My Sun Wukong
A pioneering manga adaptation of Journey to the West by Osamu Tezuka, this seven-year serialization reimagines the legend of Sun Wukong with a child-friendly touch.
My Son Goku (ぼくのそんごくう) is a long-form manga series by Osamu Tezuka, the God of Manga, serialized in Manga King magazine from February 1952 until 1959, spanning approximately seven years. Based on Journey to the West, the work reimagines Sun Wukong's adventures and growth for Japanese children, utilizing Tezuka's signature rounded character designs and humorous style. During his youth, Tezuka was deeply influenced by the 1941 animation Princess Iron Fan by the Wan brothers, which ignited his passion for adapting this Chinese classic. Rather than a chapter-by-chapter translation of the original text, this work incorporates a vast amount of Tezuka's own creativity and Japanese cultural perspectives. It pioneered the trend of adapting Chinese classical masterpieces into Japanese manga and directly influenced subsequent works based on Sun Wukong, such as Dragon Ball.