Astro Boy has been one of the most well known characters in cartoon history for over forty years. With the fame that Astro developed, the show became the first of its kind to broadcast outside of Japan. The aesthetic look, style and storytelling of Astro Boy is what helped create what is now referred to as anime.
Osamu Tezuka, The God of Manga and Creator of Astro Boy
Born November 3, 1928, Tezuka began creating his first manga (Japanese comics) at the age of seventeen, giving birth to what was known as the golden age of manga. Despite having a degree in medicine, Tezuka traveled the route of an artist and created some of the most well known and appreciated pieces of work in manga history, including, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight, Black Jack, and what came to be his most famous manga ever, Astro Boy. In his lifetime, Tezuka drew over 150,000 pages of manga, which is where his nicknames, the God of Manga or the Godfather of Anime, came about.
Tezuka was often considered to be the Japanese equivalent of Walt Disney during his time and due to his prolific life, a museum has been opened in his memory, stamps in his honor as well as the Tezuka Award, which is given to budding manga artists in Japan. During Tezuka's early career in manga, the job wasn't considered to be all that rewarding. His effort and ability to tell stories through the cartoon medium that touched both children and adults, men and women, is what turned the manga career into a respectable job, now featuring such famous artists and storytellers as Hayao Miyazaki.
The Origins of Astro Boy in Manga
Astro Boy is a robot boy created by a scientist named Dr. Tenma. With powerful abilities, Astro took on the role of fighting crime and injustice, most of his villains being aliens or evil robots. Astro Boy first debuted in a comic during 1951 called, Captain Atom, where he was viewed as a minor character. Beginning in 1952, Astro became the main character of his own manga, Tetsuwan Atom, although Astro Boy is what the series is called in the United States and is an equally popular name in Japan. Despite the fame of the story, the original Astro Boy wasn't translated into English until 2002 by Dark Horse Comics.
Astro Boy the Anime
Debuting on the screen in 1963, the black and white Astro Boy anime was produced by Tezuka's company, Mushi Productions. The show lasted four seasons and ran 193 episodes, being the first of its kind to air on television in the United States. Unfortunately, due to the censorship restrictions of the time, only 104 episodes of the original show were able to be broadcast on American television. In 1980, Astro Boy was retold, with emphasis on Astro's robot skills and featured a sometimes darker story. This new series last for fifty-two episodes. The 2003 remake of Astro Boy was done in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the original run of the show. The fifty episodes kept the original art style but was done with near theatrical quality and combined the lightness of the 60's version and the darker undertones of the 80's show. The three different versions of Astro Boy have been key factors in the continuous success and remembrance of his character.
Over Fifty Years of Astro Boy - Manga, Anime, Films, and Merchandise
The first anime's success has brought about many other landmark shows, such as, Space Battleship Yamato, Akira, Mobile Suit Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and famous films from Studio Ghibli like, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, all of which are must sees in the anime community. Astro Boy's fame, which has grown recently because of the CGI film debuting October 23rd, is in part due to the fact that while not all anime fans like the original story and character, they appreciate their historical significance and the work that Tezuka did for the manga and anime world. Astro is also a unique character that can be enjoyed from the youngest ages to parents and grandparents. The celebration of Tezuka's art is shown greatly through this single, landmark figure, which is why even today, Astro Boy can be seen on clothing, toys, key chains, cooking utensils and monuments throughout Japan.
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