"jeffbert" wrote:I think that the problem with the '09 film was that they started at the beginning, & had to include Tobio's death. If the '03 series had put that in the 1st episode, it might not have run in the USA for even a few episodes.
Well, it also hurt that they tried to make it fit the SATURDAY MORNING 'ghetto' that Fred Patton wrote about.
Anyway, any new US series will surely suffer the same fate as the '03 one did. It may have been ASTROBOY, but it just was not MIGHT ATOM. Recall that when JE Leo was made with US $$, it was also a far cry from what Tezuka had envisioned. KTWL still cut some, & drastically changed the dialogue to remove any references to death or mortality. So they moved any refences to Tobio's demise to the end of the series, & the US dialogue made Atom into a smartass, etc., & it still failed in the SATURDAY MORNING line up.
Any US made ASTROBOY series will be more like that unlicensed comic book than like Tezuka's concept.
I see your point, and I agree that is a real possibility. But to be honest, I prefer to be cautiously optimistic about news like this.
I may be a bit naive in saying this, but I believe that quality kids shows that speak to older audiences can be done, provided you have the right team on board. I mean yes, the standards for cartoon shows now has changed since the 90s, but that doesn't mean you can't get around censorship laws. You just need the right team (or scriptwriter) is all.
Look at Batman TAS or Animaniacs, both of those shows have jokes and content that some may find questionable in a kids show. But the writers approached them in such a way that they were able to get it on the air without breaching the censorship rules.
Now I do agree that there is cause for concern, especially with the project only being in the works at this point. But you never know, the stars just might align for us this time.
I'm on Fanfiction.net as Tetsuwan Penguin. Please check out some of the other stories I've written! 
