Introduction

My name is Sadao Tsukioka. After graduating from a high school with an architecture program, I entered this world as an assistant to the legendary Osamu Tezuka. In 1959, when Tezuka participated in Toei Animation’s feature film Journey to the West, I was dispatched alongside Shotaro Ishinomori as Tezuka’s stand-ins — that was my start as an animator. My drawing speed and skill were quickly recognized, and at just 24 years old, I directed Wolf Boy Ken, Toei Animation’s very first TV anime series, also serving as original creator. I was right at the heart of the birth of Japanese television animation. ...