or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...

. Tezuka started it as a rivalry with

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...

, his former employer, after Tezuka's contract with Toei expired in 1961. The studio pioneered TV animation in Japan, and was responsible for many successful

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series, such as ''

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 '' tankōbon'' ...

'', '' Gokū no Daibōken'', ''

Princess Knight ''Princess Knight'', also known as ''Ribon no Kishi'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. This manga follows the adventures of Sapphire, a girl who was born accidentally with a blue heart of a boy and a pink ...

'', ''

Kimba the White Lion ''Kimba the White Lion'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the '' Manga Shōnen'' magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on ...

'', '' Dororo'' and ''

Ashita no Joe is a Japanese boxing manga series written by Asao Takamori (a pen name of Japanese author and manga writer Ikki Kajiwara, and one that's a variation on his real name) and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. The story follows a young man named ...

'', as well as more adult-oriented feature films such as '' A Thousand and One Nights'', ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

'' (the first Japanese

X-rated An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences. Aust ...

animated film) and ''

Belladonna of Sadness is a 1973 Japanese adult animated art film produced by the animation studio Mushi Production and distributed by Nippon Herald Films. It is the third and final entry in Mushi Production's adult-oriented '' Animerama'' trilogy, following '' A Thou ...

''. In addition to doing their anime productions, Mushi was best known for its overseas work on five traditionally animated TV projects from

Arthur Rankin, Jr. Arthur Gardner Rankin Jr. (July 19, 1924 – January 30, 2014) was an American director, producer and writer, who mostly worked in animation. Co-creator of Rankin/Bass Productions with his friend Jules Bass, he created stop-motion animation ...

and

Jules Bass Julius Bass (September 16, 1935 – October 25, 2022) was an American director, producer, lyricist, composer, and author. Until 1960, he worked at a New York advertising agency, and then co-founded the film production company Videocraft Internat ...

' Videocraft International (now

Rankin/Bass Productions Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usua ...

) in New York, New York, including the Christmas special ''

Frosty the Snowman "Frosty the Snowman" is a popular Christmas song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 and later recorded by Jimmy Durante. It was written after the success of A ...

'', with the production artwork being done by Paul Coker, Jr., along with the animation supervision by Yusaku "Steve" Nakagawa. Morisawa argues that Tezuka "proposed an unrealistically suppressed production budget... in an attempt to outbid his competitors", a budget that contributed to the Studio's (and industry at the time) low profitability. Mushi, plagued by financial difficulties, declared

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

in 1973 and its assets were divided. Tezuka had already left the company by then, having stepped down as acting director in 1968 and formed a new animation studio,

Tezuka Productions is a Japanese animation studio founded by Osamu Tezuka in 1968. It is known for animating notable works such as ''Marvelous Melmo'', the 1980 and 2003 ''Astro Boy'' series, and '' Black Jack''. It is also the holder of the intellectual property ...

(which made such works as ''

Marvelous Melmo is a magical girl manga and anime by Osamu Tezuka. This series centered on Melmo, a nine-year-old girl whose mother is killed in an auto accident and has to then take care of her two younger brothers (Totoo and Touch). While in Heaven, the ...

'' and ''

Unico is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Sanrio's manga magazine ' from November 1976 to March 1979 and collected in two volumes. A pilot film for a potential television series was produce ...

''). The company was later reestablished in November 26, 1977, and has continued to operate ever since.

Productions

Original (1962-1973)

(based on the works of Osamu Tezuka)

Films

*''Tales of a Street Corner'' (November 5, 1962) - experimental film *''Male'' (November 5, 1962) - experimental film *''Memory'' (September 21, 1964) - experimental film *''Mermaid'' (September 21, 1964) - experimental film *''Mighty Atom, the Brave in Space'' (July 26, 1964) *''Cigarettes and Ashes'' (October 1, 1965) - experimental film *''The Drop'' (October 1, 1965) - experimental film *''Jungle Emperor Leo Movie'' (July 31, 1966) *''

Pictures at an Exhibition ''Pictures at an Exhibition'', french: Tableaux d'une exposition, link=no is a suite of ten piano pieces, plus a recurring, varied Promenade theme, composed by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. The piece is Mussorgsky's most famous pia ...

'' (November 11, 1966) - experimental film *''Genesis'' (October 1, 1968) - experimental film

Television series

*'' Tetsuwan Atomu'' (''

'') (January 1, 1963 – December 31, 1966) *'' Ginga Shōnen Tai'' (''

Galaxy Boy Troop was a children's TV series created by Osamu Tezuka that combined marionettes with traditional animation. It ran for two seasons from April 7, 1963 to April 1, 1965, for a total of 92 episodes. The series also aired in France as ''Le Commando De ...

'') (April 7, 1963 – April 1, 1965) *'' Wandā Surī'' (''

The Amazing 3 ''The Amazing 3'', or , is a Japanese comic series and a black-and-white Japanese animated television series created by Osamu Tezuka in the 1960s. It involves the adventures of three agents from outer space who are sent to Earth to determ ...

'') (June 6, 1965 – June 27, 1966) *'' Janguru Taitei'' (''

'') (October 6, 1965 – September 28, 1966) *'' Shin Janguru Taitei: Susume Reo!'' ('' Leo the Lion'') (October 5, 1966 – March 29, 1967) *'' Gokū no Daibōken'' ('' Adventures of the Monkey King'') (January 7, 1967 – September 30, 1967) *'' Ribon no Kishi'' (''

'') (April 2, 1967 – April 7, 1968) * '' Banpaiya'' (''

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

'') (October 5, 1968 – March 29, 1969) *'' Dororo'' (April 6, 1969 – September 28, 1969) *''

Wansa-kun is a mascot for Sanwa Bank designed by Osamu Tezuka. It was later turned into a manga series by Tezuka and an anime series from 1973. The hero of Wansa-kun was Wansa, a puppy who is sold for a pittance, then escapes, and spends much of the ...

'' (''

Little Wansa is a mascot for Sanwa Bank designed by Osamu Tezuka. It was later turned into a manga series by Tezuka and an anime series from 1973. The hero of Wansa-kun was Wansa, a puppy who is sold for a pittance, then escapes, and spends much of the ...

'') (April 2, 1973 – September 24, 1973)

Television specials

*'' Shin Takarajima'' ('' New Treasure Island'') (January 3, 1965) *'' Son Goku ga hajimaru yo! kofudaio no maki'' (''Son Goku Is About to Begin! Volume of the Great Yellow Wind'') (June 12, 1966) - Pilot *'' Ribon no Kishi'' ('' Ribbon Knight'') (1966; produced in November 1966, unaired) - Pilot *''Flying Ben'' (September 1967) - Pilot *'' Dororo'' (January 1968) - Pilot *'' Gum Gum Punch'' (April 1968) - Pilot *''Zero-Man'' (June 1968) - Pilot *''Norman'' (July 1968) - Pilot *'' Space Journey: The First Dream of Wonder-kun'' (January 2, 1969) *'' Astro Boy vs. the Giants'' (''Kyojin no Hoshi tai Tetsuwan Atomu'') (June 9, 1969, co-production with

Tokyo Movie Shinsha , formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946. TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as '' Lupin the Third'' ...

and A Production) *''Till a City Beneath the Sea is Built'' (February 2, 1969) *'' Blue Triton'' (October 1971) - Pilot

Non-original (1968-present)

(original TV/film productions, or adaptations of other material)

Television series

*'' Wanpaku Tanteidan'' (February 2, 1968 - September 26, 1968) *'' Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae'' (October 3, 1968 – September 24, 1969; co-production with

and Studio Zero) *''

Animal 1 Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

'' (April 1, 1968 – September 30, 1968) *''

Moomin The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of white ...

'' (October 5, 1969 – December 27, 1970; produced the anime from episode 27 to the final episode, the production from episode 1 to episode 26 was from

) *''

'' (April 1, 1970 – September 29, 1971; original; second series was created by Tokyo Movie Shinsha) *'' Andersen Monogatari'' (January 3, 1971 – December 26, 1971; co-production with Zuiyo Enterprise) *''

Wandering Sun , also known as ''Nozomi in the Sun'', is a Japanese manga series written by Keisuke Fujikawa and illustrated by Mayumi Suzuki. It also received an anime adaptation by Mushi Productions which ran for 26 episodes in 1971. Both Yoshiyuki To ...

'' (April 8, 1971 – September 30, 1971) *'' Kunimatsu-sama no Otōridai'' (October 6, 1971 - September 25, 1972) *''

Vicky the Viking ''Vicky the Viking'', known as ''Wickie und die starken Männer'' () in Germany and Austria and in Japan, is an animated television series which tells the adventures of Vicky, a young Viking boy who uses his wits to help his Viking fellows. It ...

'' (1974; episodes 1-26 only) *''

Wonder Beat Scramble , also known as Micro Nauts, is a Japanese science fiction anime series planned and supervised by Osamu Tezuka in his later years, which ran from April 16 to November 19, 1986, on TBS-affiliated networks. Produced by Mushi Production, Tokyo Bro ...

'' (April 16, 1986 – November 19, 1986) - co-produced with Magic Bus

Films

*''

Animerama is a trilogy of thematically related adult anime feature films originally conceived and initiated by Osamu Tezuka and made at his Mushi Production animation studio from the late 1960s to early 1970s. As well as the erotic themes, they are al ...

'' (film series) **'' A Thousand and One Nights'' (June 14, 1969) **''

'' (September 15, 1970) - Next-to-first film to be given the self-applied "X" rating in the United States. **''

'' (June 30, 1973) *'' Yasashii Lion'' (March 21, 1970) - short film *'' Adventures of the Polar Cubs'' (July 21, 1979) *''

'' (March 8, 1980) - compilation film of the 1970-1971 series *'' Yuki'' (August 9, 1981) *'' Wata no Kunihoshi'' (February 11, 1984) *'' Hi no Ame ga Furu'' (September 15, 1988) *'' Ise-wan Taifu Monogatari'' (November 4, 1989) *'' Ushiro no Shoumen Daare'' (March 9, 1991) *'' Zō Ressha ga Yatte Kita'' (July 4, 1992) *'' Senbon Matsubara: Kawa to Ikiru Shōnen-tachi'' (July 11, 1992) - co-produced with Magic Bus *'' Tsuru ni Notte - Tomoko no Bōken'' (July 17, 1993) - short film *'' Raiyantsūrii no Uta'' (January 6, 1994) *'' Pipi Tobenai Hotaru'' (March 23, 1996) *'' Maya no Isshou'' (August 20, 1996) *'' Eikō e no Spur: Igaya Chiharu Monogatari'' (September 13, 1997) *''Ecchan no Sensou'' (January 13, 2002) *'' Asu o Tsukutta Otoko - Tanabe Sakuro to Biwako Sosui'' (March 13, 2003) *'' Nagasaki 1945: Angelus no Kane'' (September 9, 2005) *''

Pattenrai!! ~ Minami no Shima no Mizu Monogatari is a Japanese anime biographical film directed by Noboru Ishiguro. The film premiered on November 15, 2008. Within Japan it was released via Joueikai and Oyako Eiga. Its tagline was "Don't Give Up on Your Dreams." The film portrays the career of ...

'' (November 15, 2008) *'' Hikawa Maru Monogatari'' (August 22, 2015)

OVAs

*'' Toki-iro Kaima'' (March 20, 1989 - February 25, 1990) *''

Blue Sonnet is a 19-volume manga series by Masahiro Shibata (:jp:柴田昌弘, ja) which ran in ''Hana to Yume'' magazine from 1981 to 1987 as part of the ''Akai Kiba'' series of stories. A five episode anime OVA series was adapted from the manga by Mus ...

'' (July 16, 1989 – June 25, 1990) *''

Legend of the Galactic Heroes , sometimes abbreviated as ''LOTGH'', ''LOGH'' or in Japanese (and also depicted as ''Heldensagen vom Kosmosinsel'' in the anime intro), is a series of science fiction novels written by Yoshiki Tanaka. In humanity's distant fu ...

'' (1997, episodes 100 and 106) *'' Kuzuryuugawa to Shounen'' (October, 1998) *'' Legend of the Galactic Heroes: A Hundred Billion Stars, A Hundred Billion Lights'' (1998, episodes 15, 18, and 19) *''Kaitou Gary no Nihonjin Kouryakuhou!'' (1999) *''Kuma no Minakuro to Kouhei Jiisan'' (1999) *''Kochira Tamago Outou Negaimasu'' (2008)

Conmission work

*''

'' (December 7, 1969; American production by

with animation by Mushi Production) *''

The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians ''The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians'' is a 1970 American animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. After the Christmas special ''Frosty the Snowman'' (1969), it was Rankin/Bass' second hand-drawn animated work to be outsourced to O ...

'' (April 7, 1970; American production by Rankin/Bass Productions with animation by Mushi Production) *''

The Reluctant Dragon and Mr. Toad Show ''The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show'' is a 1970 American animated television series that aired on ABC's Saturday morning schedule. The show features two characters created by British children's writer Kenneth Grahame: the Reluctant Dragon from ...

'' (September 12, 1970 – December 26, 1970; American production by Rankin/Bass Productions with animation by Mushi Production) *''

Mad Mad Mad Monsters ''Mad Mad Mad Monsters'' is a 1972 traditional animated comedy film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions in the United States and animated overseas by Mushi Production in Japan. The special aired on September 23, 1972 as an episode of ''The ABC Sat ...

'' (September 23, 1972; American production by Rankin/Bass Productions with animation by Mushi Production) *''

Festival of Family Classics ''Festival of Family Classics'' is a Rankin/Bass animated anthology series that originally aired between 1972 and 1973. The show originally aired in syndication. It was re-aired 1 November 2005 on the Boomerang channel and on 16 June 2011 via the ...

'' (January 1, 1972 – November 26, 1973; American production by Rankin/Bass Productions with animation by Mushi Production and

Topcraft Topcraft (トップクラフト ''Toppukurafuto'', also written as "Top Craft") was an animation studio established on February 1, 1972 by former Toei Animation producer Toru Hara, and located in Tokyo, Japan. It was famous for the production of ...

; 17 episodes)
Cartoon Research. Retrieved on February 3, 2015.

References

External links

* (Japanese)
Article and interview over Mushi Production
(German) * {{Authority control Japanese animation studios Osamu Tezuka Nerima Animation studios in Tokyo

Productions

Original (1962-1973)

Films

Television series

Television specials

Non-original (1968-present)

Television series

Films

OVAs

Conmission work

See also

References

External links