Little Wansa
A puppy mascot turned into an unfinished manga and complete anime.
Last updated
Little Wansa is a manga character originally designed as the mascot for Sanwa Bank, with his name being "Sanwa" spelt backwards.[1] The manga series about a dog named Wansa was serialized in "Tezuka Magazine Leo" from October 1971 to February 1972.[1] A theatrical production of "Little Wansa" was performed between August 18 and 28, 2016.[2]
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy, drama
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
The manga "Wansa-kun" began serialization in the first volume of "Tezuka Magazine Leo" in 1971.[3] The story follows a newborn dog named Wansa who is lured from his mother and sold for 10 yen.[1] Wansa escapes and becomes a wild dog, then learns from a dying bird to dig for 10-yen coins to find his mother.[1] The manga was intended for children and depicts the everyday lives of dogs living freely in a city corner with a melancholic touch.[1]
A year later in April 1973, the television anime "Little Wansa" aired as the last Mushi Production anime.[1] Tezuka Osamu was completely uninvolved in the production of that anime.[1] Despite the manga being unfinished, Wansa remains one of Tezuka Osamu's most popular characters.[1] Due to labor disputes at Mushi Production, which published Tezuka Magazine Leo, the magazine's direction faltered and the serialization of the story was never finished.[3][1]
What the cited sources add
The official Tezuka Osamu website states that Wansa was originally designed as the mascot for Sanwa Bank.[1] The same source provides the detailed plot of Wansa being sold for 10 yen and learning to dig for coins from a dying bird.[1] It also confirms that the manga appeared serially from October 1971 to February 1972 in "Tezuka Magazine Leo"[1] The source explains that the series was discontinued due to labor disputes at Mushi Production.[1]
It further notes that Tezuka Osamu had no involvement in the 1973 television anime "Little Wansa".[1]
References
- "Wansa MANGA TEZUKA OSAMU OFFICIAL", TEZUKA OSAMU OFFICIAL(EN). facts only, no text reused. tezukaosamu.net
- Wikipedia, "Little Wansa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "手塚治虫原作のキッズミュージカル「ワンサくん」ビジュアル＆キャスト解禁", コミックナタリー (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Little Wansa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Wansa MANGA TEZUKA OSAMU OFFICIAL", TEZUKA OSAMU OFFICIAL(EN) (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Little Wansa (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Osamu Tezuka anime
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Little Wansa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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