The first volume of Tezuka's Buddha actually didn't focus on the titular character, instead setting up Tezuka's original cast of characters who will interact with Buddha in his transformation from royalty to spiritual leader. Despite being theoretically biographical, Buddha in fact has a lot in common with Tezuka's fantastical manga tales, for example taking the notion of reincarnation much more literally than Hindu doctrine so that Buddha and others can actually live their lives as animals simultaneous with their human existence and turning religious faith into the ability to use magical powers not unlike those of Shaolin monks. Tezuka's flavor is a little distracting at times, especially when he's making overly cutesy anachronistic pop culture references, but it is also very distinctive and very engrossing. Buddha is not turning out to be the historical examination that I had hoped, but it is instead a very enjoyable flight of fancy along the lines of Tezuka's work on Phoenix.
Tezuka doesn't really seem all that concerned with making Buddha's story feel particularly Indian. While the story does feature elements of Indian culture prominently, notably the caste system, for the most part it feels like a backdrop that maps pretty well to generic storytelling elements, such as the star-crossed lovers, bullying foe or struggle to overcome society's expectations. So far, Buddha's story could quite easily be removed entirely from India and the story of a spiritual leader and instead told as the story of a generic prince without much trouble.
While this is disappointing for those who came in hoping to learn more about the story of Buddha, fortunately Tezuka makes the story very engaging at any rate. Prince Siddartha is a very sympathetic character, someone with physical weakness whose compassion, intelligence and mental strength becomes evident early on and never really falters. He's a terrific protagonist, idealistic in a way that both makes him vulnerable to enemies and to self-doubt but also in such a way that his idealism is admirable and not just a character flaw. His love for Migaila is a very strong story, and it's an example of the kind of balance that Tezuka brings to Siddartha throughout. He loves his wife and his father, but recognizes that they hold him back from something important. He can pull pranks or be stubborn, but at the same time he's mindful of his duties and doesn't want to leave the kingdom in the lurch, despite feeling that it isn't where he belongs.
Just as Siddartha is a fascinating character, so too are the original characters that Tezuka introduces into Siddartha's tale. I greatly enjoyed seeing more of Tatta, who was a fixture of the first volume and who has grown in this part of the story into a more dangerous and roguish player, someone who has seen more than his fair share of pain and who can provide Siddartha with important experience with the flaws in the caste system, reinforcing Siddartha's feelings that things must change. Likewise, Migaila provides a concrete example of the flaws in that system, and goes from being a selfish and spiteful bandit to a tragic figure, unfortunate enough to be a supporting player in someone else's story. Then there's Bandaka, a villain of cartoonish bully proportions who becomes more interesting later on when he forces his way into what he wants, only to get an unexpected and sudden comeuppance.
If the story could easily be transplanted to another setting, the same cannot be said for the artwork. Tezuka does a fantastic job of making India come to life, with the elaborate costumes of the characters, the gorgeous vistas of the untamed land and the distinctive architecture of the palaces. I tend to think of Tezuka as most accomplished in terms of creating bright-eyed, energetic characters and dead-perfect comic timing, but in Buddha, I'm just as impressed with his sense of scale, whether it's the immense battle between elephant-riding warriors and the defenders of a kingdom near the end or the breathtaking long shots of the rivers and jungles to be found in India.
Buddha should not be viewed as a history lesson, but instead, much like Phoenix, a chance to view Tezuka's well-considered views on life on Earth, this time filtered through the lens of the Indian belief system. Buddha is a true epic, a story of how a society was reshaped by one dreamer, as envisioned by someone who brings his own ideas and characters to the mix.
