Osamu Tezuka appreciation thread

[MartyMuppets]

Episode 48: Uran Falls In Love

A fanatic who runs an anti-robot campaign is using a robot of his very own to assassinate other robots of important influential positions. His name is Torch and his robot henchman is called Zeus.

Astro and the police are staking out the airport to protect the robot Ambassador when his plane arrives. Astro fights with Zeus but Uran has sneaked along to watch. She fell in love with Zeus when she saw pictures of him and Torch on the news and maybe she wants Zeus to win even more than Astro. Furthermore while the fight is going on Torch sneaks up from behind and takes Uran hostage. What will Astro do now?

Only 3 episodes left.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Episode 49: The World Of Odin

This is perhaps the most unusual story. Astro and Dr. Elefun have been asked to join a crew of Vikings on a mission to discover a legendary ancient Viking treasure. I think that's enough for this review. I couldn't say anything more except that this episode is certainly unique and will keep you wondering what will happen next to the end.

Anyway there are only 2 episodes to go now.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Episode 50: The Secret Of The Mayas

Now Astro is working with an archaeological party who are exploring a Mayan pyramid. Things are perilous though because a killer robot called the Sphinx has been wiping out the members of the team. Only five men, including the leader, are left to complete the project. Can Astro protect them? Where did the Sphinx come from?

The final episode will be reviewed soon.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Episode 51: Astro's First Love

This was the series finale in Japan. Astro's mission is to recover some stolen secret plans for a robot with a bomb built inside of it. He meets an attractive young girl robot named Niki who seems to be connected to the Spy Headquarters he must infiltrate. She is on his side however and helps him sneak into the Spy Base. Niki and Astro find themselves very attractive to each other making this last episode a romance story.

What will happen while they are searching for the stolen plans? Keep your hankies on hand when you get to this episode while watching through the series.

This concludes my reviews of Astroboy 1980's version series.
Later I shall go on to do reviews for my Kimba the White Lion series.

I hope you enjoy them.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Here are my thoughts on Kimba Episode 1: Go, White Lion

As this series opens the setting is Africa. The king of the animal kingdom is a mighty white lion named Caesar and his queen Snowene is soon going to have a baby.

Tragically Caesar is shot and killed by a pair of hunters and Snowene is captured and taken on board a big ship in a cage. During the voyage she gives birth to a male lion cub as white as his father was. She names him Kimba according to Caesar's dying request if their child were a boy. She explains it all to him when he is old enough to understand and urges him to dive into the sea and swim back to Africa to take over his father's kingdom. At first Kimba is upset and refuses to go when Snowene explains that she cannot fit through the bars of the cage as he can. She's far too big but she pleads with him to be brave and do his duty. So they say a teary good-bye and Kimba jumps out of a porthole. Shortly afterwards there is a terrible storm and the ship sinks presumably sending Kimba's mother to the depths of the ocean in her cage. Kimba grieves her death but resolutely he sets out and swims until he reaches land at the end of the episode.

Point of interest: Tezuka often used the same characters for different roles thinking of them as actors playing parts in his works. One of the hunters is the same Hamegg who was the ringmaster of the robot circus in Astroboy. In Kimba he is called Viper Snakely.

See you next time.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Episode 2: The Wind In The Desert

Kimba has arrived home to Africa and everybody is overjoyed because a cruel tyrant of a lion named Claw has set himself up as the king in the meantime and the animals have been living in constant terror. But Kimba is reluctant to fight Claw and his henchmen, Cassius the Black Panther and the hyenas, Tom and Tab. He's accused of cowardice by his enemies but he's actually just an extreme pacifist.

Soon though Kimba is captured by humans but one good human in the bunch fights to set him free and thereby Kimba realizes that sometimes you have no choice other than to fight for what's right. Watch one day and see if Kimba's human friend succeeds in liberating him and getting him back home to deal with Claw.

Stay tuned for more.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Episode 3: A Human Friend

Young Geraldine Giraffe has broken her leg and is in terrible pain. Kimba decides to try asking a couple of human explorers nearby for help. The couple, Roger and Mary, are preparing to cross a bridge when Kimba and his friends, Bucky the Deer and Pauley Cracker the Parrot catch up with them. Suddenly the bridge collapses. Mary manages to safely reach the other side and to her distress assumes that Roger has perished in the plunge to the bottom. But Kimba, Bucky and Pauley managed to haul him to safety and Kimba tries very hard to talk Roger's language and succeeds. Roger is grateful and promises to help. Watch and see how he helps Geraldine and teaches the animals how to talk human language. See what sort of opposition Kimba and Roger must face for not all animals feel so happy at all with a human teacher in their midst. Will Roger and Mary be reunited?

Next episode to come.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Episode 4: Great Caesar's Ghost

Kimba's qualities are being challenged by accusations that he is a weak leader with ideas and values that are utter nonsense. Especially his proclamation that all animals should be seen as brothers and sisters, even the domesticated animals in the human villages. Public opinion is against him and he's beginning to lose his self-confidence.

His friends Pauley Cracker, Bucky and Daniel Baboon try to help him by sneaking into the village headman's house and stealing the hide of Kimba's late father Caesar. Then they dress up in it pretending to be Caesar's ghost and seek out Kimba to try and encourage him by praising him up through the lips of his father's hide. Will their plan succeed? Be sure to find out.

I'll be back soon.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Episode 5: Fair Game

Kimba is telling some of his friends stories about adventures he had in other parts of the world before he arrived back in Africa. When he first reached shore after his long ocean swim he was in France. It turns out apparently that here he first crossed paths with his human friend Roger. Roger took Kimba on a trip to Paris along with his sweetheart Mary and his Uncle Mr. Pompous.

Kimba's friends are fascinated to hear about all the amazing things Kimba saw in the human world when suddenly somebody appears and picks a fight with Kimba. Who is he and why does he feel so angry towards Kimba? Could it have any connection to one of Kimba's adventures in Paris?

You will notice that Roger's Uncle Pompous is the very same character used for Daddy Walrus in Astroboy. Many characters are used in multiple roles as I said before.
Also when Roger takes Kimba to the Science Fair and shows Kimba the figures of many robots in glass cases going to be built for activation in the future observe a cameo of Astroboy among them.

My reviews will continue.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Episode 6: Jungle Thief

There is a terrible drought in Kimba's kingdom and somebody has been stealing the emergency food supply. Kimba gets the idea of trying to cultivate a farm to grow food for everybody just like humans do. Will everybody co-operate in spite of their growing hunger pains and what about the thief?

More reviews to come.