Buddha Vol. 1: Kapilavastu

by Osamu Tezuka

Short of leafing through some random books, this might be the first full manga book I've ever read. It's been rare that manga appeals to me, but this title has always caught my eye.

Tezuka, the godfather of Japanese comics, uses this eight-volume title to tell the story of Siddhartha Gautama, although he only appears briefly in this book.

Instead, the first volume is concerned with the travails of Chapra, a slave boy with dreams of freedom and a mean throwing arm; his mother, also a slave; Tatta, a young member of the pariah caste, with magical powers; Naradatta, a Brahmin monk; and General Budai, who ends up adopting Chapra and turning him into a warrior, before discovering his upbringing.

This book is very much concerned with status and caste, as the characters rail against the pre-ordained places they must inhabit in society. None of these characters are historically part of the Buddha myth (unless I don't remember my Hesse from many years ago), but instead seem to be there to provide context and drama to the story. I imagine that Tatta will continue to play an important role in the story in future volumes.

Not typically being a fan of manga, I still found that the book flowed nicely and read quite easily. Some aspects are strange - the updated forms of speech (Tatta calls the animals his 'peeps') and endless procession of cute, Bambi-eyed animals, not to mention the level of nudity not usually seen in comics - but they didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. Tezuka's double-page spreads and landscape shots are absolutely gorgeous.