Hit 'Em Hard
1979/06/07-1979/12/20・1980/06/19-1980/11/20
STORY
This series, featuring an ensemble cast set in post-war Osaka, Japan, follows the lives of five men who navigate the challenges of this chaotic time while pursuing their dreams and goals. The characters include Kenji Katuragi, a young master of a local factory; Tomofumi Saida and Akira Hirosawa, a pair of local gangsters; Tetsu Yamashita, an orphan who lost his parents in the war; and Osamu Takatsuka, a young manga artist. Their intertwined stories reflect the struggles and aspirations of their era.
DESCRIPTIONS
1979/06/07-1979/12/20・1980/06/19-1980/11/20
Published in Young Jump（Shueisha）（uncompleted）
It is said this post-war story is Osamu Tezuka's hidden biographical work. He often drew inspiration from his life experiences while creating many fictional stories as an exceptional storyteller. His typical biographical works include "Paper Fortress" and "God Father’s Son." In contrast, some stories, like "Mt. Monmon is Crying," are fictional but with elements of his own experiences. Furthermore, there are essay-like works such as "Mako, Rumi, and Chii" which reflect his daily life with his family.
Osamu Takatsuka is a hasty, somewhat goofy, yet determined young manga artist modeled after Osamu Tezuka. However, not every aspect of Takatsuka’s character is drawn directly from Tezuka’s experiences; his story includes embellishments to enhance its dramatic impact.
This story also portrays the resilience of people living in devastated Osaka after World War II. It describes their struggles, such as walking five hours from Osaka to a nearby town, accepting charity rice from a farmer, and facing harsh punishment for eating chocolate found in a burned-out sweets factory. These episodes add a sense of reality to the narrative. It is as if the pungent odor of orphans being sprayed with DDT and the heavy breath of those in the crowded illegal market smell from the manga frames.
Regrettably, the series was canceled for the publisher’s reasons.
