Osamu Tezuka's autobiographical wartime manga short "Paper Fortress" is being adapted into a live-action television special by NHK. Titled "Tezuka Osamu no Sensō" (Osamu Tezuka's War), the special will premiere in August.
Filming is slated to commence in May on the outskirts of the Kansai region. Kengo Kōra, known for his roles in "Shin Godzilla" and "Miss Hokusai," is set to portray Osamu Tezuka himself. Konosuke Harada will play Tetsurō Osamu, the protagonist of the "Paper Fortress" story, who is based on Tezuka's wartime experiences as a junior high student. The manga depicts Tetsurō secretly drawing manga despite wartime prohibitions, leading to his assignment at a munitions factory where he encounters Kyoko Okamoto, a student whose dreams of opera are cut short by an air raid.
The television special will also incorporate elements from another of Tezuka's autobiographical works, "God Father's son" ("Godfather no Musko"), which details Tezuka's life as a student. Furthermore, it will explore Tezuka's challenging period in the 1970s, marked by the bankruptcy of his anime studio, Mushi Productions, and the cancellation of his manga series. The narrative will interweave Tezuka's life in Tokyo in 1973 with his alter ego Tetsurō Osamu's experiences in Osaka in 1945.
Wataru Suzuki is directing the special, with Ryōko Kuwahara serving as screenwriter. This adaptation follows recent theatrical events inspired by Tezuka's work, including a "live manga" performance of "Phoenix" and a stage play based on the "Karma" arc of the same manga.
Source: Anime News Network
