The Age of Great Floods
1955/08/01
STORY
"The Age of Great Floods," a science fiction short story Manga, is an adaptation of the story of Noah's ark of the Old Testament in which all people and animals except for Noah's family and a pair of every kind of animal are drowned by a terrible flood. The setting for this work is Japan in the near future.
A boy named Taiji is poisoned when trying to dispose of the blueprints for a nuclear fortress that his older brother Sameo, an army officer, has kept. As a result, he gets a brain disorder and is admitted to a hospital.
One day, the nuclear fortress that is under construction on the Arctic Ocean blows up in a terrible explosion, and it becomes known that a large flood is heading toward Japan. But since Taiji and others have been confined in a hospital room by escaped convicts, they haven't heard about the flood. When they finally go outside, the people have already gone. Sameo, who comes to rescue the remaining people, is caught and along with Taiji and others, cornered on the rooftop of a building. Just then, Taiji remembers Noah's Ark of the Old Testament, and proposes building a large boat with what they have on hand.
DESCRIPTIONS
August 1955
Published as a supplement to "Omoshiro Book"(Shueisha Inc.)
short story, the characters are so attractive that it is regarded as one of the best works that Tezuka Osamu produced in appendix form when was first starting out. Noah's Ark is one of Tezuka Osamu's favorite themes and its basic concept is incorporated into many of his works, including "Next World" and "Ambassador Atom."
The third episode of the "IN THE BEGINNING The Bible Stories," an animated film co-produced between Japan and Italy, depicts the legend of Noah's Ark. Tezuka Osamu was involved in the production from writing its scenario to drawing its original pictures, and continued to be enthusiastic about it until just before his death.
