell. A good introduction for young and old alike.

Now to read the other six volumes!

No comments: