The first in Osamu Tezuka's epic eight-volume manga series.

First things first, this is not a historic reproduction done in comic form. If one is looking for a serious study of Buddhism, this is probably not the place to start. That being said, if one wants to complain about the lack of on-point theological exactness in a manga depiction of the Buddha's life, one should get familiar with the terms "broad strokes" and "chill."

Ostensibly, this is the first volume of the story of Shiddhartha, the Gautama Buddha. Seeing as how he's not even born until page 250/400 and probably appears on about 5 pages worth of those 400, we don't get a huge introduction outside of knowing that Shiddhartha is destined for great things.

Volume one concentrates mostly on the story of Chapra and Tatta - a slave and pariah. Chapra desperately wants to break free of his slave caste and Tatta is able to possess animals. They live outside of Kapilavastu, which today is considered a Holy site for Buddhists (its exact location is under some dispute).

While the Buddha does not figure prominently into the first book, certain truths are skillfully woven throughout this volume. If nothing, this is a searing indictment on the evils of the caste system put in pace thousands of years ago. Even more brilliantly done is the enduring theme that all life is sacred no matter how insignificant it may seem as it is part of a larger design.

Tezuka's drawings run the gambit. There's definitely the "traditional" manga feel in the black and white drawings. At the same time, the artistry in some of the epic panels is undeniable; the locust scenes are well-worth a pause. ( )

Awesome. ( )

Reading through some of the other reviews of Osamu Tezuka's Buddha, it's clear that there's no real consensus on this series. As history, I have no doubt that Tezuka has taken some liberties with the narrative of the Buddha's life. But as a piece of writing, however, this is an excellent retelling of the life of the Buddha. In the first volume, the reader is given a general overview of some of the main characters and the background story. The Buddha himself only makes an appearance late in the book and even then, he's a baby. There are several narrative paths all of which converge by the end. The narrative flows smoothly and Tezuka does a great job creating between the reader and the several characters and even manages to make some of the more unappealing people rather nuanced and sympathetic.

There will be some people for whom the historical inaccuracies will get in the way of their enjoyment of the book. I would remind those people, however, that some of the most beloved works of literature are themselves gross distortions of history. Shakespeare's "history" plays border on fabrication, Mallory's Mort Darthur isn't exactly accurate and in fact literary representations of historical events have always taken a good deal of license with their subject matter. Yet somehow, there are a group of literary snobs who won't accept contemporary historical fiction and turn up their noses at all contemporary retellings of history. They have no apparent problem with their beloved cannon doing the same, but if contemporary authors do it, it's an outrage. Buddha is a literary retelling of the life of the Buddha and as such, it is most definitively not sold as nor intended to be a historical retelling of his life. It's an enjoyable introduction to this topic and has undoubtedly inspired lots of people to learn more about the life of its subject. ( )

I'm a big fan of graphic novels, but perhaps I'm too close to the subject matter. Osama Tezuka take big liberties with the story of the Buddha, adding characters and situations that did not take place. Probably more enjoyable if you don't already know the facts about the people around the Buddha. (Review of series.) ( )

This entire series is great. Osamu Tezuka makes learning fun by adding his own witty characters to the heart felt traditional story of Buddha and how Buddhism began. His beautiful drawings give you a vivid look at the story and make you just want to cry. Every book in the series is as great and there all equal. ( )