Mushi Production

Background

Mushi Production was a pioneering Japanese animation studio founded in 1961 by Osamu Tezuka, often hailed as the "God of Manga." The company played a significant role in shaping the anime industry, producing some of the most influential and groundbreaking works of its time. Mushi Production is best known for creating Astro Boy (1963), the first Japanese television anime series, which set the standard for the medium's future. The studio also produced other classic anime such as Kimba the White Lion and Princess Knight. Around 1965, Tezuka left Mushi to start another studio, Tezuka Productions, which currently owns all of the author's IP rights. Despite its success, Mushi Production faced financial difficulties and declared bankruptcy in 1973. However, its legacy endures, influencing the growth of anime both in Japan and globally. In 1977, the studio was revived as a new entity under the Mushi name, which continues to this day.

The name "Mushi" means "insect" in Japanese, which is significant because Tezuka had a deep affection for insects, particularly since he was a fan of entomology from a young age. This passion is reflected in his pen name, "Osamu Tezuka," where "Tezuka" is derived from the word for "firefly" in Japanese.

Logo (November 5, 1962)

Visuals: Over a stone background, there is a broom sweeping vertically up to down. The blue poster, containing a light blue "虫" and a white, vertical "プロダクシ" at the left and "品作" in white at the bottom-left with a multi-colored stickman patterns at the left-edge with a Mushi logo (contains a black stylistic "虫" with 2 red dots at the inside) inside a white filled square at the bottom, was being putted on at the right.

Technique: 2D cel animation.

Audio: A loud clipping-like noise.

Availability: Seen on ある街角の物語.