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Dust 8 Omnibus
The Mountain of Life is where humanity and nature gained the strength to thrive from, a mysterious land formation powered with energy to bend the very laws of nature it empowers. A tragic plane accident leads to the death of dozens of families, but eight people survived the accident. When the fateful flight crashed into the mountain, it broke apart chunks of stones that channel a life-giving force in them, bringing eight strangers back to life. When confronted with their aberrational existence, a boy and a girl are forced to make a decision that will affect their lives and that of the other reanimated individuals. Being hunted down by the acolytes of the Grim Reaper, these people live a life beyond their natural time on Earth, but they will see the danger of their unnatural existence.
Deputized as grim reapers with a specific task, the boy and girl are now posessed and on a mission: track down the other survivors and take their Stones of Life. Osamu Tezuka recasts the face of death as two youngsters, and their targets range from radio hosts and race car drivers to businessmen and even one that might challenge them to abandon their job and master in a chase for love. If you're already living on borrowed time, death will find a way to track you down and fix the problem, especially when you're one of the Dust 8.
A short child, Ichitarou, is a bit bullied in his days at school. He crushes on Tomoko, the sweet girl that sits next to him, but he's nicknamed "Stupid Ichi" by everyone, from teachers to the class bully. When Ichi takes a trip and finds a book about hypnotism, he unlocks his innate ability and proceeds to bend the world to his whims. While Ichi is now the one in power, will he use this absurd ability to rule the world... or save it? This short story from Tezuka shows that "Stupid Ichi" might rise to the occasion, despite his short stature.
Deputized as grim reapers with a specific task, the boy and girl are now posessed and on a mission: track down the other survivors and take their Stones of Life. Osamu Tezuka recasts the face of death as two youngsters, and their targets range from radio hosts and race car drivers to businessmen and even one that might challenge them to abandon their job and master in a chase for love. If you're already living on borrowed time, death will find a way to track you down and fix the problem, especially when you're one of the Dust 8.
A short child, Ichitarou, is a bit bullied in his days at school. He crushes on Tomoko, the sweet girl that sits next to him, but he's nicknamed "Stupid Ichi" by everyone, from teachers to the class bully. When Ichi takes a trip and finds a book about hypnotism, he unlocks his innate ability and proceeds to bend the world to his whims. While Ichi is now the one in power, will he use this absurd ability to rule the world... or save it? This short story from Tezuka shows that "Stupid Ichi" might rise to the occasion, despite his short stature.
- GenresManga
423 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1972
13 people want to read
About the author
Osamu Tezuka
2,145 books1,300 followersDr. Osamu Tezuka (手塚治虫) was a Japanese manga artist, animator, producer and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. He is often credited as the "Father of Anime", and is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during his formative years. His prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the father of manga" and "the God of Manga."
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 13, 2020
This is the first of Tezuka's works I've read. I've known about his work since I was very small, thanks to Astro Boy and Kimba The White Lion television reruns. But this is the first unquestionably adult text of his I've engaged with.
It's a pretty good place to start, especially as it seems that it hasn't aged particularly badly – a problem with some of his other works, I understand.
Dust 8 tells the stories of characters who survive a terrible plane crash off the coast of Japan. The only problem is that they should have died. Instead, they collided with a magical mountain, debris of which has the power of life. The survivors, each holding a magical piece of rock, are brought back to life – though this is a state that disappears if the rock is ever taken.
It's difficult to talk about much of the story without giving anything away, but suffice it to say, the range of experiences the survivors have following their crash are wildly varied. There's penurious artists and wealthy stunt car racers. There's wild patriotism and the desire to do something for a fellow human. There's geopolitical intrigue and selfishness.
Overall, though, there's the spectre of death. What would you do if you had escaped death once? And what would you do if you knew death would be coming for you, and soon? Would you be afraid of death? How does it inform the way you live now?
(Also, should you make a giant robot brain as a memorial for your dead wife?)
These questions are more broadly aimed at the reader, as the characters are not incredibly developed. They are stand-ins, easily discarded so the reader can be put in the middle of things. I hadn't expected to be investigating my own mortality quite so much during a manga, but it's a surprisingly enjoyable thing to do.
This collection is slightly rejigged from the strips' first appearance: the introduction explains how the gathered version differs from the planned (ultimately cut short) initial run. It hangs together solidly, and provides an afternoon of morbid musing quite nicely, in the Final Destination vein.
What sort of stone keeps you alive?
It's a pretty good place to start, especially as it seems that it hasn't aged particularly badly – a problem with some of his other works, I understand.
Dust 8 tells the stories of characters who survive a terrible plane crash off the coast of Japan. The only problem is that they should have died. Instead, they collided with a magical mountain, debris of which has the power of life. The survivors, each holding a magical piece of rock, are brought back to life – though this is a state that disappears if the rock is ever taken.
It's difficult to talk about much of the story without giving anything away, but suffice it to say, the range of experiences the survivors have following their crash are wildly varied. There's penurious artists and wealthy stunt car racers. There's wild patriotism and the desire to do something for a fellow human. There's geopolitical intrigue and selfishness.
Overall, though, there's the spectre of death. What would you do if you had escaped death once? And what would you do if you knew death would be coming for you, and soon? Would you be afraid of death? How does it inform the way you live now?
(Also, should you make a giant robot brain as a memorial for your dead wife?)
These questions are more broadly aimed at the reader, as the characters are not incredibly developed. They are stand-ins, easily discarded so the reader can be put in the middle of things. I hadn't expected to be investigating my own mortality quite so much during a manga, but it's a surprisingly enjoyable thing to do.
This collection is slightly rejigged from the strips' first appearance: the introduction explains how the gathered version differs from the planned (ultimately cut short) initial run. It hangs together solidly, and provides an afternoon of morbid musing quite nicely, in the Final Destination vein.
What sort of stone keeps you alive?
August 12, 2018
Que pena ser uma obra inacabada, que pena, seria épico se houvesse o restante das histórias e um desfecho legal. Estou convencido de que o Tezuka é um dos maiores e mais prolíficos construtores de narrativas dr todos os tempos."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews