Ode to Kirihito – Osamu Tezuka is one of my favourite graphic novelists. I found his Buddha series incredible, and his Apollo’s Song heartbreakingly beautiful. JD gifted me ‘An Ode to Kirihito a few months ago, but i simply didn’t have the time to start it. A few weekends ago, I took it to Lonavala and finished it at one go. The book, like all his books, is unputdownable (if such a word exists!).

As always, Tezuka looks at the dilema arises when there is a conflict between what you desire and what you believe to be ‘right’. He has explored this in Buddha, Apollo’s song and in in this. He blends Christian motifs and philosophy with very Eastern concepts of honour, family, obidience, and desire for status quo.




Ode to Kirihito is about a young ambitious doctor Osanai Kirihito, who is ordered to a remote village, where there is an outbreak of people turning into dog like creatures. His boss believes that this is a result of virus, he believes that there is something else, possibly a different scientific explanation. Kirihito himself contacts the illness. His medical prowess prevents him from degenerating as much as the rest – he is still in control of his mental faculties. However, what happens is that he becomes a shunned, reviled freak. Ode to Kirihito is about the dog/man’s journey to regain his own humanity and stand up for right to his dignity.

Tezuka weaves in the strands of love and lust, sacrifice and avarice, falling from grace & redemption, dignity and vileness – in an engrossing and involving manner. there were parts where the sheer humanity and the compassion of the author made my eyes moist. If you are a fan of the medium, this is definitely a book to check out.