Hidamari no Ki

Aired: 2000

A 25-episode historical drama anime broadcast on NTV from April to September 2000, produced by Madhouse, directed by Gisaburo Sugii. Based on Osamu Tezuka's semi-autobiographical manga serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic. Set in late-Edo Japan, it follows two contrasting young men — Ryoan Tezuka, a Western-trained physician (the author's great-grandfather), and Manjiro Ibu, a lower-ranked samurai — through Japan's turbulent modernization. Winner of the Excellence Prize at the 4th Japan Media Arts Festival. Music by Keiko Matsui. ©Tezuka Productions/VAP/Shogakukan/NTV.