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Reviewed by Michael Aronson Astro Boy, as he’s known in English, is perhaps Tezuka’s most famous creation, recognized as a forerunner of comics and animation around the world. The scope and themes of Astro Boy vary widely from those of Superman, Batman and Spider-man, but the universal appeal of the stories remains just as strong. Astro Boy is an android robot built in the guise of a young boy who fights for life, liberty and justice not just in his country of origin, Japan, but around the world. Despite the all-ages content, the stories more often than not transcend simple good-versus-evil battles to issues of human rights and morality, such as the question of whether or not robots are living beings too. It’s layered material, and yet most tales still conclude with a fistfight. The stories in each volume vary greatly in length, from 15 pages to 180 pages, though each volume barely exceeds 200 pages. On one hand, this offers plenty of variety in terms of scope, dramatic development and the stakes of each story, but the stories aren’t presented in chronological order. Thankfully no continuity is lost from the rearrangement as each story stands on its own with no necessary background information, but the randomized assortment of tales is slightly off-putting. Even though Tezuka began his wildly innovative Phoenix series while Astro Boy was in publication, on the whole the art and layout in Astro Boy is as conventional as can be. Small condensed panels crammed with action and speed lines are the order of the day, and while panel shapes vary somewhat and characters sometimes overlap multiple panels, nothing about it redefines the art form. At the same time, what’s presented is solidly Tezuka – it’s far before his peak of psychedelic effects, lush backgrounds and meticulous details, but it’s the style he became best known for. The character designs, especially the robots, are wonderful, the action is explosive and all is presented with clarity. What makes the stories so clear and accessible rests on the efforts of translator Frederik L. Schodt. While the dialogue of the characters is at times overly cheery and exuberant, it captures the flavor and tone of ‘60s animation dialogue and the era of its publication in general. In fact, there are many political references within the stories, such as a country run by dictator Hitlini who conducts genetics experiments at the cost of living animals. It’s the kind of moralizing that used to be popular on Saturday morning cartoon shows, but even with “robot rights” at stake in most stories, the morals are usually delivered well. Volume three presents only one story, “The Greatest Robot On Earth,” in which a new fearsome robot challenges the seven mightiest robots across all nations – including Astro Boy. What stands out about this story is Tezuka’s global awareness and desire to showcase rival countries as respectable equals. He was ahead of his time as far as globalization is concerned, and while his style occasionally borrows stereotypes that would seem politically incorrect in this day and age, he only uses them to express people and cultures to the extent he knew of them at the time, not as a means of condescension. I enjoy Astro Boy the way I do pre-1980s Disney movies: fun, simple stories with direct, universal messages for a more innocent era. Astro Boy isn’t daring or complex enough to rank alongside Tezuka’s later opuses, and their episodic nature limits long-term plot development and character growth, but they’re perfectly enjoyable lighthearted fair. Essential for any Tezuka completist, but a casual reader should at least sample a volume. Comment on this review of Astro Boy v2-4 on the Manga Life Forums. |
7 May 2008
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