A meta-mystery where Astro Boy, Black Jack, and Princess Knight search for their own creator inside a story only he could have written. The joke isn't cute, it's existential, a final gift from a mangaka asking his characters to solve the riddle of who made them. Tezuka disappears into his own mythology, and his creations have to pull him back out before midnight, racing through a narrative that collapses the line between author and world. This is less mystery special and more haunted love letter, the kind of thing that only works because you've spent decades with these characters already. It costs nothing to watch. It costs everything to understand why it matters.

On New Year's Eve 2000, a forever-youthful Tezuka Osamu gathers with the characters he created for a party at Dr. Tenma's mansion to welcome the 21st century. Before the festivities can start, Tezuka disappears from his room in what appears to be a kidnapping. His best-known creations must work out what happened to him and bring him back safely before the remaining guests turn up. The special plays out as a classic mystery and ends as an affectionate tribute to the artist who dreamed them all up.