Shadows of the Hero

Reading The Mysterious Underground Men by Osamu Tezuka, all I could think about was the book's similarity to Tintin. The book reflected on the adventure of a young child and a white rabbit, a courageous duo that proceed to save the world. The characters are cleanly-drawn, colors are simple, and the story was very relatable, possibly due to the fact that the story of the book was very similar to famous novels that came before it. This fascination came to a halt as I read the last panel on page 105. The page showed Young John and Uncle Bill finding Mimio in a trash bin. The moment Mimio tells his/her story before he/she got captured, John and Bill instantly accuses Mimio of wrong-doing and literally throws him/her out the window. This scene caught my eye due to the use of shadows. Reading through other panels, it was clear that shadows were not drawn in most other panels, especially in the panels surrounding the last panel of page 105. The use of lighting and shadows emphasized the seriousness of the scene, but I believe there is one important point that we should not miss. By showing the shadows, the shape of the characters, mainly the head part, are emphasized. It is as if Bill and John realizes that Mimio is only a rabbit after all. This difference in appearance eventually lead Mimio to disguise him/herself with a wig and a hat, covering his/her identity to save the world. It is only after Mimio dies that Bill and John realizes Mimio is no different from others. In fact, John cries and whispers to Mimio's years that he/she is "greater than any human." The panel in page 105 and the last panel is relatable to an important lesson: a person's looks does not change who she/he is.