Astonishing Astroboy

Categories: Did You Know|Published On: March 28, 2003|Views: 2|

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As we reported in this week’s Mondo Media, Astroboy is about to make
quite the comeback in Japan – with the remake of the marvelous 1960s anime
classic set to air on Fuji TV on April 6 and a Sony film in the works for 2004.
But did you know the story behind Osamu Tezuka’s
Astroboy?

It all started with a 1951 Japanese comic strip starring
a character named Tetsuwan Atomu, or Mighty Atom. Quite a success, the strip was
made into a black and white animated feature for TV, which was broadcast from
1963-1966. Soon, over 40 other countries soon became privy to the wide-eyed
super darling, called Astroboy outside of Japan.

The story goes something
like this: it is the year 2000 (then, that seemed eternities into the future).
We meet a good doctor, who, desperately grieving after the death of his son,
decides to build a robot in his image. Strange, but it gets even stranger.
Before long, this robot-boy finds himself trapped at the hands of an evil
ringmaster in the circus – a circus where robots fight each other for sport.

It is here, in the circus, that he gets the name of Astroboy and begins
realizing his considerable superpowers – including laser-beam fingers,
search-light eyes, incredible strength, a heightened sense of hearing and
constant access to powerful machine guns housed in his hips. Life isn’t so grand
in the circus, however, and after much complaining, a Robots Bill of Rights is
drafted. And once he has his new rights, Astroboy is freed.

He is taken
in by yet another kind doctor, who creates parents for him (as well as a
mischievous little sister named Astrogirl) and gives him a dog. That’s when the
crime fighting adventures really begin, and Astroboy finds himself faced with
everything from wild gangs of thieves to an out-of-control unfinished robot
called Colosso.

In the U.S., Astroboy enjoyed great popularity on
TV – and for a little while, it was even the highest rated show in syndication.
Each episode emphasized the importance of good and just behavior in the face of
adversity, and reflected the mantra of creator Osamu Tezuka, “Love all the
creatures! Love everything that has life!” Astroboy was also unique in
that it appealed to emotion as well as adventure, and the struggle our hero felt
being half boy and half robot was never lost. He also had a naiveté about
him that made him unique from other all-mighty superheroes.

Astroboy resurfaced in Japan in 1980, when Nippon TV began airing
the series in color. Despite his forays on and off the screen, however, he has
always maintained a devoted fan base. And now, in just another week, it looks as
if that fan base is about to get even bigger.

Go, go, go,
Astroboy!


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