Astro Boy Reboot (Future Animated Series)

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Maybe this is a higher res shot?

[Shiyonasan]

Yeah, that screenshot has a better resolution than my screenshot does. I'm sure Shibuya Productions will post that pic online at some point too, but the screenshots we took are good enough for now.

I don't know if that thing on his chest is an "A" or a symbol for "Danger Radioactive!"
It also looks a bit like an X-Ray of him.

If this character is in fact Atlas, then I'm thinking that the A stands for "Atlas". Though, it could stand for "Astro" as well if this is a pic of Astro. Any of us could be right at this point.

[Little Brown Fox]

Hm, well it's certainly, uh, bigger... I dunno if it's better or not, but bigger can have it's advantages, too, I suppose.

Anyways. Something I've noticed that may or may not be interesting: This character's top spikes face towards the right, or their left. Astro's face towards the left, or his right. This detail does not seem to change, no matter where he's facing (although we haven't seen enough footage of him to be sure of that yet). Even the logo has the points facing left. So, either this is entirely insignificant, the image was flipped, or this means something. That "#Atlas" wasn't there for nothing, I'm sure (although this sure is different for him- also, this reminds me a little of the "battle armor" Astro wore in the 2009 movie a little bit, right down to a big fat "A" on the design).

Also, something's up with those arms...

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Actually, I'm sure I've seen Astro's spikes in BOTH directions. Of course in the manga Dark Horse DID mirror image EVERY PAGE so they could make the books open with the spine on the left as most Western books do, but as the Maga was published in Japan the spine was on the RIGHT (like Hebrew books). So you can't go by the Dark Horse manga for this.

I think the way I'm used to seeing Astro the spike on HIS right hand side is the higher one, (which IS how it is in this image), but only when he's seen head on (or from the rear). From the side you usually can't tell. That's just something Tezuka didn't keep consistent.

[F-Man]

Why does that "A" logo look quickly superimposed over the video... it's so sharp and doesn't match the level of compression of everything else...

EDIT: even worse, it's not even symmetrical.

Also just for the sake of cynicism, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if the #Atlas tag only referred to the hotel they're staying in at Cannes.

[Shiyonasan]

Also just for the sake of cynicism, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if the #Atlas tag only referred to the hotel they're staying in at Cannes.

Oh, that's a good point. There's also the hashtag "#Croisette", which I believe is a hotel as well.

It is incredibly ironic that they included the hashtag "#Atlas" with there being the character of Atlas in Astro Boy, including that picture at the end of the video with the character having an "A" on his chest, and saying that the video "includes a little surprise for the Astroboy Reboot fans". We don't know 100% either way which character it is, but perhaps I'm giving Shibuya Productions too much credence on this.

[Little Brown Fox]

Actually, I'm sure I've seen Astro's spikes in BOTH directions. Of course in the manga Dark Horse DID mirror image EVERY PAGE so they could make the books open with the spine on the left as most Western books do, but as the Maga was published in Japan the spine was on the RIGHT (like Hebrew books). So you can't go by the Dark Horse manga for this.

I think the way I'm used to seeing Astro the spike on HIS right hand side is the higher one, (which IS how it is in this image), but only when he's seen head on (or from the rear). From the side you usually can't tell. That's just something Tezuka didn't keep consistent.

I was talking about the Reboot, not any other version; in which it is widely known and obvious that they can switch sides.

I just noticed it about the teaser, and even the logo... and how this image is incongruent with this consistency so far. Of course, like I said, we haven't seen enough footage or imagery yet to know for sure. (Although, it has suddenly occurred to me that the spines seem to face left no matter the direction, as in parts of the trailer we can see him from behind. :T I still don't know if this is significant at all as of yet, but... /shrug)

I hadn't considered the possibility of that being a hotel name; that'd be super lame... And Atlas has long since become a usual and well known feature of the the franchise, after the 80's (which royally sucks, because the relationship introduced by that series means that Cobalt will probably remain forgotten and/or ignored by any official representation in the foreseeable future). I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they did go that route. Disappointed, maybe, but not surprised.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

I hadn't considered the possibility of that being a hotel name; that'd be super lame... And Atlas has long since become a usual and well known feature of the the franchise, after the 80's (which royally sucks, because the relationship introduced by that series means that Cobalt will probably remain forgotten and/or ignored by any official representation in the foreseeable future). I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they did go that route. Disappointed, maybe, but not surprised.

There is no reason (that I can see) why you couldn't have BOTH Atlas AND Cobalt in the same story. Is Atlas Astro's brother? Not in the 2003 story arc. While he WAS created by Tenma, he was designed specifically for a certain 'client', although Tenma had is own dark designs for Atlas.

The 1980 series used him as a substitute for the Blue Knight, which was kinda lame. He was Astro's brother really only in his first form, which was never shown (except for flashbacks) in the ELV.

And in the 1963 series Atlas only had one role (at least in the ELV episodes, he did make at least one cameo appearance in the missing '89), Ladd called him 'Ferno'.

I can SO see interactions between Cobalt and Atlas!

[Little Brown Fox]

Yeah, but everybody knows him from the 80's series. At least, most invested fans do; I would hazard a guess that this would be the version that the people working on this project grew up with. Also, they kinda fused him with the Blue Knight; in a sense, he was kind of both.

Atlas and Cobalt interaction might be pretty interesting to see, however. (Provided it was the Boy Atlas, or the interesting 2003 take- I wonder if they could exist in the same universe??) But, I just don't think it's likely. Call me a perpetual and persistent pessimist (that's some alliteration there for ya), but I don't think anyone remembers him, and/or cares. He was an underdeveloped character, anyway, which would make him in low demand, because who would want to develop him, themselves? They might even be afraid to; he's not really theirs, after all. (Not that that stops me at any point, ever; but I'm not paid to do that.) Granted, they have been given a more-or-less free licence to do whatever they wish this time around, as far as we know. We'll have to wait and see; in any case, I'm just calling it and saying "no". Don't want to get my hopes up this early in the project.

Oh, also... If that screenshot happens to be Astro, then maybe his origins are different this time around... What I'm thinking of is actually akin to that awful NOW Comics rendition; but I think they could pull it off, if they had writers with any talent. :T Anyways, here goes: He's actually a reluctant war machine, but has a few, shall we say, "triggers", which makes him dangerous and unpredictable. (Come to think of it, this reminds me a little of Mars- except Mars wasn't at all bothered by his status as a child super-soldier...)

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Hmm, that sorta reminds me of the Iron Giant, he had a 'war mode' too.