Buddha (ブッダ) is a manga drawn by Osamu Tezuka and is Tezuka's unique interpretation of the life of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The critically acclaimed series is often referred to as a visually explicit yet humorous and thought-provoking portrayal of the Buddha's life; the series itself has become a staple text in Buddhist temples for young adults and teens to learn about the Buddha's life. The series began in September 1972 and ended in December 1983, as one of Tezuka's last epic manga works. Buddha has over 20 million copies in circulation and won Eisner Awards in 2004 and 2005. Due to differences between the ways in which Japanese and English are read, the American volumes published by Vertical Inc. are presented as mirror images of Tezuka's original work so they can be read from left to right, rather than from right to left. Nearly three decades after the manga was completed, an anime film adaptation was released in 2011. A second film was released in 2014.

Plot

In ancient India, the lives of many people are plagued by drought, famine, constant warfare and injustices in the caste system. The intertwining lives of many unhappy souls are drawn together by the birth of the young prince Siddhartha, who embarks on a spiritual journey and becomes Gautama Buddha, "the Enlightened One", and attempts to bring about a spiritual rebirth of the people in this desperate age.

Characters

Themes

List of titles

Anime films

In 2009, an animated feature-length film adaptation titled ''Tezuka Osamu no Buddha – Akai Sabaku yo! Utsukushiku (English title: Buddha: The Great Departure'') was announced. The film was directed by Kozo Morishita, produced by Tezuka Productions, animated by Toei Animation and distributed by Toei Company and Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was released on May 28, 2011 during the celebrations of the 750th memorial of Shinran Shonin, founder of the Jōdo Shinshū sect. Rock band X Japan performed the theme "Scarlet Love Song", composed by band leader Yoshiki at Morishita's request. A second film, Buddha 2: Tezuka Osamu no Buddha Owarinaki Tabi (BUDDHA2 手塚治虫のブッダ　終りなき旅), was released on February 8, 2014. Ayumi Hamasaki recorded "Pray", composed by Kunio Tago and arranged by Yuta Nakano, as the theme song of the film. The 14th Dalai Lama appeared on a Tokyo MX TV special on January 18, 2014, to state his approval. After seeing the film a month before it premiered in Japan, he said, "I am very thankful to have the world of the Buddha be spread by the film." Originally, a series of three films was planned. However, the production of the third film was stopped for financial reasons.

Reception

Buddha has over 20 million copies in circulation. The English release of the manga won Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material at the 2004 and 2005 Eisner Awards and received a nomination in 2006. It also won the award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material at the 2004 and 2005 Harvey Awards. The film was nominated for the 2012 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.