Apollo's Song
Apollo's Song | |
アポロの (Apollo no Uta) | |
---|---|
Genre | Science fiction[1] |
Manga | |
Written by | Osamu Tezuka |
Published by | Shōnen Gahōsha |
English publisher | |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen King |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | April 26, 1970 – November 22, 1970 |
Volumes | 1 |
Apollo's Song (Japanese: アポロの
The story follows a neglected and abused boy, Shogo, who does not have any feelings of love. Through a series of visions spanning the past and future, Shogo explores the meaning of love between man and woman. Tezuka describes love and death as a cycle that men and women must endure and repeat until the end of time.
Plot
[edit]Shogo Chikaishi (
In his first experience, Shogo is in Nazi Germany as a German stormtrooper, where he falls in love with the Jewish Elise. Shogo helps her to escape, but she shoots him when she discovers her parents were killed. Wounded, Shogo can shoot and kill the soldiers who beat Elise. They then die side by side as they declare their love for one another. When he wakes up at the clinic, Shogo is hypnotized and has a vision of an idyllic island he inhabits with a photographer named Naomi, after their plane crashes. After some time, a ship full of poachers approaches the island, but a conflict with the animals ensues and Naomi is killed by a stray bullet. Shogo and the animals perish after the believed-to-be-dormant volcano erupts.
Back in the real world, Shogo is accused of murdering a nymphomaniac patient and escapes the institute. His speed running from the police is witnessed by Hiromi Watari (
Upon returning to the real world, he witnessed a double suicide by a couple whose love was not permitted by their families. When he discovers Hiromi is a physician who is trying to "cure" him, Shogo tries to commit suicide, but Hiromi stops him, falling over the edge. Shogo rescues Hiromi, and, as they acknowledge their love for one another, she dies in his arms. The police, along with the institute's doctor, find Shogo and attempt to inform him that the nymphomaniac's death was her own fault. However, Shogo tells the doctor that he finally knows what love is and that life has no meaning without Hiromi. Shogo dumps Hiromi's body in a canister of oil and provokes the police to shoot him, causing the canister to explode and kill him instantly. After this, Shogo is brought back before Athena, who tells him that he must continue to endure pain and suffering whenever he finds love for the rest of eternity. As Shogo leaves, Hiromi is resurrected and follows him.
Production
[edit]Sex education for children was a taboo in Japan in the late 1960s, but this changed suddenly in the early 1970s. Apollo's Song was created during a period where manga was increasingly portraying sexual stories and imagery, and was Tezuka's exploration of love and sex in manga form. This period in Japan was also marked by violent student riots and incidents involving student activists, and Tezuka reportedly later said that Shogo's depressed character reflected the dark mood and instability in society at the time.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "The Song for Apollo: Manga". tezukaosamu.net. Tezuka Productions. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
Further reading
[edit]- Brady, Matthew J. (30 September 2007). "Apollo's Song [II]". Manga Life. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11.
- Dacey, Katherine (1 September 2010). "Review Redux: Apollo's Song, Vols. 1-2". The Manga Critic.
- Santos, Carlo (12 October 2010). "Apollo's Ramen - RTO". Anime News Network.