Green Horn Behind the Backstop

DESCRIPTIONS

1962-10 Appeared in Bessatsu Bokeno Fall Issue (Akita Publishing)

Osamu Tezuka was known for creating mascot characters for Japanese professional baseball teams; however, he never authored any manga works featuring baseball as a central theme. Yet, in Japan, baseball has been a popular subject in various manga, including "Star of the Giants" and "Dokaben." Hiroo Terada, who lived in a room across from Tezuka's in the Tokiwaso apartment, created a baseball-themed story titled "Sportsman Kintaro," which gained popularity. Tezuka himself did not incorporate baseball into his works. The reason for this is unclear, but he may have either been uninterested in the theme or felt he lacked the skills for sports. As a result, he depicted baseball merely to add flavor to his stories, and this work, though categorized as sci-fi, is considered unique.
It seems Tezuka depicted the main character, who relies on drugs to gain abilities beyond his own and eventually faces tragedy, with a bird's-eye view.