That last episode: the tough choice

[dannavy85]

I watched the last episode of the 60's Tetsuwan Atom cartoon where he took the device into the sun, no doubt in reality as to the outcome.

At the time he launched in the rocket, you don't get the feeling Atom would have to make such a choice. There was the danger involved but until the device struck that rock in space you had every thought that Atom would come home safe.

Now suppose there was no other option available like a rocket. The device had to be transported dirrectly into the sun to assure it would work.

Atom steps up and says..."I'll do it."

By this time he's evolved emotionally, this would be a hard thing to do and of course your friends and family would have to protest for some other way.

For Atom there's two choices. He does it or he stays on earth with his fellow robots and watches all his human friends die, not a good thing in both ways but knowing Atom there's no question as to the right course.

The episode made me ball. How would you feel as Atom or as one of his friends? Would you plead with him not to do it? Would you have second thoughts about having to do it?

[Nora]

*Points at Astro.* Why didn't you just use your awesome strength and throw the thing into the sun instead of going into it yourself!!

[Laughing Dragon]

According to the book "The Astro Boy Essays", that ending caused quite a shock to the show's viewers, and Tezuka got a mountain of angry fan mail as a result. Surely he would have expected such a reaction, so it makes you wonder why he did it. Maybe he was wanting to bring the series to an end and wanted to make it memorable (if so, he certainly succeeded!) But I wonder if he was just tired of Astro and wanted people to focus on his other manga. He wouldn't be the first creator to try to end his creation before people were ready to let it go. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, tried to kill off his hero by having him fall from a cliff during a fight with his deadly enemy, Moriarty. L. Frank Baum tried to end his Oz stories by having his fairyland get magically cut off from the rest of the world. Such schemes rarely work. Both Doyle and Baum had to bring back their characters because of public pressure. And Tezuka was no different; he brought Astro back in a later manga series. (Thank goodness. Although he died long before I became aware of Astro, I would never have forgiven Tezuka if he hadn't resurrected my favorite little boy robot).

[Uran-chan]

If astro become one of my friends and he will Volunteer to Deliver the device to the sun I would Question him about his action and if he still wants to continue to deliver the device and if am a robot(If iam ) I would volunteer to replace astro's job so he can live with his friends happy

[fafner]

As far as I know, Tezuka wanted to end the 1960 anime, not Astro himself.

As for letting a dear one risc his/her life, since it never happened to me I can only do an abstract reasoning. My opinion is that each person is entitled to his/her own freedom (so far as it doesn't imped other's own freedom, but this is a difficult question in itself). This include the right to put one's own life in danger. Especially if there were a necessity, I would not want to question the judgment of this person, be it a dear one or not. I would certainly try to find alternatives, maybe try to discuss the point, but once done I would not continue on persuading not to do it.