Soul Link, Nana, Bleach, Ouran High School Host Club, Air Gear, Haruhi and many, many more are animes we speak of most today. I just thought I'd take a few moments to look back at a series that gave birth to our anime of today. (I was also bored and had nothing to do. ^^;)Astro Boy, as we of the English-speaking persuasion fondly know him, or Tetsuwan Atom, as he was first called back in 1963, is the first cartoon series from Japan that actually obeys the norm of anime today. It had a manga, which what most animes of today originate from, written by Osamu Tezuka. The manga was first published in 1952, and its success led to the Tetsuwan Atom series in 1963. Astro Boy is often seen as the starting point of anime due to its episodic nature, manga origins, and big-eye character animation that almost all the animes of today have similarities with.Astro Boy's plot was much simpler than the stuff we have around today (although some would say some of todays material are plotless, lol). Tetsuwan Atom is a series set in the future (the future at that time being 2003) where androids and humans co-exist. Basically Astro Boy was a super robot created by Dr. Tenma in the image of his deceased son, Tobio (think Megaman). However after realizing that Astro Boy could never ever fulfill that emptiness, he sold him off to a circus. Professor Ochanomizu finds Astro Boy there and takes care of him like a father, soon realizing Astro Boy's powers and his ability to feel like humans. Hence begins Astro's many adventures.Astro Boy first premiered on Japanese television (in black and white) on New Year's day 1963. It's success spawned another series of Astro Boy in 1980, which was basically the same thing with a few changes. And in 2003, we had another remake, probably to commemorate the 'future of 2003' that was depicted in the first series. How time flies. Today, Astro Boy is still going strong in the from of the remake, manga, collectibles, figurines and even clothes. That's really something amazing, considering the market today. I have never seen the original 1963 release, and I don't know if it's available, but it would certainly be something to remember.When we watch our anime today, with the flashy animations, harem-themes, tsunderes, fanservice and whatever else, it's hard to imagine that it all began with a little black and white TV show called Tetsuwan Atom. It also puts things into perspective slightly. In recent years, an average of 50+ animes have been released every season, with almost 100+ a year. How much is quantity, and how much is quality? I think most of you know the answer to that. Of course we still get some sparkling gems in that vast array, but sometimes it's good to look back at the past, and appreciate what we have now (or feel even worse with things like Soul Link). ^^ (Gomenasai for the Soul Link bashing)Long live Astro Boy! =)>>> AnimaniaTags: Animation, Anime, Japanese Animation, Manga, Astro Boy, Tetsuwan Atom, Anime History, Tenjou
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