ASTRO BOY RETURNS (1st & 4th GRADER EDITIONS)

[ASTROBUDDY]

I don't know if you guys noticed, but the new body which Dr. Tenma planned for Atom in the 2003 version was a redesign of his attire of Astro Boy returns.
And I'm happy that he rejected the new body.

I had not really noticed since I am only slightly interested in the 2003-4 version. My interest in the First Grader version is mostly because the stories are not available in English so it's like seeing new Astro Boy stories.
But in which episode of the 2003-4 series does one see Dr. Temma rejecting the new body?
Also thank you for the info, as it is of historical import.

I

[Toshio]

[QUOTE=Toshio;203322]I don't know if you guys noticed, but the new body which Dr. Tenma planned for Atom in the 2003 version was a redesign of his attire of Astro Boy returns.
And I'm happy that he rejected the new body.

I had not really noticed since I am only slightly interested in the 2003-4 version. My interest in the First Grader version is mostly because the stories are not available in English so it's like seeing new Astro Boy stories.
But in which episode of the 2003-4 series does one see Dr. Temma rejecting the new body?
Also thank you for the info, as it is of historical import.

I [/QUOTE]
Here:
http://www.astroboy-online.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4241&page=53
Like I said, it's a redesign:

The japanese don't liked these series from what I read about, but seems the authors of 2003 version wanted to make a refference or poke fun.
Like Atom saying: "I don't want to be like that!!"

[ASTROBUDDY]

[QUOTE=ASTROBUDDY;203326][QUOTE=Toshio;203322]I don't know if you guys noticed, but the new body which Dr. Tenma planned for Atom in the 2003 version was a redesign of his attire of Astro Boy returns.
And I'm happy that he rejected the new body.

I had not really noticed since I am only slightly interested in the 2003-4 version. My interest in the First Grader version is mostly because the stories are not available in English so it's like seeing new Astro Boy stories.
But in which episode of the 2003-4 series does one see Dr. Temma rejecting the new body?
Also thank you for the info, as it is of historical import.

I [/QUOTE]
Here:
http://www.astroboy-online.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4241&page=53
Like I said, it's a redesign:

The japanese don't liked these series from what I read about, but seems the authors of 2003 version wanted to make a refference or poke fun.
Like Atom saying: "I don't want to be like that!!"[/QUOTE]

Thank you, Toshio. Oh, I don't know! Kind of reminds me of "Mega Man"!
Maybe you're right! Maybe Astro Boy is saying, "I don't want to be like that!"

I

[jeffbert]

I am going to be very brief & skip to the end rather quickly. After Atom leave the Sphinx, he continues with his adventures:

UNIT7-3_168-9-SM.jpg (134.99 KiB) Viewed 2791 times

I should have had these translated, but somehow forgot. I just sent them to be translated, so I should have them by sometime next week.

Anyway, Atom is time-traveling, searching for his family. He materializes in a time & place in which Yakuza are attacking Higeoyaji; but there is no recognition between them. The gangster succeed in blowing up Higeoyaji's home, but Atom uses his time-travel ability to go back 5 minutes. Though how they even knew that the gangsters had been there, since it had yet to occur--

So, Atom goes out to chase away the Yakuza, eventually yielding this:

UNIT7-3_TR_185.jpg (74.46 KiB) Viewed 2887 times

After finishing here, he goes on, & finds a large marauding robot that he learns was made by a cyborg who had come to hate humans. A fight between Atom & the big guy occurs, and 3 humans appear. Atom tries to protect the humans, & the thing ends up with a little girl shielding the cyborg from the large robot that is falling on him. The cyborg reprograms the large robot, & the three human dissolve into mist. Spica appears in their place, eventually announcing that her masters have ordered her to destroy the earth. She, herself is the bomb. She says that when her two antennae come together, she will explode, destroying the planet. Atom tears out her antennae &

UNIT7-3_TR_213.jpg (62.65 KiB) Viewed 2788 times

[ASTROBUDDY]

Thank you Jeffbert for providing some insight on this unusual chapter in Astro Boy's history. As the serial was published from April, 1972 to September, 1972, that would mean that this particular manga story basically lasted six months.

In Dark Horse's "Osamu Tezuka's 'Original Astro Boy' " vol. #22, it states (thru a translated by Fredirick Schodt text page from Dr. Tezuka) that Tezuka also included as part of the story, a parody on "Planet of the Apes", using dogs. (A "Planet of the Dogs", per se!)

Does that appear after the adventure of the Sphinx and before the Yakuza incident? Does it appear at all?

I

[AprilSeven]

Jeffbert, this is really fascinating stuff!! Okay . . . so THIS must be the Atom that the Japanese fans rejected I can see WHY, personally - it's like Tezuka is trying to do too many confusing things with the character (IMHO).

I think he was trying to find a way to be able to re-start the whole story and present it for a different generation (but that alienated the children of the 50's/60's because this isn't "their" Atom).

The redesign of Atom takes care of the "nearly naked" issue, but also makes him less human looking, with no appealing new powers (drink dispenser isn't funny, and apparently the Japanese didn't think so either).

And he didn't make Atom truly "older" - so it is kind of confusing - I mean, he's not "cute" as he originally was . . . and it's not as easy to see him as a "real" person (with that robotic uniform and do-higgy in the middle of his forehead). He's no longer a sweet little orphaned boy you want to adopt/befriend/take care of. He's sort of a lost soul.

And these stories seem less compelling or without a higher purpose. But it's interesting to see Spica is a bomb . . . and a blonde (like Niki is the next incarnation of the franchise ). Also interesting to see Atom openly suggest they live together and she be his girlfriend uhhh . . . how old IS he supposed to be?

Thank you for sharing and I do look forward seeing more of what is going on once you get the translations!

OH - one more thing - Spica has Miri's hair-style. Us girls notice things like that!! XD

[Toshio]

While searching for images with the japanese kanji, I've found that cosplay:

Kinda awkward to be honest.
Anyway, I would like to see stories which Atom have his usual look.
And to think about, that design may had inspired both Rockman and Rockman X.

[Prettywitchiusaka]

I am going to be very brief & skip to the end rather quickly. After Atom leave the Sphinx, he continues with his adventures:
[attachment=]1933[/attachment]
I should have had these translated, but somehow forgot. I just sent them to be translated, so I should have them by sometime next week.

Anyway, Atom is time-traveling, searching for his family. He materializes in a time & place in which Yakuza are attacking Higeoyaji; but there is no recognition between them. The gangster succeed in blowing up Higeoyaji's home, but Atom uses his time-travel ability to go back 5 minutes. Though how they even knew that the gangsters had been there, since it had yet to occur--

So, Atom goes out to chase away the Yakuza, eventually yielding this:
[attachment=]1935[/attachment]
After finishing here, he goes on, & finds a large marauding robot that he learns was made by a cyborg who had come to hate humans. A fight between Atom & the big guy occurs, and 3 humans appear. Atom tries to protect the humans, & the thing ends up with a little girl shielding the cyborg from the large robot that is falling on him. The cyborg reprograms the large robot, & the three human dissolve into mist. Spica appears in their place, eventually announcing that her masters have ordered her to destroy the earth. She, herself is the bomb. She says that when her two antennae come together, she will explode, destroying the planet. Atom tears out her antennae &
[attachment=]1936[/attachment]

Is it just me, or does it feel like Tezuka remade his story "The Earth's Last Day" ?

[ASTROBUDDY]

Yes, Prettywitchiusaka! There is one element of "The Last Day on Earth" that seems to be an element of "Astro Boy Returns" (1972).

AprilSeven, you raise some interesting points, but from your post you seem to be confusing "Astro Boy Returns" with "Astro Boy--First Grader"!
First off the nipple scene (and please remember that humor is subjective!) are not from "Astro Boy Returns", which is the serial Jeffbert was referring to, (I guess you don't have a copy of Dark Horse's "Osamu Tezuka's Original Astro Boy" vol. # 22), but from "Astro Boy--First Grader".
While I can understand your distaste for this version of Astro Boy, I hope you do realize that, the nipple beverage dispenser scene is just a small part of "Astro Boy--First Grader".
I tried to illustrate that by showing other pages from "ABFG". (I think the story of the destroyer robot becoming a bowling ball is, dare I say it, "cute"!)

While I understand this version is unpopular, for whatever reason, I am glad to learn what the rest of the story started in vol. #22 is like. (Still would like to know about the "Planet of the Dogs" storyline.)
(Hope you saw that post of mine where I said I agreed with your comparison of Astro Boy (1972) and Jetter Mars?)

I

[jeffbert]

Thank you Jeffbert for providing some insight on this unusual chapter in Astro Boy's history. As the serial was published from April, 1972 to September, 1972, that would mean that this particular manga story basically lasted six months.

In Dark Horse's "Osamu Tezuka's 'Original Astro Boy' " vol. #22, it states (thru a translated by Fredirick Schodt text page from Dr. Tezuka) that Tezuka also included as part of the story, a parody on "Planet of the Apes", using dogs. (A "Planet of the Dogs", per se!)

Does that appear after the adventure of the Sphinx and before the Yakuza incident? Does it appear at all?

I

I do not see anything that resembles "Planet of the Dogs".