Rapid Manga Review: Osamu Tezuka’s ‘Bomba!’

About the Manga

Bomba! (1970)

Author: Osamu Tezuka
Genre(s): Horror, Supernatural
Demographic: Shōnen
Theme(s): curses; love; obsessions; the occult
Status: Completed
Volume(s): 1
Trigger(s): abuse

Summary

Tezuka’s manga follows the story of Tetsu Otani, a junior high school student who has an intense crush on one of his teachers, Reiko Mizushima. After learning that another teacher of his plans to propose to her, Tetsu’s obsession invokes the malicious spirit of a war horse named Bomba. Surprisingly, Bomba does as he’s told. Whenever Tetsu is filled with rage, Bomba appears and causes the death of whoever caused his anger.

Review

⭐⭐⭐ | 3 out of 5 stars

Osamu Tezuka’s manga, Bomba, is a simple one with a clear message about managing one’s emotions in a healthy way. The true horror of the story isn’t the malicious horse. Instead, it’s Tetsu Otani’s immaturity, his relentless anger, and his unhealthy obsession for Mizushima.

The writing

I think that Bomba has the potential to be better developed. There’s a lot of information dumping that happens on the titular character, Bomba. The horse’s spirit itself has a convenient connection to the main character as Bomba, the warhorse, was once cared for by Tetsu’s father during WWII, specifically the Pacific War (1941-1945) before his death.

Besides that, a lot of Tetsu’s childhood revolves around dysfunction. His male teacher, Mr. Kito, is abusive towards Tetsu. He’s often punished by physical means, like poking, pushing, and punching. Tetsu’s own mother is quick to slap him when he shows any slight defiance. And his teacher, Ms. Mizushima, who he is in love with, turns out to have had multiple male lovers, thus tainting Tetsu’s image of her. It just seems as though things are always happening at Tetsu’s expense for no justifiable reason.

An obscure glimpse of Japanese history

It’s no secret that Japan committed terrible war crimes during WWII that ranged from human experimentation to mass exterminations and sexual abuse of Korean and Chinese citizens. Today, many patriots of Japan refuse to acknowledge Japan’s part in these war crimes, just like they have since the end of the second world war.

This ignorance extends to manga and anime, though in Osamu Tezuka’s case, the inclusion of historical events shines light on the atrocities that Japan committed. In Bomba, Tetsu’s father talks about falling in love with his Tetsu’s mother. It turns out that she was in China during the war while Mr. Otani was stationed there. She was a “comfort woman,” or prostitute.

The imagery that Tezuka uses for the “comfort women” is hard to take in. They’re a stark contrast to the Japanese women that are shown in other parts of the manga. These women are depicted with diverse body types. They’re obviously non-Japanese women who were trafficked during this time in history. They have plump colored lips, high cheek bones, and short bushy hair. Not only that, the ladies in this scene are smiling and seemingly happy to be in their positions. Even Tatsu’s mother is depicted with a flirtatious gaze and inviting smile.

But the words on the page betray the imagery. The manga reads, “There were a bunch of comfort women there, sent over from Japan.”

The clarification that the women were sent from Japan adds an extra layer to the scene. Although there are no critiques about Japan and its military, the acknowledgment of its victims is there.

The female characters

Tetsu is a disgruntled teenager who obsesses over his teacher. He’s fixated on the lives the two could have together. His attraction to Mizushima can be reduced to her good looks and the kindness she shows him. Mizushima isn’t abusive like Mr. Kito, and because Tetsu has experienced some degree of abuse from different adult figures, it’s easy to see how a confused child would confuse kindness for romantic affection.

Tezuka also offers an interesting perspective on women and the expectations that Japanese society imposes on them. Mizushima is rumored to have multiple male partners, which turns out to be true. The scandal is enough to taint a woman’s reputation. In Tezuka’s case, he realizes that his unhinged behavior towards Mr. Kito—who was killed by Bomba after being summoned during one of Tezuka’s outbursts—and anyone else were all for nothing. That alone implies that Mizushima wasn’t worth his time, though that notion itself could be interpreted as belittling her worth for sleeping with several men.

Another interesting addition to the story is Shigure Yamanokuchi, a professor, who becomes interested in Bomba after reports of the spirit’s mass killings were made. Her role in the story is to help Tetsu find closure about Mizushima. She also helps him find his confidence, though through awkward means. First, she kisses him after cursing himself and luring Bomba out to kill him. This kiss keeps Bomba at bay, though he returns again in the final pages of the manga when Tetsu feels unsure of himself once more. The second time is when Tetsu saves her from Bomba’s wrath.

The women in Tezuka’s manga appear as figures of affection. Even Tezuka’s mother, who was implied to be abusive, had a brief moment of gentleness during his father’s flashback of the war and of Bomba. The women are stark contrasts to the men who either appear as pitiful and wimpy, or violent and angry.

Conclusion

Osamu Tezuka’s manga, Bomba, is a cautionary tale that could have been better than it is. I like the story anyway. It reminds me a bit of Death Note for the main characters’ self-righteous views of other people. However, Bomba focuses more on the main character’s rampage that leads him to some clarity and development in the end.