Osamu Tezuka is a name that should be familiar to most, if not all, fans of Japanese animation and comics. He spearheaded the expressive big eye style that the genre uses to this day. He also created numerous manga that continue to be some of the best works in the medium. Unfortunately, a lot of the older anime based on his manga remains hard to obtain. Good thing the Internet is around to save the day.
In a blog post today, YouTube points out that Viki, a collaborative subtitle group, has created a YouTube channel dedicated to Tezuka’s anime works. All the episodes are in the original Japanese with subtitles in languages ranging from English to Arabic. There will be more subtitles added as more translators finish up scripts in their respective languages.
For now, you can check out the 1980s Astro Boy series in all its glory. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should really check it out. It’s a good one:
Alongside Astro Boy, Viki’s channel has fully translated seasons of Black Jack, Dear Brother, Don Dracula, Kimba the White Lion, and Marvelous Melmo. YouTube adds that there are more titles coming your way soon.
The addition of classic anime to YouTube only serves to help the service expand its offerings to compete with more dedicated streaming services. Crunchyroll has had the anime streaming market cornered for some time now, but they lack a lot of classic titles. Getting Tezuka anime up on YouTube definitely sets the platform apart from the crowd.
If Astro Boy is not enough to kill any productivity you had going today, check out Kimba the White Lion. If you liked The Lion King, you’ll love this: