Apr 17, 2023
Flying Ben is an incredible generational story dealing with the lives of three dogs and their owner Tadashi. Much of the story revolves around themes of family, loyalty, the struggle to survive, and generational trauma. Without spoiling to much of the plot, the trio of dogs operates like many other famous manga trios, with the brother-like relationship between the two male dogs being the center for multiple battles across the dogs lives. The intense battle scenes are starkly different from much of Tezuka's other animal works, making this quite violent in character. The story really helps cement the tone of Shonen manga for generations to
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come.
In contrast to many other works revolving around animals, Tezuka centers both the protagonist and antagonist as main characters, with the humans serving and supporting agents in the cast rather than being the primary agent of the plot. Even the main human is less of a "driving force" for the manga with the two dogs being his right and left hand both literally and metaphorically. Much of the story centers around greed, money, and survival. Tezuka develops the animals personalities in vibrant ways giving them an almost human character. In one of the manga's most striking scene, Tezuka anthropomorphizes the animals into human form during an intense debate between the two male dogs prior to an all out brawl. This framework of a discussion between the two primary forces, leading into a major battle is one we find present in nearly every battle Shonen following and a framework Tezuka had continually worked to create over decades.
I would recommend reading Flying Ben to anyone who enjoys Tezuka, Shonen, and anyone who enjoys stories with dogs.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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