U.S. has little love for Astro Boy

[Earthshine]

I wonder if that's because of differing copyright laws? I heard that a while ago Japan was changing its copyright laws to match US and EU copyright laws (so no more doujinshi legally).

I'm no legal consultant so I wouldn't really know if the primary reason why Atom is used so heavily is because of a more lax copyright law or if he is used simply because of cultural significance. I'm quite ignorant when it comes to advertising and how that all works.

I bet if US copyright laws were more lax companies would be scrambling to use Superman to market goods.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Hey Tezuka studios may have licensed his use to raise cash. I think on that credit card I saw, it had their copyright notice on it.

[Earthshine]

Could very well be. I have no real clue.

But I do believe that the core example of the average person's thoughts about Atom being similar to Superman is fair.

[toxicXheart]

I learned something today

[Dragonrider1227]

although Superman still is having adventures and is well loved by Western comic readers so I may have chosen a poor example here in that department.

Considering the things they do with Superman in the comics now, Astro Boy may consider himself grateful

[Fuzzy Pickles!]

@AprilSeven: But should we expect English-speaking kids growing up today to watch/listen to Mighty Atom? There are many animated TV shows and even animes/mangas that gets more attention than Atom does nowadays. It didn't change back when anime was at its highlight back in the late-1990s to mid-2000s and it won't change now. Sure there are a variety of ways to see Atom in English, but they're not exactly being pushed out to the market now. Anything in English that has done well has been done a long time ago and the last major effort to make Atom relevant, his 2009 movie, bombed.

A case could be made for the 1980s series and to a lesser extent, the 1960s series, but the same can't be said for the 2003 series. The dub butchered that version badly and turned into a shadow of its original self. Kids won't see the message if they just see the 2003 series, they'll just assume that it's Atom failing to do what others have done better. It's great to suggest others check out Tezuka stuffs and I agree; but considering where we're at, it is easier said than done.

@Earthshine: Won't lie, I was pretty surprised to hear that. Considering how much Atom is honored in Japan and how significant he is, I would have imagined that Atom would have at least been in the hands of many more Japanese kids today. Although I do ask; are you sure you're referring to everything Tezuka has done? I don't think it would be fair to assume that Black Jack or Phoenix are anywhere near conventional stories.

Also, you did outline a major difference between Superman and Atom; Superman is still receiving lots of content on a regular basis worldwide and as such, is kept relevant. Outside of Japan, Atom has not. This means that many western (at least English) kids of today will likely not only not care about Atom (or Tezuka in general), but may not even know him. That's why Tezuka's relevance has fallen significantly over the past few decades.

[AprilSeven]

@AprilSeven: But should we expect English-speaking kids growing up today to watch/listen to Mighty Atom?

Absolutely!!

Atom is part of the history and "heritage" of anime/cartoons. To brush him (and Tezuka) aside simply because new content isn't being created today is being short-sighted.

I watched the 2003 dub series and DEFINITELY got the message out of it - actually I was impressed with what I saw and how they had developed Tenma's character.

If anything, the civil rights issues that have been an important focus of the past 50 years make Astro an even more compelling character today. The '03 version put that front and center, even if they did downplay some of the emotional aspects of the characters.

I still haven't been able to see/read the "original" 2003 - and it may very well be FAR superior to the English dub, but I feel it would be selling the dub short to suggest it isn't worth watching - and just because it's less "perfect" than the original, then we should all "ignore" it.

When I was a young person (between 9-12 years old) we would watch the "new" cartoons, which included the Hanna Barbera series, like Yogi Bear, the Jetsons, etc.; Warner Bros. Looney Tunes, Marvel comics cartoons, and series like Astro Boy, Kimba, Speed Racer and Gigantor. But we ALSO watched the "old" cartoons - from the 30's and 40's - like Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Popeye, older versions of Bugs Bunny, and some I can barely remember - there were even some that had music - but no "voiceovers" - just "balloons" with dialogue.

My brother and I enjoyed those older ones as much as any, (and they were - of course - in black and white, as the original Astro Boy was). We liked the idea of seeing something from when our parents were young - and looking at how life was represented - cars with cranks in the front; actual "ice boxes" instead of refrigerators; and original telephones. It was fascinating and funny. Plus the slapstick humor was very silly and still as enjoyable as ever.

Just because time passes doesn't mean something that is 20, 30, or 50 years old is not worth exploring. I hope someday there is a place - maybe online? - where we can go to watch literally ANYTHING from ANY TIME!

It's very similar to classical music. I just came from a concert where about 60 singers ages 11-18 worked with a famous choral composer/conductor from the UK. These kids did an amazing job, and they were "normal" - not oddball people. However, they are looking BEYOND what is easiest to latch onto, and their lives and experiences are richer for it.

I hear some people groan "classical music is dead." NO IT'S NOT!! and it's a great deal of fun (every bit as much as rock) - one person at a time . .. tell them about and - don't hide them away! Just because the dopey TV channels don't make it easy, doesn't mean it's not important! It IS!!

Sorry! My well-intentioned "rant-with- !"

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

My two biggest gripes about the 'hatchet job' done to the 2003 series was the 'pan and scan' conversion of the Japanese wide screen production into a 4:3 aspect ratio, and the loss of the original music sound track. WHY? The DVD was done at a time when letter box / wide screen DVD's were common, and conversion to a digital broadcast system was being planned. You can find the original Japanese language version of this series on the web if you look hard enough. The scenes where Atom encounters memories of Tobio in the old house use a haunting rendition of the original Astro theme, losing that in the ELV was a crime!

As far as the story conversion, I don't think that was as serious as many claim. The two biggest changes were de-emphasizing Tenma being Atom/Tobio's father (making him only Atom's "creator") and changing Atlas from being a robot replacement of a lost son (like Atom/Tobio) to just a robot. Subtle points perhaps, but the audience knew the truth anyway.
Also Tobio's death was omitted, perhaps because they didn't want a younger audience to see that. Again not a big deal as the truth is common knowledge. Still they could have included a "missing scenes" track with a parental warning.....

[dannavy85]

Astro is just a good old fashioned character that in many respects is very few bells and whistles so popullar with todays anime, in fact I've grown cold to today's anime for being way to wierd and outrageous. Tezuka was more keen to anime and manga's broader uses for good than just entertainment, which is why he didn't allow a disney-like park to be made of his characters.

[GreenDarthVader]

You know back in the 30's and 40's and into the 60's Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, and others did quite a bit to introduce their audiences to classical music. Bugs Bunny, Beany and Cecil, Popeye, Woody Woodpecker and other cartoon stars Lampooned around behind a background of music by Beethoven, Offenbach, Liszt, Suppe and other famous composers. Those cartoons were re-run on TV during my childhood long after they had made their first appearance on the silver screen. (Maybe THAT's why I love classic music today) Even Tezuka made some use of Beethoven and Strauss (Richard) during Astro's creation scenes in the first two Animes. (Anybody know what he used for Mars?).

So are the cartoons that fans of the original Astro Boy saw as kids still relevant today? I think even today's kids would enjoy the old Bugs Bunny and Popeye's, they might not get some of the jokes (which were actually geared for adults back then, without being 'off color'), and some of the gags might be 'politically incorrect today however.

Should I weep for all the people who's only connection to classical music is through Neon Genesis Evengelion?