The third book in the classic eight volume graphic novel series retelling the story of Buddha, from the godfather of the genre. In the third of the Buddha series, as Siddhartha embarks on his journey towards enlightenment, he encounters many influences; some forceful, like the monk Dhepa who believes that purity is only attained through ordeals of the flesh, and some inspirational, like the strange young acolyte, Assaji. Meanwhile, Devadatta, the young orphaned son of Bandaka, is forced along a cruel path. Choosing to reject humanity and compassion, Devadatta's journey will mould him into Buddha's greatest adversary. Originated in the 1970s, Buddha is Osamu Tezuka's unparalleled rendition of the life and times of Prince Siddhartha. Tezuka's storytelling genius and consummate skill at visual expression blossom fully as he contextualizes the Buddha's ideas; with an emphasis on, action, emotion, humour and conflict as Prince Siddhartha runs away from home, travels across India and questions Hindu practices such as ascetic self-mutilation and caste oppression. Rather than recommend resignation and impassivity, Tezuka's Buddha predicates enlightenment upon recognizing the interconnectedness of life, having compassion for the suffering, and ordering one's life sensibly, his approach is slightly irreverent in that it incorporates something that Western commentators often eschew, namely, humour.
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Considered the father of Japanese comics, Tezuka is best known in America for the robot cartoon character Astro Boy. His other works are gradually seeing Western light, however, the latest being this ambitious, eight-volume account of the life of Buddha, originally published in the 1970s. In the third volume (following Kapilavastu [tr. 2003] and The Four Encounters [tr. 2003]), young Prince Siddhartha abandons his kingdom and undergoes hardships on the road, accompanied by warrior-turned-monk Dhepa, who puts him through painful ordeals as he begins the search for enlightenment; and the pair meet the peculiar child Assaji, later one of Buddha's first disciples. Tezuka seamlessly combines characters from Buddhist lore with original creations, making moral points with skill and humor. His juxtaposition of broad comedy and often-violent drama, not to mention other manga conventions, may at first put off readers used to comics being either serious or funny, but his storytelling and accessible cartooning should win over most. Tezuka's masterwork is an enlightening demonstration of the limitless potential of the comics medium. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
'A stunning achievement.' Publishers Weekly 'If you've never tried something like this before, check it out; it's fascinating stuff. An engrossing read that you'll get through in no time. And then you'll want the other seven instalments.' Starburst 'If it weren't for [Tekuza] and his ripping religious yarns, we wouldn't have had Akira.' Arena 'You simply won't find anyhting else quite touches Tezuka's innovative use of the manga format, his humour, his intuitive understanding of human nature and his sympathy for the main characters.' Neo [the UK's number one manga magazine]
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Terry Dawson
Format:Hardcover
Tezuka's extended story of Buddha's life and times continues with this third volume. The emphasis here is on the stories of several monks, and the interrelationships with the growing cast of secondary characters Tezuka uses to frame the story. Siddhartha begins following Dhepa, who ran afoul of Tatta's gang in the previous book. They in turn gain another follower, a young child of surprising challenges and gifts. Siddhartha experiments with ascetism and suffering, but continues to grow in compassion and healing.
In a parallel story, we read of the early life of Devadatta, a historic character with a significant part in the Buddha story. We see the young child Devadatta's early character formed in fear, resentment and bestiality, as he is used and abused by various people. Though his story includes a stay with the monk Naradatta, who has been in all three books, he seldom gets good treatment.
Tezuka continues to tell this long and complex story in an engaging way, often with humor, and occasionally with great beauty and solemnity. Those who have followed the journey to this point will be eager for the next book. A map included to show the geographic area of the story helps with perspective.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars
8 reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inspirational saga continues
April 11 2004
By Terry Dawson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Tezuka's extended story of Buddha's life and times continues with this third volume. The emphasis here is on the stories of several monks, and the interrelationships with the growing cast of secondary characters Tezuka uses to frame the story. Siddhartha begins following Dhepa, who ran afoul of Tatta's gang in the previous book. They in turn gain another follower, a young child of surprising challenges and gifts. Siddhartha experiments with ascetism and suffering, but continues to grow in compassion and healing.
In a parallel story, we read of the early life of Devadatta, a historic character with a significant part in the Buddha story. We see the young child Devadatta's early character formed in fear, resentment and bestiality, as he is used and abused by various people. Though his story includes a stay with the monk Naradatta, who has been in all three books, he seldom gets good treatment.
Tezuka continues to tell this long and complex story in an engaging way, often with humor, and occasionally with great beauty and solemnity. Those who have followed the journey to this point will be eager for the next book. A map included to show the geographic area of the story helps with perspective.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Take-off
Mar 3 2008
By H. Kolk
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This 3rd book of the series got me hooked. The first two volumes are more like an introduction, and in this book the story finally takes off. The story continues in the same pace as the first two volumes, which makes it a pleasant read.
The story of Siddharta continues as he teams up with Dhepa the one-eyed Bharmin teacher and Assaji the snotty little boy with great powers. Siddharta develops character as he struggles to understand the necessity of the ordeals Dhepa teaches him. He represents our own doubts and uncertainties that we face on our own spiritual paths, showing us that the great Buddha is as human as you and I. Unfortunately, women keep throwing themselves at his feet - not exactly like you and I after all..
In a long and heartbreaking side story featuring Devadatta, the son of the no-eyed-villain Bandaka, we see how much hatred and rejection a person can handle. Especially entertaining I found the return of Brahmin turned animal Naradatta who teaches Devadatta the circle of life and rules of survival ('The weak perish, the strong survive. Custom for all life. Humans aren't exempt'). Tezuka obviously enjoyed drawing animals of all kinds, interacting with each other and the two humans that returned to the wild. It is in these pages that I understood that I had to finish the whole series - what great pleasure.
The story of Siddharta continues as he teams up with Dhepa the one-eyed Bharmin teacher and Assaji the snotty little boy with great powers. Siddharta develops character as he struggles to understand the necessity of the ordeals Dhepa teaches him. He represents our own doubts and uncertainties that we face on our own spiritual paths, showing us that the great Buddha is as human as you and I. Unfortunately, women keep throwing themselves at his feet - not exactly like you and I after all..
In a long and heartbreaking side story featuring Devadatta, the son of the no-eyed-villain Bandaka, we see how much hatred and rejection a person can handle. Especially entertaining I found the return of Brahmin turned animal Naradatta who teaches Devadatta the circle of life and rules of survival ('The weak perish, the strong survive. Custom for all life. Humans aren't exempt'). Tezuka obviously enjoyed drawing animals of all kinds, interacting with each other and the two humans that returned to the wild. It is in these pages that I understood that I had to finish the whole series - what great pleasure.
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST
April 10 2013
By mai ueda
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have read the Japanese version of this and bought English sets for my boyfriend.
We are super happy, everybody should have a set in their house.
We are super happy, everybody should have a set in their house.
›
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4.4 out of 5 stars
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