Synopsis

Based on Tezuka Osamu’s original manga works “Kami no Toride” and “Godfather no Musuko.”
The drama weaves together two parallel stories: one following Tezuka Osamu in the 1970s, and the other centered on his wartime alter ego, Osamu Tetsuro.
 
Tokyo in 1973. Osamu Tezuka — celebrated as the “God of Manga” — falls into despair after his company goes bankrupt and his serialized works in shounen magazines are canceled. Burdened by overwhelming debt and harsh public criticism branding him as “finished,” Tezuka begins to lose faith in his own creative talent.
As he reaches his lowest point, memories of his wartime childhood come flooding back – a time when drawing manga was forbidden.
 
Osaka, 1945. Middle school student Osamu Tetsuro lives under the harsh realities of wartime Japan, where military drills and strict government control dominate everyday life. Yet amid the oppression, he remains passionately devoted to drawing manga.
Even after being mocked as unpatriotic by teachers and classmates alike, as well as having his manuscripts confiscated, Tetsuro refuses to stop drawing. Determined to pursue his dream of becoming a manga artist, he continues to move forward with unwavering resolve.
A chance encounter through his manga leads Tetsuro to meet classmate Akashi Kenji and schoolgirl Okamoto Kyoko, bringing new meaning to his everyday life. But as the friends enjoy the fleeting days of youth, the growing shadow of war slowly begins to destroy their precious normalcy.
 
At the same time, Osamu Tezuka struggles with whether he should turn his painful memories into manga. As the past and present intertwine, Tezuka begins to rediscover his creative instincts and confront what it truly means to depict war.