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A review by onesonicbite
Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu by Osamu Tezuka
5.0
I have a basic knowledge of Buddhism, and know a very simplified story of Buddha's life. So when I finally decided to read the whole series I couldn't help but think "How did Tezuka manage to make 8 books out of this?"
To help convey the story AND teachings of Buddha, Tezuka has put many fictional characters into the story to put Buddha's teachings in action. In fact, most of the first book tells the story of Chapra and Tatta, fictional characters.
Chapra is a slave boy who has a bundle of goods stolen from him. He has three days to find the stolen goods or else his mother will be sold. He happens to find the culprit- Tatta a young boy who's status is even lower than Chapra's slave status. Tatta is an amazing young boy who is compassion for the world is great, and befriends Chapra and helps him out. Chapra is always trying to escape the caste system, and disguises himself as a warrior.
Running parallel to this story, Buddha is being born. The story tells everything about the birth of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) and his mother's vision of a white elephant entering her body. But what is so interesting about this story is that you can not call the series fictional or non-fiction. By incorporating non-fictional characters the reader learns more about Buddhism than just simply reading about Buddha's life.
Many western readers might be put off by the "nudity" in the book. But part of the clothes (or lack there-of) is a visual way of depicting status of the characters. Tatta has no status, therefore he wears no clothes, the mother is a slave so she wears no shirt, the princess wears a top since she is highest status.
The book is an easy read and is embedded with a lot of humor. This makes the read very enjoyable. After just reading [b:MW|534307|MW|Osamu Tezuka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328042079s/534307.jpg|521815], I noticed the drawings were much more "childish." Perhaps Tezuka didn't want this to be an adults book, and to have it so children could even read the book and learn about Buddha. At the very least, young adults.
This is a great start to the series, and I can't wait to finish up the series.
To help convey the story AND teachings of Buddha, Tezuka has put many fictional characters into the story to put Buddha's teachings in action. In fact, most of the first book tells the story of Chapra and Tatta, fictional characters.
Chapra is a slave boy who has a bundle of goods stolen from him. He has three days to find the stolen goods or else his mother will be sold. He happens to find the culprit- Tatta a young boy who's status is even lower than Chapra's slave status. Tatta is an amazing young boy who is compassion for the world is great, and befriends Chapra and helps him out. Chapra is always trying to escape the caste system, and disguises himself as a warrior.
Running parallel to this story, Buddha is being born. The story tells everything about the birth of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) and his mother's vision of a white elephant entering her body. But what is so interesting about this story is that you can not call the series fictional or non-fiction. By incorporating non-fictional characters the reader learns more about Buddhism than just simply reading about Buddha's life.
Many western readers might be put off by the "nudity" in the book. But part of the clothes (or lack there-of) is a visual way of depicting status of the characters. Tatta has no status, therefore he wears no clothes, the mother is a slave so she wears no shirt, the princess wears a top since she is highest status.
The book is an easy read and is embedded with a lot of humor. This makes the read very enjoyable. After just reading [b:MW|534307|MW|Osamu Tezuka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328042079s/534307.jpg|521815], I noticed the drawings were much more "childish." Perhaps Tezuka didn't want this to be an adults book, and to have it so children could even read the book and learn about Buddha. At the very least, young adults.
This is a great start to the series, and I can't wait to finish up the series.