Legendary Japanese manga artist Tezuka Osamu’s beloved “Astro Boy,” which was first published in 1952, has been made into NFT (non-fungible token) collectibles, one of which was listed on OpenSea for auction.
Fast facts
- With the help of NFT solution startup double jump.tokyo, Tezuka Productions launched its first official NFT art project — “From the Fragments of Tezuka Osamu.” A unique Astro Boy NFT digital artwork, which is a mosaic using more than 4,000 sheets of manuscripts from the manga, was put up for auction at OpenSea NFT marketplace today. The auction closes on Dec. 18.
- On Monday, a collection of Astro Boy NFTs named “Generative Art NFTs” were sold prior to the mosaic auction, which features a compilation of randomly generated images that were used in the mosaic NFT. At a set price of 0.08ETH (about US$310), a stock of a thousand NFTs were entirely sold out within an hour.
- Meanwhile, the NFT project’s official Twitter account warned collectors over fake NFTs being sold on OpenSea, testifying to the popularity of the digital artwork collection.
- Tezuka Osamu, a Japanese pop culture icon, is touted as the “God of manga,” whose imaginative yet realistic stories such as Astro Boy, Phoenix and Black Jack. Tezuka Productions plans to spawn NFTs of the latter two, following Astro Boy. In keeping with a philanthropic message in Tezuka’s works, 20% of the net revenues from the project will be donated to UNICEF and other local charities for children.
- Earlier this year, NFT collectibles from another celebrated manga named “Fist of the North Star,” first publication of which dates back to 1983, also met with positive reception from fans, selling out 418 limited packs on the day of release.