MW (manga)

MW (manga)

MW is a manga series by Osamu Tezuka. It was originally serialized in Big Comic in Japan, from 1976–78, and was published in English translation by Vertical Inc. in 2007. A Japanese film adaptation was released in July 2009.

MW is best classified as a thriller. The story follows a fictional Japanese priest, Father Garai, his lifelong connection to serial killer Michio Yuki, and a mysterious chemical weapon "MW" developed by the Occupying American Force in Japan.

This manga series is notable because it can be seen as Tezuka's response to the gekiga ("dramatic pictures") artists who emerged in the 1960s and 70s, and as an attempt to surpass their work. The gekiga artists of this period created gritty, adult-oriented works that sharply contrasted to the softer, Disney-influenced style with which Tezuka was associated, a style that was seen as being out-of-step with the times.

Also of note are the unapologetic and explicit homosexual relationships in the manga, back when they were still a novelty for the genre.