Interesting themes to explore in Tetsuwan Atom series

[Toshio]

Wanting Atom to grow up even to adulthood is way too much.

However, rather than growing up, he is just changing bodies anyway.
Having to keep changing bodies just to keep in touch with friends who grow up naturally is something quite tragic.

In "Eternal Boy", his friends tould him that they'll accept Atom in his child like body no matter if they became adults.

So, the series hinted that he don't needed to force himself to keep being moved to other bodies.

Be yourself, do not force yourself to be something which you cannot be just because of your friends.

Also, AprilSeven...

Although you wish to cheerish the idea of Atom changing bodies to fit his friends, you must not forget the value of friendship.

If Atom keep changing himself to fit his friends who grow up, then he'll be THEIR slave.

Friendship doesn't see:

• Physical appearance.
• Style of life.
• Race.
• Personal tastes.
• Nationality.
• Inteligence level.
• Limitations.
• Etc.

If you keep changing to fit your friends, then you're losing focus of your life.

You'll become obsessed with the idea of always changing that you'll forget important issues of your own life.

If my friends filled themselves of piercing, then I would not fill myself of piercings.

If my friends became genius in math, then I would not try to overstudy and become a genius.

True friends accept themselves no matter of their limitations and that was a poweful message in Tetsuwan Atom.

The episode Eternal Boy shows that is important to Atom do not care about the issue of not growing up, because he would lose focus of himself if he keep changing himself to try match his friends.

It's a good thing that his friends are able to accept that he can't grow up and wish himself to be himself.

Do not be a slave of your friends, don't try to change yourself just because your friends are always changing in a way or another.

But, anyway I'm tired of talking so much about that subject...

We have other subjects to talk about here rather than only talking about Atom growing up or not, AprilSeven.

We have different point of views and both of us cannot chance our opinions about it, right?

So, how about coming with other interesting themes to talk about rather than keeping in the same subject all over the way?

Are you fine with that, friend?

[Earthshine]

Gender and gender roles. That's a theme that Tezuka explored quite a bit but no one really paid significant attention to. I believe that if Tezuka had lived into this day and age he would have explored it further, and may not have explored it to the depth that he wanted to because of social pressures of his time. Even to this day people don't think much of gender beyond male and female, and often loop sexuality in with gender which is not entirely accurate.

This 'theme' wasn't expressed too often in Astro Boy, and even when is was (from what I remember) could not really be called a 'theme'. The extra terrestrial robot named Bem in the original comic was clearly identified as being not male and not female during the closure of his chapter, foreshadowing that gender and identities are not black and white all the time.

Ah well, that's just me.

[jeffbert]

Well, hold on to your hat, Toshio, because actually I've planned out that Atom would eventually become a human - so he WILL age and become mortal and be the first person to live as a machine . . . and be the first machine to live as a human.

-- !!

This same thing did not work well for Bender, though it may have been because of his personality!

I think you guys are taking this way too seriously! I doubt that Tezuka ever lost sleep wondering about such things, especially since he used robots as metaphors for the blue collar, or lower class.

Still, this discussion is rather interesting.

I posted this before reading Toshio's latest post, to which I say this:

I think that some of Atom's friends would remain, though adolescence is a turbulent phase. Should any forsake him during it, they might have 2nd thoughts upon reaching adulthood. Of course, this is pure speculation. I can see Shibugaki losing interest in associating with a preteen shaped robot, & Tamao, in his quest for cool, may go with him. Kenichi, I think would be more likely to retain friendship. Shib would be 1st to shamelessly seek Atom's help should he need it, though he had forsaken him because he was still just a kid.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Well Astro boy has been compared to both Pinocchio and Peter Pan (the want to be a real boy, and never grow up themes).