Movies / Animé and Toons

Astro Boy Volume 2

By Hervé St-Louis
April 13, 2010 - 18:06

This DVD picks up where volume one left off. Astro has to face more challenges from Dr. Tenma who is trying to make Astro evolve as the leader of a new nation of independent robots. But this time, Tenma creates a new robot called Shadow that will evolve faster than the Doctor and thus be able to better challenge Astro. Astro is also faced with new allies such as the Blue Knight, Epsilon and new threats like Acheron and Pluto. Old robot genius and villain Skunk is also back. Is that too much for Astro to handle?

I really like this series. I’m not sure I would have so much fun watching some of the old cartoons that may not have aged well with time. This new series takes the best from Astro and refreshes it for a new generation. The story has changed a lot compared to the previous series, but it doesn’t matter. The essence of Astro as a robot who believes that his kind and humans can coexist is as strong as ever.

Some of the episodes were less intereting. I really like those that continue the multiple continuing plots that will all lead toward a great ending I hope. However, the standalone episodes are not all bad. Many continue to impress with the theme of discrimination of robots by humans and how some men are willing to take matters into their own hands.

I’m not a fan of Astro’s sister. I don’t like her design much with her hands that are all meshed into cute tubes instead of having any shape. I’m not a fan of the comedic relief she’s supposed to bring either. Granted the two episodes she showed up in were not inserted in the DVD collection in the right order. It seems that her formal introduction in the series is in a subsequent DVD. I like the Blue Knight, but I’m afraid the focus on him will overshadow Astro. He seems much more the super hero / vigilante than Astro. This series really is ignored by many who only swear by the classic animated series. Yet, it’s probably the best stuff produced on Astro since the classic manga series by Osamu Tezuka. I haven’t seen the 3D animated blockbuster that propelled Sony to release this DVD collection, but I’m pretty sure it’s not as much fun.

Rating: 9.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12