Opening there from the 2003 Astro Boy series.
OK. Here's what you all should already know:
- Called Tetsuwan Atom in Japan.
- Created by Osamu Tezuka
- First anime to be broadcast outside Japan
It's the story of powerful android created to replace a scientist's, Dr Tenma, son. The doctor then rejects the android, selling him to a circus. Now as I am sure you aware, when you are sold to a circus it's a fair bet that the owner will not be warm and kind hearted. Luckily for Astro/Atom, he is spotted by the head of the Ministry of Science who adopts him and then his adventures as an android superhero battling the worst aspects of that mankind, robot kind and alien kind can offer.
As well as the sixties series, there was a series in the early eighties and more recently in 2003. This latest series is one of the series Sony Home Entertainment can't quite make their minds up over releasing in the UK despite the fact unlike in the US, the UK did actually finish airing the series on TV. The recent Cyborg 009 series is also in this position, alongside series 2 of Jackie Chan Adventures. However, some of the 1980s series has been released recently by Manga Entertainment.
Even 17 years after Tezuka's death Astro Boy is still incredibly popular as shown by this placing and also by Pluto. Pluto is a manga reworking/retelling by Naoki Urasawa (Yawara, Monster) of the Astro Boy story “The World's Strongest Robot”. With Urasawa having asked Viz to release his recent works in order, it will be a few years before we see an English translation on the bookshelves. However, it is possible to find this excellent manga scanlated.