A rare multi-layer original production celga setup of Astro Boy from Tetsuwan Atom, presented as a four-cel composition and paired with a custom archival giclée background. As a layered production cel setup from the foundational era of television anime, it stands as both an artefact of animation history and a quiet celebration of the future Tezukaof the future.
Astro Boy is where modern Japanese animation begins. Long before genres or studios as we know them today, this series established television anime as a medium and set the ethical and visual foundation that followed. Including Astro Boy at the launch of ORIOGI is intentional. It places our collection at the root of the art form itself.
This four-cel setup builds depth through motion, a practical technique from early TV production that also sharpens the sense of scale: a small figure crossing an enormous sky. The original production background for this cut is not present. Instead, the cel set is paired with a bespoke archival giclée background inspired by classic Astro Boy space imagery, composed to match the direction of flight while remaining clearly identified as non-production material.
This piece stands as a cornerstone rather than a highlight – a reminder that animation history, at its origin, was already about ideas, not just images.
Title: Astro Boy
Series: Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy)
Creator: Osamu Tezuka
Studio: Mushi Production
Type: Original production cel set (four layered cels), genga and custom giclée background
Certificate of Authenticity: ORIOGI オリオギ certified. Includes Certificate of Authenticity.
Medium: Four hand-painted acetate cels, clamped including genga. Archival pigment giclée background on fine art paper.
Condition: Cels in very good condition with light line and paint wear consistent with age. Cels are stuck. Genga in good condition. Minor edge wear and production marks visible. Custom background not original to production.
Astro Boy was never just a character, he was a promise. Designed to fly before he could belong, his earliest animation treated the act of movement itself as hope. This piece captures that spirit cleanly: a small figure crossing an enormous sky, powered by curiosity and intent. As a layered production cel setup from the foundational era of television anime, it stands as both an artefact of animation history and a quiet celebration of the future Tezuka imagined.
