| Home |
| About |
| Archives |
| Links |
| Anime |
| Arts |
| Books |
| CDs |
| Decluttering |
| Disney |
| DVDs |
| Family |
| Games |
| Japanese |
| Jpop |
| Life |
| Manga |
| Memories |
| Movies |
| Pals |
| Photos |
| Poetry |
| Trips |
| Videos |
|
Latest Flickr
|
|
Latest Twitter
|
 Feed |
 Twitter |
 Facebook |
| Astro Boy : 3 of 5 | |
|
10.29.2009
11:12 AM | Link0 comments |
 As soon as I first heard the rumors about an Astro Boy movie, I immediately had mixed emotions about it, since I knew that a modern "hip" American version of this classic Japanese character could never live up to what I've enjoyed in manga and anime. Of course, that wasn't going to stop me from seeing the film, and I definitely had a great time watching it! This movie is filled with things done right, but also riddled with things done wrong (especially for a serious Astro Boy fan). I guess I'll begin with the bad elements, starting with the bizarre changes to the story, which is now set in Metro City, a floating paradise above a WALL-E-esque trash heap Earth (which cruelly still has human outcasts living on it!). Dr. Tenma is now heavily involved with the military, and even the president of Metro City is a completely one-sided, ridiculously shallow warmonger. Astro ends up on junkyard Earth and makes friends with some orphan kids, who are unfortunately typical cookie-cutter "cool kids" found in way too many animated films. Even the music is a little obvious and heavy-handed, since even simple conversations are over-scored with dramatic themes! Finally, Nicolas Cage and Donald Sutherland deliver some of the worst voice acting I've ever heard (I wish studios would quit booking voices on celebrity recognition). Now it's time for the good stuff! The action sequences are excellent, and Astro's first flight through the city and in the clouds, as well as the discovery of his powers, is breathtaking! The design of Metro City architecture is really cool (quite a bit like the manga), and I really enjoyed the Tezuka Easter eggs (including a glimpse of the original Astro blueprints, and even a Hyoutan-Tsugi on the side of a building). And to counter those terrible voices, Freddie Highmore is fantastic as Astro himself! Without his sensitive and authentic performance, this movie would have been dismal! I suppose the filmmakers tried their best to Westernize this story (most likely under marketing pressure), but as an Astro fan I have to feel a little disappointed at what could have been an awesome addition to the world of Astro Boy. But if you're looking for some great animated action and a mild introduction to this fun character, don't hesitate to check it out!
|
| Astro Boy 1980s Japanese opening theme | |
|
7.28.2007
12:28 PM | Link0 comments |
 Lately I have been watching a ton of Astro Boy (already four episodes today!), since I realy want to finish this DVD set before I move on to other things to watch. The show is really fantastic, as I've said before, and it's kind of cool absorbing each episode one after another, since you can really watch the characters grow and see all kinds of connections. There are so many great stories, such as the Greatest Robot in the World saga, all of the Atlas episodes, and even some guest appearances by other Tezuka characters, such as Black Jack and Princess Knight! Of course, now I've heard the theme song a billion times, but strangely enough, I couldn't find the actual Japanese lyrics with translation on the web, so I just did my own. I tend to translate more literally than poetically, since it helps me learn vocabulary, and it's amazing how even a simple song like this can contain idiomatic phrases and things. By the way, Astro's "real" name in Japanese translates to Mighty Atom. So, here's the Astro Boy opening theme from the 1980s anime!Japanese sora wo koete ra ra ra hoshi no kanata yukuzo atomu jetto no kagiri kokoro yasashii ra ra ra kagaku no ko juuman bariki da tetsuwan atomu mimi wo sumase ra ra ra me wo mihare sou da atomu yudan wo suruna kokoro tadashi ra ra ra kagaku no ko nanatsu no iryoku sa tetsuwan atomu English Passing through the sky, la la la Far off in the stars Go, Atom (Astro), To the limit of your jets! His heart is kind He's a child of science He has 100,000 horsepower Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) Listen carefully, la la la Be amazed! That's Atom (Astro) Don't be unprepared His heart is just He's a child of science He has seven powers Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) |
| Astro Boy Complete Collection : 5 of 5 | |
|
7.20.2007
12:24 PM | Link0 comments |
 I've only watched about a fourth of this series so far, but since it's eight DVDs long I decided I should go ahead and write about it! Since I really love Astro Boy, I want to see all three animated series eventually, and I really enjoyed the most recent one, so I was happy to snag this set at a discount price. This is the second of the three series, broadcast in Japan in the 80s in color, and it was Osamu Tezuka's (the creator of Astro) favorite. In fact, he actually wrote all the scripts for the series, which is wonderful since the stories closely follow the original manga (even complete subplots like the heartwarming Robio & Robiette)! The animation is colorful though quite simple, but every now and then features some incredible space ship or robot designs, and of course the characters are completely true to Tezuka's artwork (then often even do the funny walk with outstretched legs that Tezuka fans will recognize right away!). The music has lots of cheesy 80s synth sounds, but the opening and closing theme songs are fantastic (and I hum the all the time, since I haven't found the Japanese lyrics yet). It's so cool to see Astro being built and coming to life for the first time, as well as the introduction of Astro's robot parents and cute sister Uran. Seeing these shows in the original Japanese is great, and I love hearing the cute things that Astro says when he fights (plus he's pretty handy with his "ass-guns" that you definitely never saw in the US!). So far this is just about as perfect as an Astro Boy cartoon can get, and I'm certainly going to enjoy watching the rest of the series!
|
| Astro Boy / The Complete Series : 4 of 5 | |
|
12.13.2005
8:10 PM | Link0 comments |
 At last I've finished all 50 episodes of the latest Astro Boy animated series! This five-DVD set covers the most recent version of the Astro Boy story to come from Japan, although unfortunately only the American dub is available (it's not so bad, really). This is the series that was broadcast on Kids WB, but they cancelled it so quickly that over half of these episodes were never seen! It's really a shame, not only because they did all the work to dub all 50 shows, but because the quality of the animation and the depth of the story are so incredibly far beyond any other Saturday morning animation currently in production. The characters are all exactly true to Osamu Tezuka's designs, and the backgrounds are filled with detail and life (I always get excited by futuristic cities, and they definitely deliver in that department!). The entire story arc follows Tezuka's major theme of human/robot strife and a struggle to live together in peace, and the writers managed to squeeze in all kinds of cool robots from the manga. I was shocked and amazed to watch the two-part episode that even weaved in part of the Phoenix saga (and the animation of the Phoenix herself was wonderful)! There are so many fun characters that you really get to know over 50 episodes, including Astro's school friends, and of course, Mustachio (though they only call him Detective Kisaragi in the dub). The final showdown with the robot rebellion and the last stand against Tenma is amazing and emotional, too (though I'm sure the emotion is toned down for American audiences). I've really enjoyed watching this set - too bad it wasn't a big hit!
|
| Robots for sale, cheap | |
|
5.06.2005
9:30 PM | Link0 comments |
 Today my pal Ryan and I went to the mall for lunch, and after eating some so-so quesadillas (Chick-fil-A was closed for remodeling!), I got a bubble tea and we started making the rounds. I thought about buying a Godzilla T-shirt (I'll have to keep that mind), but my real score was at Suncoast Video. Suncoast is notorious for having the highest possible prices on everything, but they always get lots of cool toys, plus they have a nice anime section to browse. Anyway, they had lots of Astro Boy toys that were practically free! The latest Astro Boy series just didn't go over well in the US - they had dubbed about 50 episodes and only broadcast half of them before it was cancelled. Sugoi taihen, but the plus side is I bought the 11-inch Interactive Astro for a whopping $3.50! This is an amazing toy, with light-up eyes and sound effects - it was about $30 bucks when it was released! I may have to go back sometime to see what else I can snag. (Man, I really need more shelves for my toys!)I just watched all 45 minutes of the Disneyland 50th anniversary kick-off that happened yesterday in the park (the video is available on LaughingPlace). Lee Ann Rimes and Christina Aguilera sang, Art Linkletter thanked Walt in the sky, Julie Andrews welcomed in just about every character in the park, and Mikey smiled and cried through it all. I think Christina's When You Wish Upon a Star was fantastic, and even Eisner and Iger were likeable. Well done, Disney! |
| Astro Boy Vol 23 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
4.30.2005
6:01 PM | Link0 comments |
 Say it isn't so! I've just finished the complete Astro Boy series - all 23 books. I can't believe it's over. What will I do without Tetsuwan Atom to keep me company in the pockets of spare time throughout the day? This last volume is filled with short, short stories (even shorter than the last volume!), plus one medium length tale. Most of these were published in the 80s in Shogaku Ninensei (Second Grader) magazine, so they are simple fun stories full of jokes (and really enjoyable to read!). There's an excellent afterword which explains the various attempts made in the past to publish all of Tezuka's Astro stories, and confirms that this set definitely includes all of it (which gives me a sense of accomplishment). It's interesting that Tezuka himself compiled everything, determined the order of the volumes (putting his favorite stories first), and drew all the wonderful introductions that I loved so much in the other books. I think my favorite story here is Giant Uran, where another scientist turns our little cutie into a huge version with Astro's special powers! The long story is called The Silver Tower, and includes a scene where Astro uses his ass-guns to shoot off his own arms so he can escape - where else can you see that kind of drama? Farewell, Astro! I'll have to start another manga series soon.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 22 : 3 of 5 | |
|
4.16.2005
8:47 PM | Link0 comments |
 I can't believe I'm coming to the end of the Astro Boy series of books! This volume actually has twelve short stories in it (some as short as a single page!), so Tezuka is definitely wrapping up this collection by gathering some pretty obscure tales. In a few of the stories, Astro is only a guest star, but the stories are still cool because you get to see some of Tezuka's other styles of drawing and story-telling. The first story Astro Returns is the longest, which describes how Astro is rescued and repaired after his tragic ending in the old TV series - variations of this same story were written by Tezuka several times, I think, but this one includes the creation of the Sphinx in Egypt! Some tales have screwball titles like Slippery Catfish in Imminent Danger, but I think my favorite might be You're Guilty, which is actually a Black Jack story (my first time to read this character). Astro appears as a real boy, so it's kind of like he's an actor playing a role. The last story called The End of Astro Boy is really amazing and dramatic, although Tezuka assures us in the intro notes that it's really not the end!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 21 / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
|
3.18.2005
6:45 AM | Link0 comments |
 There's seven stories in this jam-packed volume, which is a big departure from the multi-part epics from a few books ago. A couple of the stories don't really count, though, since they were originally part of a manga that came with 3D glasses, so there are huge panels with lots of "popping-out" action and not much story content (although one of them does include a visit from Dr. Saruta from the Phoenix saga - nice crossover!). The other stories are really early in Tezuka's Astro work, and several include the first appearance of some supporting characters like the bully at Astro's school and the Inspector. The reason I really enjoyed this volume, though, is because Astro falls in love in the story Sea Serpent Island! It's so cute that he doesn't want the girl to know he's a robot - at the end she believes he's died and he watches her walk away from a window. So bittersweet! In another story Astro is the commanding officer on a manned mission to Mars, and in another there's a Frankenstein robot that must be stopped (plenty of exploration of human/robot interaction here, of course). There's one more short story where Astro begs Ochanomizu to give him the emotion of fear (so he can enjoy ghost stories), but Astro soon realizes that it becomes a real problem when he has to battle. I can't decide if I like the short or long stories better - they have such different pacing, but they're both fun!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 20 : 3 of 5 | |
|
2.04.2005
8:58 PM | Link0 comments |
 It took me a long time to get through this volume in tiny doses, because I've been reading so many other things lately. I got my wish after reading Volume 19 - this volume also contains only two long stories (rather than many short tales), starting with the continuation of the big plot twist of the last volume, where Astro turns bad! The mean Astro frees the entire robot population and carries off his robot family's house to an island to start his robot nation, but they are met there by a weird Aztec-like tribe (whose leader also happens to be a robot). Then sweet little Uran turns evil (oh, the horror!), but finally everything becomes normal again somehow. The second story is about a weird 4th dimensional being called Meeva, who can bring things from the past to the future when he is in physical pain (pretty strange!). Dr. Tenma captures Meeva because he wants to bring back Astro from the past the moment he was born (April 7th, 2003) so he can keep him for himself, but of course his plan fails when Meeva brings back ancient Japan from 10,000 years ago - when it was still under the sea! This was an exciting volume overall - it looks like the next volume is back to lots of small stories, which will be nice after these epics.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 19 : 4 of 5 | |
|
12.10.2004
6:17 PM | Link0 comments |
 After several volumes in a row with lots of short stories, this book is essentially one huge novel-length adventure! The story is called Blue Knight, and in the Cartoon Tezuka introduction he explains that it was written when his editor forced him to make Astro more "mean" (more smashing and so on). Of course, his popularity dropped after the change, but it's interesting to read this story and see how it was done! I've seen a version of this tale on the new animated series, but the book version is better, I think. Blue Knight is a mysterious robot (on a robot horse) who fights humanity because he wants robots to form a sovereign nation. When Astro's parents are taken away (because they are thought to be "bad" robots), Astro joins Blue Knight in order to save them! Even Uran and Cobalt get in on the action. One book isn't enough - this story is continued in the next volume! After Dr. Ochanomizu gets Tenma to help repair Astro (after a big battle), Astro gets really mean, punches up everything, and flies away! I hope the next volume is one long story, too, and that Astro comes to his senses at the end!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 18 : 3 of 5 | |
|
11.22.2004
8:58 PM | Link0 comments |
 Wow, I'm amazed that I'm still going strong with Astro Boy, after finding out about these books about a year and a half ago. They really are perfect little books for a quick five minute reading session at any time, and it's nice to always be in the middle of a story. This volume has five short stories, but only one has a cartoon Tezuka introduction. The Robot Spaceship reminded me a lot of a plot from the last volume, since it's about smaller robots who combine to build a larger robot (in this case, a complete spaceship, rather than a destructive giant robot!). Then there's a pretty cool Dracula story, which is fun since Astro's friends have major roles. Then there's Atlas, a meanie robot who has "Omega Factor" installed, which allows him to betray the usual robot nature to never hurt humans! The last two stories are super-short, so the plots seem really rushed. I couldn't believe it when the only thing that could stop some monsters from eating the city turned out to be candy! It's pretty funny to see helicopters dumping gallons of sweet red bean soup. I hope the next volume has a little more emotion and less smashing!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 17 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
11.09.2004
5:58 PM | Link0 comments |
 I finished this volume pretty quickly, so I'm either reading faster or spending more time in the bathroom! Actually, I read a bunch of this on the plane flying home from Los Angeles - it's kind of nice to read a complete Astro Boy story in one sitting rather than piece by piece. This one has five stories, and while some of them are really interesting, I'd say one or two are pretty underwhelming. My least favorite is The Face in the Rock, which is really short and silly, involving a little exploding robot called the Fireball Kid. I thought Gademu was the clever story of the volume, because it's cool that one of the bad guys goes places with a bunch of servant robots who join together to create a giant robot monster! Space Parasites is interesting because things like trees and rats become dangerous enemies, and the other stories include some nice Tezuka introductions, plus a good scene of Astro refueling, which is always good for a laugh.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 16 / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
|
10.31.2004
11:16 PM | Link0 comments |
 I don't usually rate Astro Boy books more than a 3, but this volume includes the fantastic tale of Robio and Robiette. If you haven't figured it out from the title, this is a robotic Romeo and Juliet with Astro in the middle! Two old inventors are constantly competing against each other, so the robots they build are constantly fighting. Robiette's brother is even named Chibolt (who is Tybalt from the play, of course), and the end is tragic but sweet, as expected. The other stories in this volume are longer than usual, and include lizard aliens living in a spooky swamp, animals fighting to preserve nature, and a guy who sends out explosive balloons that look like Astro Boy to make everyone hate robots! (Why anyone would think a robot would send out balloons of himself is beyond me, but folks can be pretty silly in these stories.) This volume is totally worth it for Robio and Robiette - definitely enjoyable to Shakespeare fans like me!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 15 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
10.20.2004
9:18 PM | Link0 comments |
 I wonder how they chose which stories to include in each volume of these Astro Boy books? It's amazing to me how they mix things up so there's always a story to answer what ever question I'm thinking of - this time I was wondering about the earliest appearances of Astro, and this volume includes Ambassador Atom, the first story ever! Cartoon Tezuka introduces many things in this volume, and he explains how Astro really wasn't the main character until he became popular and his publishers asked him to make the story about our favorite robot boy. Ambassador Atom focuses mostly on Ken, one of Astro's school friends, but the plot really involves a kind of parallel humanity of aliens (a matching person for every one of us on Earth) who come to live with us, and the resulting food crisis! The three other stories in this volume are all really good, too, including the excellent Gas People, another early tale of Astro's robot parents. Astro even starts the story by giving us a walking tour of the Ministry of Science and all the cool machines (it's only a few pages - I wish there were a whole story just for the tour!). Looks like I won't be tiring of Astro anytime soon!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 14 : 3 of 5 | |
|
9.12.2004
11:30 AM | Link0 comments |
 I love stories about the early days of characters, so this particular Astro Boy volume was a great one! My favorite story was about Uran, Astro's super-cute sister, just after she was made (Astro's brother Cobalt is there, too). Astro has to take them around the city and teach them things, and of course they get into all kinds of trouble. Uran sees a "roboting" match (like robot prize-fighting) and ends up sneaking away from school to become a major contender! There's another long story about an alien robot who can read robot minds (ponder that one a while!), and then some shorter stories about horse people and giant snails. Lots of variety in this volume! There are a few pages at the end where cartoon Tezuka talks about Astro's beginnings, too - all about how Tezuka decided to give Astro emotions and a family so readers could relate to him. An excellent collection of stories!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 13 : 4 of 5 | |
|
8.10.2004
6:08 PM | Link0 comments |
 This was a particularly good Astro Boy volume because 90% of it is one long story called Zoloman's Jewels, about a strange "organic" robot who rises up out of a lake to search for a precious stone called the Teardrop of Serius. Astro is joined by three other cool robots to help protect the stone - Tezuka was so imaginative when it comes to thinking up different kinds of robots! I especially liked one who carries a bag of different noses that he snaps on for tools and weapons. The story takes a bizarre turn when we discover that the stone is a miniature world! Astro and Dr. Ochanomizu are shrunk down, and in their adventures on the world, the Doctor is killed - I couldn't believe it! (Nothing to worry about, though - of course!) After this great long story, there are a couple of short ones, including a touching tale about a robot who is built to lie to his dying mother. At the very end is a brief history of Tezuka's first Astro ideas and works - I always enjoy when he draws himself talking to the audience, so I'm glad they included these pages in this volume!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 12 : 3 of 5 | |
|
8.03.2004
6:40 PM | Link0 comments |
 This book has another great round of Astro Boy adventures, that I read slowly over time (usually in the bathroom, the traditional Astro Boy reading place). There are four stories here, starting with a long one called Roboids (who are some weird life form that want to study Earth and destroy all the regular robots!). There's a cool guest-star robot named Box who has a few special powers that he can use only once, and after he uses them all, he'll be destroyed. Some of the powers are pretty goofy, like shooting out his eyeballs like missiles (which leaves him blind!), but I still liked the concept anyway. Astro discovers how to teleport to the Roboid ship and makes friends with a little Roboid boy, but then has a final confrontation with the boy's father, the Roboid commander! The next story is a short murder mystery, and then there's a weird one called Youth Gas that features Astro's brother, Cobalt - they even have to fight (since they are in rival schools)! Astro pretends to be destroyed and later shows up as a robo-Ninja. The final story is pretty goofy, but fun - all the robots go crazy because they are receiving TV signals from another planet as dreams. There are no Tezuka cameos in this volume, unfortunately.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 11 : 3 of 5 | |
|
6.28.2004
7:51 PM | Link0 comments |
 Parts of this book may have been the first Astro I ever read, since I remember some of these stories fairly well from my last visit to Japan. My pal Matt got me started on Astro (thanks to the books in his bathroom!), and then sent me his collection to get me started! There are three regular length stories in this volume, and one super short one (even though it's only a few pages, it still has heart). I really liked Bem, the robot bomb boy, who just wants to be peaceful - Astro has to help him escape from his evil makers, and poor Bem ends up sacrificing himself to save the earth! The next story is about a cool underground tank and the kidnapping of Mustachio, and the next is about a weird criminal who has returned from Mars with terrible powers. He can project electrical current and cause people to have heart attacks! Astro and Professor Ochanomizu hatch a great scheme to capture him, which involves faking the Professor's death (I knew it couldn't be true, but they fooled me!). Guess it's time to start the next Astro volume.
|
| Astro Boy Vol 10 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
6.02.2004
6:19 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm still enjoying reading the adventures of Astro Boy - they're just simple, exciting stories that add a bit of coolness to my day (and I usually read them in bits and pieces, which is really easy to do). This volume has four stories, which is a little more than the average volume, so each story is a little shorter, but still lots of fun. First, Astro battles Garon (a giant robot that Tezuka borrowed from another manga), and then Astro goes undercover to stop a drug pushing ring - he gets to wear a rubber "human" skin and pretend he's an addict and everything! The third story is pretty weird, since it reveals that the human race was created by aliens messing around with apes, and the last story is my favorite - Professor Ochanomizu builds "adult" bodies for Astro and Uran! It turns out to be just a plot for the bad guy to steal Astro's original boy body, but it's still kind of interesting to see a teenage Astro flying and fighting. At the end the "real" Uran wants the adult Uran to become her big sister, but she has to shed some tears since things don't turn out that way. The best part is that Astro and Uran decide that they like being kids best (just like me!).
|
| Astro Boy Vol 9 : 3 of 5 | |
|
5.22.2004
9:11 PM | Link0 comments |
 As always, Tezuka (in comic form) introduces the stories in this volume, and he explains that Astro has gone through several different looks over the years. These stories are from his "extra cute" stage, so he's a little shorter and rounder. There's a lot more comedy in general scattered throughout, with lots of one-liners that sometimes seem out of place, but they're funny, so I don't mind. The longest story is about someone who builds a Cleopatra robot (a sexy one, of course) so he can revive the Egyptian empire, but my favorite is about an accident with a matter transporter (just like in The Fly, which Tezuka admits was his inspiration). A rival scientist traps another scientist in limbo while his molecules are being transported (along with a rabbit, a fish, and a robot), so he becomes a bizarre ghost that can form as a mist from 3D televisions! The third story is pretty short, but it features Cobalt, a replica of Astro in every way, except his brain isn't as developed (so he seems kind of dopey). Astro gets hurt a lot in this volume - I think he has his arms ripped off more than once! Be more careful next time, Astro.
|
| Astro Boy Vols 6 & 7 : 5 of 5 | |
|
3.21.2004
8:05 AM | Link |
  These two volumes of the Astro Boy series go together as one fantastic story, which I think is my favorite so far (at least, I read these two volumes the fastest, because I couldn't put them down!). As usual, a cartoon Tezuka introduces the story, where he explains that this story is kind of a continuation and re-imagining of the end of old Astro Boy television series. The amazing thing about this tale is that Astro is thrown back in time to Japan before robots are invented - there are lots of incredible moments, such as meeting Dr. Ochanomizu when he still had hair, trying desperately to make a robot work for the first time! The main plot device is that there's no way for Astro to be "refueled" in this world of the past. At one point (after a touching sub-plot in Vietnam) he actually "dies" and is found by a friend from decades earlier, who spends all of his company's money to start-up Astro with only a few day's energy. In Volume 7 (which actually features Astro's "ass guns" on the cover!), the time-traveler Astro finally crosses paths with the newly-born Astro, so he must be completely destroyed to prevent a time paradox! At that point the story becomes the first days of Astro and Dr. Tenma, and I can't wait for it to continue to the next volume!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 5 / Osamu Tesuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
2.19.2004
10:04 PM | Link |
 Another wonderful set of Astro Boy stories - it's so much fun to be reading a series knowing there are tons of books left to enjoy. A couple of stories really stood out in this volume, mainly because they were just super creative. There's one about a "space leopard" and his evil master, which is tied together with a mysterious rain that makes all electronics cease to function (it's so sad when Astro goes home to find his robotic "parents" lying on the floor deactivated!). Another great story involves a Sherlock Holmes guy, whose big secret is that only his head is human (the rest is robotic, of course). He has a hatred for robots, but after Astro changes his attitude and he's nearly killed, he becomes proud of the fact that he's become a robot. Unfortunately, Astro's sister doesn't show up (she's so cute), but this is a fun, fast-reading volume anyway.
|
| Astro in action | |
|
1.17.2004
10:16 AM | Link0 comments |
 Yokatta! The latest Astro Boy cartoon series (produced in Japan, of course) has finally started on Kids WB. I just watched the first episode and I totally loved it (looking past a few goofy, but very slight, changes for the American audience)! The animation is really beautiful - the backgrounds of the incredible futuristic city are just fantastic, and all of the characters are completely true to Tezuka's design. It was so exciting to watch Astro learn how to fly, and especially cool to see things that aren't shown in the books, like how his boots slide open and transform into his rockets. Now I have a new reason to enjoy Saturday mornings! Doyoobi no Asa ga suki desu!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 4 / Osamu Tesuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
11.26.2003
10:28 PM | Link |
 Another great Astro book with a prominent theme I'm beginning to expect: robots are people, too. There are three cool stories in this volume, starting with a Westworld-ish theme park, which is really an evil cover-up, of course (never trust a robot named Satan!). Next up is an adventure on the moon (written before man had been there, so there's some fun vegetation and scenery, not to mention diamonds). The best story is about a boy who has disappeared in a home-made time machine, and Astro takes the boy's place in a nice Japanese holiday to remember the dead (where robots are built to mimic those gone for three days). Astro figures everything out eventually, and after fighting off some gangsters, the family is reunited in a happy moment. It's inventive and touching stories like this one that sets Astro apart from other manga!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 3 / Osamu Tezuka : 4 of 5 | |
|
11.06.2003
10:29 PM | Link |
 The Astro Boy manga series continues with one of the coolest and longest stories: The Greatest Robot in the World. An evil sultan creates a super-robot named Pluto, built for the sole purpose of destroying the best robots from all over the world. Of course, one of those robots is Astro! There are plenty of battles, but also some great plot developments, such as Astro being modified to one million horsepower so he can face Pluto! There's also some funny scenes with Astro's sister, Uran, who feels sorry for Pluto, since it's not his fault that his orders are to fight everyone. The second story in this volume is short, but pretty interesting. A crazy professor makes a machine that emits "crazy rays", causing all machinery to go berserk. Save us, Astro! I love reading a long series - with 18 volumes in all, I have many adventures ahead of me!
|
| Astro Boy Vol 1 / Osamu Tezuka : 3 of 5 | |
|
7.30.2003
10:36 PM | Link |
 During my recent trip to Japan, my pal Matt introduced me to his latest obsession: Astro Boy. Astro is pretty much Mickey Mouse in Japan - he appears on billboards and trains, and there are all sorts of merchandise available with his smiling face. Matt had several English translations of the original manga (Japanese comic books), so I thought I would start reading them, too. The first volume was a lot of fun, mostly filled with one story about evil cyborgs created from the nervous systems of dogs (because a complete robot could never be evil). Astro is really cute and loyal, honest and true, and he manages to utilize his rear-end machine guns several times! The stories go by very quickly, but they're so much fun that I think I'd like to collect all of the books. Astro is cool!
|
