Your favorite episode from Astro Boy 2003 [threads merged]

[F-Man]

I like March of the Micro Bears where friendship is more powerful

I hate that episode for this very reason. It lowers the show to preachy drivel for kids with obvious lessons, and the way the bad guy is "studying" friendship to supposedly help him in his evil plans feels awfully contrived. The teddy bears are also possibly the best method to make a villain lose any creepy effect he might have had and are impossible to take seriously (not that anyone's trying). The best friend becoming angry over a misunderstanding is also as cliche as it gets; there are whole movies based on this annoying concept that are automatically ruined because of it.

One of my favorite episodes is the one where we learn why Lamp has a thing against robots. It's one of the episodes which I could feel the most pathos.

[Shiyonasan]

I can't remember which episode it is, but I like the episode where Uran wants to have 100,000 horsepower like Atom does, but ultimately refuses to after she becomes content with who she is and how she was made.

I like how the focus is on someone other than Atom. I like Atom, but it's good to give the other supporting characters the spotlight once in a while.

[Astro Forever]

I hate that episode for this very reason. It lowers the show to preachy drivel for kids with obvious lessons, and the way the bad guy is "studying" friendship to supposedly help him in his evil plans feels awfully contrived. The teddy bears are also possibly the best method to make a villain lose any creepy effect he might have had and are impossible to take seriously (not that anyone's trying). The best friend becoming angry over a misunderstanding is also as cliche as it gets; there are whole movies based on this annoying concept that are automatically ruined because of it.

I don't disagree with you. In that 2003 series, there are moments that I find annoying, and others that I like very much. I feel like that even within many episodes, if not most of them.

[jeffbert]

Perhaps we are talking about different sides of the same coin (as the saying goes), but what better object to learn about love, than a teddy bear? If indeed it was necessary to learn of people's most intimate feelings, things they might not likely share with others, but would say to pets, & such. When I was a kid, my cat never criticized me ; I would cry & pour out my feelings to her. People would not expect their teddy bears are ratting on them.

I recall many people were outraged when a slasher film had the guy wearing a suit. Making items associated with childhood innocence serve as tools for evil seems creepy; it makes us uneasy when we see these 'innocent' things. Just as using I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU in METROPOLIS' climax made me unable to enjoy that song for a long time.

I think some lighthearted scenes & episodes were necessary because the series as a whole was rather dark. I will look at the episode sequence later, as now I am on my laptop, but I think these light episodes were placed between heavy ones to serve the same purpose as . I do agree that sometimes it seems a bit too childish, especially since 7:30 pm was the air time in Japan. I cannot think of any childish changes to the dubbed version right now, but I suspect there were a few.

[F-Man]

I think these light episodes were placed between heavy ones to serve the same purpose as

At least you're never supposed to take Hyoutan-Tsugi seriously. The tone of that episode is as serious as it gets, and that's what bothers me. Like some big important things were in the balance, when it's actually just a cliche moral story that you know way too well how it's gonna end. I don't remember the robot-friendship-data Shadow collected to ever be mentioned again in later episodes.

[jeffbert]

About the robot-friendship-data Shadow collected, I do not believe it was explicitly mentioned, F-Man; though perhaps merely implied in making Blue Bon into Aoikishi. Such a leader needed to know more than just war, though I am merely speculating.

[sstwins]

Wow!

Hard to say!

A tie between Robot Circus, March of the Micro Bears, and Undercover.
Second might be Firebird.
"Firebird, I want to know the secrets!" "If you are worthy of the secrets they will find there way to YOU!"

[sstwins]

This isn't my image, but still!


FIREBIRD!

[Gotta Love ASTRO BOY]

I had forgoten about Undercover. That was a very good episode

[sstwins]

i know! klaus's story is so sad!