I'm not sure how many of you are picking Dark Horse's 20 some odd volumes of Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka, but I figured I throw in some comments on it.
For a book that came out in the late forties, and then retouched in the mid seventies, this "boys" book has some amazing commentaries by Tezuka on how hipocritical the rest of the world can be. Especially when talking about Astro Boy being put on US tv in the 60s. I really enjoy his reflections, and how he makes them easy for the children reading the books at the time to understand. That's one thing I really liked about Tezuka. There's enough character development and plot to keep the Adults entertained, but its also enjoyable for kids. Kinda like the Muppets.
He gives us some really good points. For instance, the U.S. media wouldn't allow him to show an episode where Dogs were turned into cyborgs that Astro had to fight. Their main reason was that they didn't want to disturb the youth of America with the killing of animals. Then he so quickly points out we eat animal flesh and hunt animals for sport. After that he goes on a little rant about the british which gets really interesting. You can really see how disappointed he was with the rest of the world with these books. But the nice thing is, is that its in small doses. Its not "Tezuka tears America a new asshole via Astro Boy." They're quick little jabs and they almost add to the books by giving you the atmosphere of the times. Something a lot of books really fail to do.
So if you want a good read, volume 3 just came out today and Volumes 1 & 2 are pretty easy to find. Also I'd reccomend his Adolf and Metropolis books if you can find them. Refreshingly good books.
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eviljonhunt81
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| #2 Posted on 31.5.02 1135.38 Reposted on: 31.5.09 1146.32 | Astro Boy is my favorite Manga ever. I need to go get Book 3 this weekend. I think some of the old Anime was just released on DVD as well. | ALL ORIGINAL POSTS IN THIS THREAD ARE NOW AVAILABLE |
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