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

[Little Brown Fox]

Thanks for the summary, ASTROBUDDY! And I'm sorry that my curiosity derailed the topic... ^-^;

[ASTROBUDDY]

Thanks for the summary, ASTROBUDDY! And I'm sorry that my curiosity derailed the topic... ^-^;

Apology accepted!


I

[jeffbert]

A very good summary, ASTROBUDDY. I see no reason to close or lock the thread, though, as newer members may have questions.

[ASTROBUDDY]

A very good summary, ASTROBUDDY. I see no reason to close or lock the thread, though, as newer members may have questions.

Okay, agreed, Jeffbert!

I

[animegirlalways]

I would like to summarize:
1972: Tezuka decides to create a new manga serial starring Mighty Atom. The idea is to respond to all those requests to bring Atom back, (In 1972 Atom had not appeared in a regular series since 1969) and try a new look he had in mind for Atom. The serial now known as "Atom Returns" was published in "Fourth Grader" magazine. (4/72-9/72) In this serial Atom is restored "to life", but with a slight memory loss. The serial was partially reprinted in English in Dark Horse's "Osamu Tezuka's Original Astro Boy vol.# 22. The serial ends after Atom has had some adventures traveling thru time and space and ends with his companion, Spica at his side as he has saved her from becoming a bomb and destroying the Earth.

At about the same time Tezuka creates another series of adventures for Atom utilizing the same look for Atom as in "Fourth Grader", but this time the series is published in "First Grader" magazine. (4/72-3/73) This series is used as an introduction for the character to children too young to have seen Atom's original series. (Both the anime and the original manga.)
The series begins similarly to "Atom Returns" with some changes. There is no sign of Atom needing repair and the adventures are more humorous and juvenile in nature. (Also Atom does not seem to have any memory loss.) The adventures end on a humorous note when a destructive robot channels his destructive energies when he is converted into a bowling ball.

The new look for Atom proves unpopular and Atom does not appear in a new series until 1980. Before that Tezuka creates "Jetter Mars" utilizing some of the aspects of Atom's new look. And if no one else has anything pertinent to add to this thread then maybe it should be closed.

I

Thank you very much for the info/summary.

[jeffbert]

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

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 gangsters 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--

This image goes in this sequence:

Atom has confronted the yakuza, & they agreed that if he could force them from the room, they would take him to see their boss. He succeeded, & the final confrontation followed:

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

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 &
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