Movies / Animé and Toons

Astro Boy Volume 3

By Hervé St-Louis
April 14, 2010 - 15:35

Volume 3 of this series produced in 2003 and broadcast in North America in 2004 reprising Japanese animation and manga legend Osamu Tezuka continues the revisiting of this popular character. Here Astro Boy continues to face challenges by his creator Doctor Tenma as well as the new robot called Shadow.  Zoran, Astro’s little sister is introduced formally while our hero continues to combat skepticism and discrimination against robots, whining new friends one at the time.

This series was well conceived from the beginning and it’s why I’m still hooked. I remember the old Astro series from the 1980s and I don’t recall it being so dynamic and fun, although I’d probably have to watch it again to better reflect on the differences. In this set of episodes, there is little progress on the overall plots that permeate the series. Just ricochets. However, one of the episode is dedicated to Tenma and Shadow evaluating the potential of Astro as leader of a new generation of robots. He certainly is capable, but the strongest point about the character is how he is dedicated tom both humans and robots without this being forced. It’s really a smart series.

As the series progresses things I would have liked to see more of is an exploration of the world in that time period and how robots play a role and are different from computers. If there is one failing it’s the lack of imagination about what the future holds for us in terms of gadgets and technology. There are hints everywhere, but it’s only a backdrop to the real drama. I do like how the anti robot protesters are becoming more visible. If this series has done something right, it’s to capture the heroism of Astro that was present in past comic books and animated series.

Rating: 9 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12