"New" Astroboy trailer 2003 series

October 26, 2004

I'm actually enjoying this new Astro Boy series. Of course, it won't even touch the original but the effort and quality of animation this series has is unbelievable!

That's cool. Enjoyment is what it's all about. I haven't gotten into the new series but there are people talking about it over at the www.astroboy-online.com website.

Oh my God!

October 26, 2004

I'm actually enjoying this new Astro Boy series. Of course, it won't even touch the original but the effort and quality of animation this series has is unbelievable!

That's cool. Enjoyment is what it's all about. I haven't gotten into the new series but there are people talking about it over at the www.astroboy-online.com website.

Oh my God!

Another faithful reader! Any more out there?

November 1, 2004

I'm actually enjoying this new Astro Boy series. Of course, it won't even touch the original but the effort and quality of animation this series has is unbelievable!

That's cool. Enjoyment is what it's all about. I haven't gotten into the new series but there are people talking about it over at the www.astroboy-online.com website.

Oh my God!

Another faithful reader! Any more out there?

yeah, me.

November 1, 2004

I'm actually enjoying this new Astro Boy series. Of course, it won't even touch the original but the effort and quality of animation this series has is unbelievable!

That's cool. Enjoyment is what it's all about. I haven't gotten into the new series but there are people talking about it over at the www.astroboy-online.com website.

Oh my God!

Another faithful reader! Any more out there?

yeah, me.

It's interesting to note how it tends to be the smartest people that post in this thread. Welcome back, Ohtani of Time. Been enjoying any Bruce Lee flicks lately?

BTW, I was curious on what some of your favourite wrestling matches of all time were. Post away.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

November 1, 2004

I'm actually enjoying this new Astro Boy series. Of course, it won't even touch the original but the effort and quality of animation this series has is unbelievable!

That's cool. Enjoyment is what it's all about. I haven't gotten into the new series but there are people talking about it over at the www.astroboy-online.com website.

Oh my God!

Another faithful reader! Any more out there?

yeah, me.

It's interesting to note how it tends to be the smartest people that post in this thread. Welcome back, Ohtani of Time. Been enjoying any Bruce Lee flicks lately?

BTW, I was curious on what some of your favourite wrestling matches of all time were. Post away.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Me, smart!!? Thanks but I barely get by with the little brains that I have.

haven't seen any bruce lee films lately, but i keep seeing this picture of bruce lee wearing a weird glove and taunting somebody, and i don't know what movie it is from, it's driving me nuts.

November 1, 2004

I'm actually enjoying this new Astro Boy series. Of course, it won't even touch the original but the effort and quality of animation this series has is unbelievable!

That's cool. Enjoyment is what it's all about. I haven't gotten into the new series but there are people talking about it over at the www.astroboy-online.com website.

Oh my God!

Another faithful reader! Any more out there?

yeah, me.

It's interesting to note how it tends to be the smartest people that post in this thread. Welcome back, Ohtani of Time. Been enjoying any Bruce Lee flicks lately?

BTW, I was curious on what some of your favourite wrestling matches of all time were. Post away.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Me, smart!!? Thanks but I barely get by with the little brains that I have.

haven't seen any bruce lee films lately, but i keep seeing this picture of bruce lee wearing a weird glove and taunting somebody, and i don't know what movie it is from, it's driving me nuts.

Don't be so modest. You're one of the smartest people I know.

Anyway, c'mon. I want the favourite wrestling match list!

Which reminds me remember that episode of Astro with the split? Sarahs and the robot fighting to the death?

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

November 5, 2004

I thought this would be interesting. From ain't it cool news:

A review of some of Tezuka's work

Manga Spotlight: Buddha Vol. 1: Kapilavastu By Osamu Tezuka

Published by Vertical, Inc.

It is gratifying to see a manga creator initially underrepresented in his translated work, especially when compared to his influence, having as much of his work translated by some many companies as rapdily as Osamu Tezuka. There is certainly no one other person who is as responsible for the diversity and vibrancy of Japanese comics, or as deserving of translation..

Tezuka's Buddha tells the life story of Buddhism's spiritual founder over eight volumes. The historical and spiritual epic weaves in many characters and stories' of Tezuka's own creation. In fact, Siddhartha, the prince who would become the Buddha is not born until late into the first volume.

Within this volume Tezuka's own creations from various castes of Indian society begin their own rich life stories. In particular it focuses om Chapra, a slave who through situation and tenacity becomes the adopted son of a general and a on his way to becoming a warrior, and Tatta a mischievous young pariah who turns out to be an unlikely source of enlightenment.

Epics like Buddha are the perfect opportunities for Tezuka to demonstrates his skills as a storyteller and illustrator.

Like Dickens's work, though the stories were originally told in a serialized form, they read well novelized. He masterfully weaves a web of characters as they move in and out of eachother's lives. As with many of Tezuka's stories, characters are view through humanist lenses. Other than the rare innocent or Hitler dictator, neither of which have appeared in Buddha, they are seldom strictly heroes or villains. Characters, including Chapra and Tatta are given the opportunity to both shine and falter based on situation and perspective.. Like the Dawn chapter of his other opus Phoenix, the first volume of Buddha features a conquering general that both as an instrument of atrocities, and as a complex and conflicted man.

There are few comic illustrators who can tell a story with the innovative style of Tezuka. It looks simple, and it reads simple, but it conveys the spirit of the moment in a way few other creators have capture. When Scott McCloud wrote his landmark Understanding Comics, Tezuka's Buddha was used for many examples of visual narrative.

Tezuka's character style is cartoonish in a classic Disney/Warner Brother sense to an extents that the first time one reads one of his more dramatic works it takes adjustment. However, he is able to capture the deepest emotions of the events he depicts.

The tone, of Buddha is similar to that of Adolf, his World War II story of a half German and Japanese boy, and a Jewish boy growing up in Japan. Though Adolf used more of his character design archetypes. Unlike a work like Phoenix, Buddha lacks Tezuka's sometimes pathological need to break tense moments and thrown cold water on intense scenes with moments of offbeat humor. It isn't just humor in dark moments, but out of place and arbitrary humor in dark moments. There are a few anachronisms, and the trademark gassy pig like creature that show up at odd moments, but more than his other works, in Buddha the levity stays in the right place.

Vertical has really put together a gorgeous edition with Buddha. Manga has fallen into a size, format and price, and while it is convenient, it is nice to see something exception like Buddha, a 400 page hard cover edition with a cover by Chip Kidd, one of best cover designer in the publishing business. Cheap and quickly produced manga is a nice thing to have, but Tezuka's work, and Buddha in particular aren't ephemera. Vertical has chosen the perfect format for the book.

Some Astroboy info from www.astroboyfan.com

THE HISTORY OF ASTRO BOY

Astro Boy was created by Osamu Tezuka in 1951. In Japan, Astro was called “TETSUAN ATOM” – The Mighty Atom. Because of Astro Boy, Tezuka became the most famous animator in Japan, and he is still admired and honored by Japanese people and by people all over the world. (Tezuka Biography). Astro Boy started as a manga series (comic book). It used new creative techniques that Tezuka had pioneered. Tezuka loved movies -- he watched about one a day -- and he used cinematic techniques in his comics, something that had never been done before. That meant varying close ups and wide shots, and drawing characters and objects so they looked like they were in motion. This was revolutionary and it electrified Japanese fans. Tezuka became the number one comic artist in Japan, and Astro Boy soon became so popular that Tezuka developed a mass production method for creating it. He did the creative drawings – creating the stories and all the new characters, locations and special action drawings -- then his assistants drew the other panels according to his instructions. This method was adopted by many other popular Japanese manga artists and allowed the Manga industry to flourish. In total, 193 black & white Astro Boy episodes were produced. They ran on Japanese television for 10 years.

In 1963 Astro Boy became the first Anime series ever on Japanese TV. Tezuka’s dream was to make a super high-quality animated version of Astro Boy – but there wasn’t enough money to do it, so he used a much simpler approach. (That’s why Tezuka would be very happy to see the new Astro Boy series with its high-budget, super high-quality animation). To get started, Tezuka told Fuji Network that he wanted to do Astro Boy as half hour animated episodes. Fuji said it would cost too much, but Tezuka said he could do it for 500,000 yen per episode – a very small amount. The network said okay and the Astro Boy TV series was born. Astro Boy was an instant hit and Tezuka went on to produce 193 black and white episodes. He cut production costs by using “stock shots” – animation cells with set poses for the Astro Boy characters that could be used over and over. He also used very limited animation where, for example, a character would stand still and only his mouth would move as he spoke or his arm would move as he gestured. These techniques made it possible to do TV animation on the small budgets available in Japan. Other animators quickly copied Tezuka’s techniques and “Anime” was born.

In 1963 Astro Boy came to America. Fred Ladd produced the series for NBC. It was the first Anime show ever exported outside of Japan, and soon it was a hit in the US and around the world. In most countries it was called “The Mighty Atom.” The Brazilians called it “Marte, o Menino Biônico" which means Mars, the Bionic Boy.

Since then Astro Boy has been seen in hundreds of series and specials. He has been a mascot for Toyota, Toshiba and many other major companies. Anyone landing at Narita/Tokyo airport in 2003 saw images of Astro Boy right as they came off the planes. He’s also been seen on the giant public screens in Ginza (Tokyo’s Beverly Hills) – and there’s a whole wall of Astro Boy and his friends outside the Takadenobaba Subway station – famous because it’s near the studios where Astro Boy is produced. Many of the characters in Astro Boy have also appeared in other animated shows such as Kimba the White Lion and Metropolis, and the American series “Big Boy and Rusty” was based on Astro Boy. In 1990, Japan’s National Museum of Modern Art had a major exhibition featuring Astro Boy and the other works of Osamu Tezuka.

According to the original 1951 Astro Boy Manga, Astro Boy was born in ---- guess what year? ---- 2003! Of course back in 1951, 2003 was the distant future. Since this was Astro Boy’s original birthday, parties were held last year all over Japan --- parades, fireworks, and most importantly – the release of Astro Boy’s newest, most spectacular series ever. Astro Boy was born – and reborn – in 2003.

The new Astro Boy series was a truly international production: along with the central production in Japan, aspects of the series were produced in China, Korea, and the USA. The series is airing in America, Hong Kong, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Canada where it is a top rated series.

Perhaps the most important influence of Astro Boy has been on the Japanese robotics industry. As Tachibana Takashi put it in a recent article in Bungei Shunjû, (May 2003) "Thanks to Astro Boy, Japan has become one of the most robot-friendly nations in the world..." In fact Japan is the world leader in robot technology. Over half the world’s industrial robots are currently in Japan. Hirohisa Hirukawa (Japanese National Institute of Science) predicts that "Just as automobiles were the biggest product of the 20th century, people might eventually look back and say that robots were the big product of the 21st century." And one reason that Japan is leading the world in robotics is Astro Boy. Half a century ago, Japanese kids grew up fascinated by tales of the boy robot. They believed it was possible to really create amazing robots. And when they grew up, they did it! Japan has developed robots that can disarm bombs, search for survivors after disasters, and do hundreds of tasks too dangerous or difficult for humans. These robots are shaping a new future for the 21st century. And Astro Boy is part of it.

ASTRO BOY THEMES

Osamu Tezuka’s comics were not just entertainment. They explored important personal and social themes. Tezuka had lived through World War II. He was a teenager when the war ended. Japan had surrendered. The old Japan was gone. But what would the new Japan be like? What did it mean to be Japanese in this new country that was just being born out of the ashes of the old? These were the questions that young people all over Japan wrestled with. One way to think about these things was through the unlikely medium of comics – they were cheap and readily available – and of course young artists like Osamu Tezuka were thinking about the same issues as others like themselves all over Japan. Years later Tezuka commented to his friend, Takayuki Matsutani, that comics had been used to whip up popular support for the Japanese army in its wars throughout Asia, now he wanted to use comics as a tool for peace. Tezuka was a deep thinker. In a war-torn world, he dreamed of lasting peace, and his stories wrestled with the pressing issues of Japanese identity, and culture. This is why they had such a powerful influence on the young people of Japan.

The most important of Tezuka’s series was Tetsuan Atom – ASTRO BOY. Astro Boy confronted the theme of prejudice. In the US, Japanese people were sometimes the victims of prejudice. But they were also sometimes the perpetrators of prejudice -- in Korea, China and other places. The Astro Boy character was a robot in a human world, so he suffered prejudice from humans who blamed him and used him as a scape-goat. This served as a metaphor for all prejudice. The Astro Boy series showed how prejudice occurred and Tezuka encouraged people to overcome old prejudices and to become part of a new world where all people are accepted as equals.

The Astro Boy series also explored themes of technology. Advanced military technology had brought on the deaths of 60 million people during World War II, the greatest cataclysm in human history. Yet technology was also bringing industry and prosperity to Japan. So was technology good or bad? The atom bomb had killed so many people in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Yet the power of the atom could also be used to produce life giving energy. Enter Tezuka’s new character: Tetsuan Atom – The Mighty Atom. -- As a robot, Astro Boy was a technological creation --- he represented technology itself – and he showed how technology could work to help humankind. However the many renegade robots and technological disasters in the Astro Boy series also serve as a warning for the ways that humans can abuse technology and let it get out of control.

Most important, Astro Boy was small and seemingly unimportant. He was rejected by his father (creator) Tenma. Many Japanese children had felt rejected by their parents as their fathers went off to war, and they were sent in large numers to live with distant relatives in the countryside. So young Japanese readers could relate to Astro Boy, feeling small and marginalized. As Japan iteself as a nation seemed suddenly weak and marginalized. – Yet Astro Boy rose up, displaying amazing powers. He took to the skies, saved humanity, and proved that he was a star. That was the destiny the people of Japan wanted for themselves and their nation. Astro Boy gave them hope and a path to a new, brighter future. That is why Astro Boy meant far more to the people of Japan than just an entertaining story about a super-hero. Astro Boy became part of the Japanese character: everyone had a little bit of “Atom” inside of them. That is why Astro Boy has been such a deeply beloved part of Japanese culture for over half a centure.

The new Astro Boy series once again wrestles with issues of technology and identity. While retaining a Japanese perspective, the new Astro Boy series is an international project exploring these themes with a global scope. Once again Astro Boy is leading the way as young people in Japan and America move toward a new international identity in a future that is just now being born.

Every episode in Japan ends with Astro Boy calling out:

“CATCH THE FUTURE! “

ASTRO BOY IN THE USA – THE ORIGINAL AMERICAN PRODUCTION

Astro Boy came to the US in 1963. Fred Ladd produced the show for NBC. It was the first Anime show ever exported outside of Japan, and was an immediate hit in the US. 104 black and white episodes were syndicated to 50 stations around the country. NBC changed the name of Atom to Astro Boy, Doctor Ochanomizu to Doctor Elephun, and Doctor Tenma to Doctor Boynton. The leading actors were Billie Lou Watt who did the voice of Astroboy and Uran, and Jimmy Sparks who played Dr Elefun. Scripts were written by Peter Fernandez and Fredd Ladd who also directed the voices.

The US Kimba crew in 1966 at a dinner during the middle of production. Standing, left to right: Fred Ladd, Cliff Owens, Hal Studer, Gilbert Mack. Seated, left to right: Eileen Ladd, Billie Lou Watt, Rose Mack, Francine Owens.

Photo by Gilbert Mack

Courtesy of Fred Patten.

OSAMU TEZUKA - Biography

Known as the father of manga, Osamu Tezuka was born in 1928 in Osaka, Japan's 2nd largest city. He grew up in the nearby city of Takarazuka. He began drawing as a child.Tezuka was a young teenager during the dark years of World War II: he lived through the horrors of the bombing raids and the difficult years of occupation and reconstruction that followed. He was 17 when the war ended. Japan was rapidly changing, and the young people of Japan were trying to find a new identity. Tezuka was one of those young people, and he found himself through comics.

Tezuka enrolled in college and became a medical student, but at the same time he started a newspaper comic strip called "Ma-chan's Diary." He followed this with other more ambitious series such as "Treasure Island" and soon his artistry eclipsed his interest in medicine. Though he completed his studies and received medical license, he never practiced medicine --- although one of his most famous comic characters, Black Jack, is a surgeon who uses medicine to solve mysteries and help people in need.

Tezuka's comics were not just entertainment. They explored important personal and social themes in the newly emerging Japan. The most important of these series was Tetsuan Atom - ASTRO BOY. Astro Boy confronted the theme of prejudice, encouraging people to overcome old prejudices and be part of a new world where all people are accepted as equals. It also explored technological themes and showed Japanese readers the way to a new future for Japan.

Young Japanese readers were fascinated by Tezuka's ideas. His comics helped them think through their situation, and find themselves in a new world. Astro Boy's deep and challenging themes, coupled with its innovative drawing techniques, made it more than a smash hit. It became a deeply beloved part of Japanese culture.

Though Astro Boy is his most famous creation, Osamu Tezuka created hundreds of other wonderful stories and characters. He wrote long graphic novels, some of them thousands of pages long. Because of their cinematic style and complex themes, they seemed more like movies than comic books.

By the time he was in his 20s, Tezuka had established himself as the leading manga artist in Japan. Some of his most famous works included Metropolis (1945), Jungle Emperor Leo (Kimba the White Lion - 1950) Princess Knight (1953), The Amazing 3 (1965) , Vampire (1966), and Dororo (1967). He also introduced a constellation of beloved characters, some of whom moved from one Tezuka series to another, including Shinsaku Ban, Duke Red, HamEgg, Sharaku, Rock and many others.

In the late 60's Tezuka began work on his most ambitious story, "The Phoenix," a mystical, spiritual tale featuring a phoenix bird that rises from the ashes to renew humanity. His later career also included innovative experimental shorts such as Jumping, Broken Down Film, and Legend of the Forest, which were featured at animation festivals around the world.

Throughout most of this period, Tezuka was also running his own studio, Musashi, which had hundreds of employees, turning out manga and anime which was distributed all over the world. Later Musashi was shut down, and he openedTezuka studios to replace it. It is Tezuka Studios that produced the current Astro Boy series with leadership from artists and staff who were trained by Osamu Tezuka and who remain fiercely loyal to his legacy and his vision.

Osamu Tezuka died of a gall stone infection on February 9, 1989 at the age of 63. Here is an excerpt from the famous obituary from the Asahi Newspaper:

"Foreign visitors to Japan often find it difficult to understand why Japanese people like comics so much. For example they often reportedly find it odd to see grown men and women engrossed in weekly comic magazine on the trains during commute hours. One explanation for the popularity of comics in Japan, however, is that Japan had Tezuka Osamu, whereas other nations did not. Without Dr. Tezuka, the postwar explosion in comics in Japan would have been inconceivable."

Charactors from the 2000 series:

THE MAIN CHARACTERS

ASTRO BOY - He's the first of a new stage in the evolution of robots. Despite his incredible powers, he never fights unless he has to. He always works for peace, trying to bring robots and humans together. --- But Astro Boy is haunted by his own past. Why does he have strange memories of a human boy who looks just like him? Who created him? And why? --- Even when Astro Boy saves the city from terrible dangers, there are so many humans who hate him. They're afraid of robots who can think for themselves. They mistreat the robots they have, treating intelligent robots like mere machines. How can Astro Boy protect his fellow robots and make the humans understand?

DOCTOR O'SHAY (Ochanomizu) - Funny. Pudgy. Often flustered. Dr. O'Shay is the best friend that robots have. He takes care of Astro Boy and runs the Ministry of Science where new robots are developed and studied. He wants robots to have rights, like humans, and to be treated fairly. And he helps Astro Boy with his great scientific knowledge.

DOCTOR TENMA - A dark, mysterious figure full of conflicting emotions. One minute he loves Astro Boy and wants to elevate him to be king of all the robots. The next minute he attacks Astro Boy and does everything he can to destroy him. What is the strange impulse that drives Tenma? Is he trying to make Astro Boy strong so he can rise to his destiny. Or is he just twisted and full of dark venom? We won't find out until the end of the series - but you may be able to guess…

URAN - She's Astro's little sister. In the American version she's called "Zoran" but everyone in Japan calls her "Uran-chan." What a pain! She's out of control, doing whatever she feels like, never listening to her older brother. Sassy, bratty, and full of attitude. Uran has the power to talk to animals and she gets in some amazing adventures of her own - though often, Astro Boy has to save her in the end.

INSPECTOR TAWASHI - Police inspector in charge of dealing with all robot problems. He doesn't like robots - thinks they're nothing but trouble - but he needs Astro Boy to help him solve crimes. It's a love-hate relationship: Astro Boy slowly earns his grudging respect.

THE BAD GUYS

PLUTO - The world's strongest robot, Pluto was built to dominate and defeat all other robots. He challenges one famous robot after another, and every time he defeats them in battle, he sucks out their super-powers and adds them to his own - so he gets stronger and stronger as he works his way toward his final challenge: Astro Boy.

ATLAS - Daichi was a rebellious teenage boy who was angry at his father's neglect and abuse. He died in a tragic shuttle accident. His grieving father begged Dr. Tenma to build a robot copy of his son. But the new robot had all the anger and rebellion that Daichi had. He turned into a raging battle-bot out to destroy his father's corporate empire and all of Metro City. The new robot called itself Atlas, and the only one who could stop him was Astro Boy. Maybe. [*this story was altered for the American version]

SKUNK KUSAI - A small time hood who has gone big time with the help of some amazing robots. His specialty is commandeering advanced robots and turning them into criminals. He likes to tease the police and challenge them. And he can break out of any prison.

THE REPO GIRLS --- Slinky and sexy, they have a giant pet snake - and they are out to get Astro Boy. In Japan they're called the Dark Sisters.

MORE CHARACTERS

BLUE KNIGHT - Is he a good guy? Or a bad guy? - Depends on how you look at it. He's fighting to protect robots from abuse by humans. But he doesn't mind wasting any humans who get in his way. In the end he leads a massive robot revolt in the ice-fields of Robotania.

SHADOW – A mysterious figure lurking behind Blue Knight and Pluto. Is he human or robot? The source of many unsolved mysteries. What does he look like behind the mask?

YUKO – O'Shay's bossy secretary - she gets involved in many adventures and can be surprisingly tough when the chips are down.

MOMO – Yuko's all purpose ostrich-robot assistant. Momo is supposed to be helpful, but it has a tendency to start squawking and running away just when you need it.

ROBITA – A frumpy, old style robot, Robita is O'Shay's maid-unit and Astro Boy's nanny. Her data banks are full of important information. Frazzled and sometimes ditzy, Robita is exactly the kind of robot who needs Astro Boy's help and protection.

ASTRO BOY’S SCHOOL

MIDORI – Astro Boy's cute school teacher. Everyone has a crush on her. Her lessons are holographic. (In the American version she's called Miyoki)

KENICHI – Astro's close friend - a solid guy - always stands up for Astro. (This is the same Kenichi who was the main character in the classic Anime film "Metropolis" - in the American version he is called Kennedy)

SHIBUGAKI –a cowardly bully, he becomes one of Astro Boy's best friends when Astro saves him from a ghost. Kind of… (In the American version he is called Abercrombie)

TAMAO – Very nerdy or very hip depending on what you think is cool. Tamao has funny glasses, baggy shorts, and a fanatical interest in anything robotic. He built a 4 seater bike that can sail through the sky! (In the American version he is called Alejo)

AND MANY OTHER AMAZING CHARACTERS LIKE THE LIVING ROBOT BOMBS; A GLADIATOR ROBOT NAMED HERCULES; AN ECCENTRIC INVENTOR CALLED GULLIVER; HARLEY, THE ROBOT-BALL CHAMPION; AND DELTA, THE TOUGH-AS-NAILS LEADER OF THE ANTI-ROBOT ROBOT SQUAD.

Enjoy!

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

November 6, 2004

Cartoon Network airs "Birth of Evil," the Emmy-winning episode of "Samurai Jack," Saturday at 5 p.m., followed by the final four episodes of the series.

I wish I'd read that before yesterday.

Hopefully Cartoon Network will air it again, because I wanted to check out Samurai Jack. Or do they show it on a regular basis?

I don't know about the Cartoon Network because I don't even know if it's available in Canada. Or cartoon station is called Teletoon and there are laws in Canada about having too much foreign content on television.

Samurai Jack airs or should I say aired on YTV here in Canada on Friday nights at 10 PM and 1AM Saturday morning. However, they took the show off the air and now I'm left with having watched only part of the series. Worse yet, I've missed random episodes so it's going to tale a lot of work or hopefully more DVDs in the future to catch up. I don't know why YTV took the show off the air but I would have to guess it just wasn't getting enough viewership. I don't see young ones taking to the show too much (just like I predicted about Vision of Escawflone on Fox awhile back) and with alduts you always have that segment of the population that think cartoons are only allowed to be watched by kids. Though all the people I know who watch the show some (which would be about 7 people) are alduts. I miss the show and it's something I'll definitly have to catch up on someday. I've been watching Star Trek, The Original Series for the first time in my life save a few episodes here and there in the past so that's been helping to ease the pain.

Samurai Jack is a show that grows on you. At first, it may seem a little odd but after a bit it just grabs on to you and won't let you go. Really, it's what Kill Bill Vol 1 tried to be. The epitome of coolness with tributes to everything from Resident Evil to Zelda to Lupin the 3rd to Dragonbal to Commodore 64 fighting games to Kurosawa to Star Wars to Alien. One of the best shows I've ever seen for just completely marking out for stuff. "Couple on a train" (Not sure if that's the name of the episode) is as good a 30 minutes as I've ever seen on TV.

Bit of an old topic but I thought it was worth mentioning -

I happened to get lucky today and find Samurai Jack on 'Cartoon Network On Demand' and I declare, it rules~!

Fascinating show with Jack as sort of a reluctant hero (a concept which I love) it seems. So many cool, subtle elements too.

And there are FOUR~! more episodes available on 'Cartoon Network On Demand' which I'll soon be watching.

Anyway, carry on!

November 7, 2004

Cartoon Network airs "Birth of Evil," the Emmy-winning episode of "Samurai Jack," Saturday at 5 p.m., followed by the final four episodes of the series.

I wish I'd read that before yesterday.

Hopefully Cartoon Network will air it again, because I wanted to check out Samurai Jack. Or do they show it on a regular basis?

I don't know about the Cartoon Network because I don't even know if it's available in Canada. Or cartoon station is called Teletoon and there are laws in Canada about having too much foreign content on television.

Samurai Jack airs or should I say aired on YTV here in Canada on Friday nights at 10 PM and 1AM Saturday morning. However, they took the show off the air and now I'm left with having watched only part of the series. Worse yet, I've missed random episodes so it's going to tale a lot of work or hopefully more DVDs in the future to catch up. I don't know why YTV took the show off the air but I would have to guess it just wasn't getting enough viewership. I don't see young ones taking to the show too much (just like I predicted about Vision of Escawflone on Fox awhile back) and with alduts you always have that segment of the population that think cartoons are only allowed to be watched by kids. Though all the people I know who watch the show some (which would be about 7 people) are alduts. I miss the show and it's something I'll definitly have to catch up on someday. I've been watching Star Trek, The Original Series for the first time in my life save a few episodes here and there in the past so that's been helping to ease the pain.

Samurai Jack is a show that grows on you. At first, it may seem a little odd but after a bit it just grabs on to you and won't let you go. Really, it's what Kill Bill Vol 1 tried to be. The epitome of coolness with tributes to everything from Resident Evil to Zelda to Lupin the 3rd to Dragonbal to Commodore 64 fighting games to Kurosawa to Star Wars to Alien. One of the best shows I've ever seen for just completely marking out for stuff. "Couple on a train" (Not sure if that's the name of the episode) is as good a 30 minutes as I've ever seen on TV.

Bit of an old topic but I thought it was worth mentioning -

I happened to get lucky today and find Samurai Jack on 'Cartoon Network On Demand' and I declare, it rules~!

Fascinating show with Jack as sort of a reluctant hero (a concept which I love) it seems. So many cool, subtle elements too.

And there are FOUR~! more episodes available on 'Cartoon Network On Demand' which I'll soon be watching.

Anyway, carry on!

I think we almost need to change the name of this thread to the Astroby/Samurai Jack discussion thread because that's what it's kind of turning into.

If anybody wants to talk about Samurai Jack in here feel free to do so. It is now related to Astroboy because of the Astro movie so it'd be a good idea to study this show and see how show works.

Are you at the very beginning Ray or on some random episode? One of the cool things about Jack is that you can watch almost any random episode. Still, it's better to watch it in chronoligal order because there is some storyline from watching the eps in chronoligal order.

Spoiler but not really One of the first eps has that spot where Jack goes into the bar and kicks BUTT with the awesome music going where they also give tribute to a famous Aliensscene. I'm not giving it justice with that description but it's a superb moment That scene freaking rules!!!!!!!!!! If anybody reading that has seen that scene feel free to share your comments on it.

So many memoarable moments. This show is one my favourites of all time. I mean how cool is a show that has a samurai and gives tributes to Resident Evil, Lupin and Zelda all in one episode? You can't beat that! Showed the "Lupin" episode to a couple of Lupin friends about 3 months ago. They loved it.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

November 7, 2004

Are you at the very beginning Ray or on some random episode?

The episodes I saw were:

IV (Jack, the Woolies, and the Chritchellites)

V (Jack in Space)

Just love it. So many great quiet moments, surprisingly. I love that they're not afraid to go long periods of time without dialogue. Really beautiful show and I can't wait to see more.

November 8, 2004

IV (Jack, the Woolies, and the Chritchellites)

I didnt realise this was so early in the season. I liked this one.

V (Jack in Space)

Liked this one though not one of my favourites.

Yes, I LOOOVE the long scenes without dialogue. It lets you concentrate on the beauty of the show.

It only gets better Ray.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well.

November 10, 2004

Some interesting stuff

http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g24813694

http://gullbuy.com/buy/2001/11_27/stereototal3.cfm

gullbuy New Sound Review: CD, 12inch, 7inch, LP

Home > Buy > 2001 > 11_27 > Stereo Total - Liebe Zu Dritt gullbuy review

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title:: Liebe Zu Dritt

label:: Bungalow Records

format:: CD5

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Liebe Zu Dritt is a four song EP featuring a German language version of the song L'Amour a 3 from their newest LP 'Musique Automatique'.

After the the first version is a 'radio mix' by Tom Mueller that changes the sound by completely remixing the cut track by track from the master tape. Both versions are very good, with enough variation to justify including them both.

The third cut is a 6:19 extended version of the original french version of L'Amour a 3 called the Jammin' Unit Remix. It makes an already great cut into a super track that would sound right in a DJ set alongside cuts by J-pop artists Mansfield or Losfeld. Tracks 1 and 3 (as well as all of the 'Musique Automatique' LP) were produced by Cem Oral. Jammin' Unit is Cem's name when he plays in the Cologne band Air Liquide.

Although the first 3 tracks are very different from the version of L'Amour a 3 on 'Musique Automatique', the final cut is completely unique to this EP. It is a version of a Japanese TV theme to Tetsuwan Atomu, otherwise known in the West as Atom Boy or Astro Boy. This track is worth owning this EP for if you are a fan of Stereo Total, even if you have no interest in the other three tracks on the single (which would be a mistake!).

The Astro Boy cover was produced by Brezel, and features a guest credited only as Hito. It is a casiopop with vocals songthat reminds me of Andreas Dorau's Fred Von Jupiter for its singsong melody. All 4 tracks are ace!

---Carl

http://gullbuy.com/buy/2004/1_27/yasuhara.cfm

Home > Buy > 2004 > 1_27 > Yasuhara Konishi - Atom is Born - the remixes gullbuy review

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What has previously prolific Pizzicato Five leadman Yasuhara Konishi been doing since he dissolved the band and stopped performing with Maki Nomiya? I know he has been DJing, but I want something to take home and play in the car.

'Atom is Born - the remixes' is a 2003 CD with 12 songs about Atom Boy, known better to US cartoon fans from the 60s as Astro Boy.

It is true that many of the tracks are different versions of the same song, but each artist takes such a different track that it really doesn't bother you. And besides, it is great to have a new J-pop CD in the gullbuy again!

I couldn't even give you a song by song, as most of the tracks have titles in Japanese. However, here is my best:

1)Yasuharu Konishi

The CD starts off with a child singing the Atom song with sparse accompaniment of accordion and piano. Then there is a segment of dialog from the cartoon.

2)Readymade a Go-Go mix / Konishi Yasuharu feat. Gaijin a Go-Go

Super upbeat J-pop sounding like something Mansfield or Pizzicato Five might have done. Ace!

3)Exotica Jazz tracks / Yaegashi Comoesta

I have always loved Comoestas, who went mambo as a solo artist after the end of his P5 styled band Fifth Garden. On this track he takes jazz for a ride and uses female vocals which even go into some wild scatting.

4)Mission to Mars remix / Sunaga Experience

A jazzy organ / piano / drum instrumental version right out of your favorite cocktail party.

5)Readymade Sir Duke mix / Yasuharu Konishi

Incredible what a men's chorus can do to a song. Something coming from such a square tradition sounds outrageously fresh and new, especially in the company of snappy drums and cool trumpet. Another ace - maybe even my fave track.

6)Arranged for chamber music 2003 / Tatsuya Murayama

Not one of my faves - the music is a string orchestra with lots of violin, cello, etc. However, the tracks is not without its charm.

7)Pacific 231

Sounds like it is made for a play. Very interesting, and quite well done. Lots of different voices, and more of a dramatic reading than a song. Many parts, and upbeat piano music accompanying the male and female singers. As odd a song as 80s German electronic pop artist Andreas Dorau's Die Doraus & die Marinas Fred Vom Jupiter.

8)New Sound of Atom / Kazunao Nagata

Bleeps and electronic sounds, though not an attempt at techno - just space wankery!

9)P&art Sasanoooha mix / P&art Sasanoooha feat. Gaijin a Go-Go

Similar to the second track - the most traditionally J-pop sounding tracks on this comp. Upbeat and polished with fun.

10)Spaced out mix / Toshiya Arai

This sounds very similar to the stuff that Comoesatas has released. A mambo beat, and lots of "ugh" shout outs. A killer cut, and very much in the traditional J-pop mold of everything over the top.

11)Peace in the Middle East edit / Tatsuya Murayama & Sunaga Experience

Similar to the sixth track. A string orchestra instrumental, but with cartoon dialog and effects included.

12)Readymade 305 mix / Yasuharu Konishi

Smoky female vocals with the rush taken off. The music sounds like a band in a jazz bar, with brushed drums. Very fine, and a smooth closer to a nice ride.

A special alert for Atom fans: Stereo Total do a version of the song that most of the above tracks cover on their Liebe Zu Dritt single. It is as good as any of the above tracks, and worth seeking out if you are a fan.

---Carl

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well.

November 12, 2004

Notice. I'm not sure but it seems that CN/WB has apparently canceled Astro Boy in the USA. Can anybody confirm that? I'm not from the States.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well.

November 14, 2004

Time to talk about Astroby and the cuteness factor.

Normally, I don't like too much cuteness on my viewing screen. I'm cool with a little bit and maybe 1 over the top cuteness charactor that makes fun of the whole cuteness thing but besides that I'm not down with the cuteness loving. However, Astroboy has seemed to obtain the perfect combination of cuteness while not being cute. Yeah, that doesn't make sense but let me explain. Growing up I or my friend never thought Astro was cute looking but apparantly a lot of people do. Even some guys. The cuteness factor brings in the female fanbase while not offending the male fanbase. A perfect combination that only a show on the genius level of Astroboy could pull off! Fantastic thinking by the creators.

Thoughts?

Just had to post this because I know a lot of people are Resident Evil fans here. Seriously, how could you not be?

News Article: Chainsaw Controller Revealed

News Date: 11/12/2004

Source: Lik-Sang

*Link: http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?artc=3521

*Bloody Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller Revealed - Preorders Taken for only US$ 49.95

Fri Nov 12 2004 00:02:04 Hong Kong Time - GameCube

The creative people from NubyTech have today revealed pictures of their latest innovation, in partnership with Capcom. Following up on the preliminary sketches unveiled earlier by IGN, the real-life photograph below is worth more than a thousands of words. Sensitive gamers should better close their eyes.

Designed with an actual Chainsaw lying in the middle of the R&D lab during brainstorming sessions, this massive sculpted controller comes with a built-in sound chip, imitating the roar of the powerful weapon. The attention to detail goes as far as having gory blood marks on the blade. When not chopping Zombies into pieces, the Resident Evil 4 Controller can rest on its stylish stand, on top on your TV, well at sight for the bill collectors knocking at your door. Very impressive in size, it will bring you fear and respect at the same time, yet light and ergonomic, it stays comfortable and does not affect gameplay at all. Holding it in your hands for sure makes you feel like a man; now who said the Cube was for kids?

The most shocking part of the announce is that the Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw will retail at the aggressive price tag of only US$ 49.95! At this bargain level, the Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller is a must-have, bringing horror gaming action to the deepest level of empathy you can get. Shut the curtains, turn the lights off, it's time for scary action! Preorders are now taken down at Lik Sang, delivery is expected around the same date as the US Version of the game (January 11th).

The game itself is certainly the most anticipated third-party title to be publish on GameCube. Capcom prepared the audience with tons of remastered editions of the previous episodes and with the Resident Evil Zero prequel. It's now time for the real deal: Resident Evil 4. This name alone was the reason for many gamers to acquire a GameCube, as it was believed back then that Resident Evil 4 would be an exclusive franchise for the Nintendo console. A couple of weeks ago, Capcom has surprised everybody by announcing that Bio Hazard 4 would come out in Japan on PlayStation 2 as early as next summer, maybe followed by Resident Evil 4 Xbox at some later stage in time (SpOng had a story about this last week, but Capcom currently denies). GameCubers can still rejoice about the six months advance they get... At least if they hold their Freeloader ready and treat themselves with the import edition of the game! As a matter of fact, Resident Evil 4 should not be released in the PAL market before somewhere in May 2005, while both US and Japanese versions are expected soon, respectively on 11th and 27th of January.

Lock your doors. Don't fall asleep. And play till dawn. Judging from what we've seen of the gameplay, Resident Evil 4 is going to be one of 2004's must-have titles. Preorders grant you with 100 Bonus Paybacks Points, and as all import games at Lik Sang, Resident Evil 4 is eligible for Free Shipping Worldwide.

Discuss it in TalkBack! [17 Comments.]

We've finally got a real picture of the Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller from NubyTech. This one's a must-see.

Our import partners at Lik-Sang notified us that they finally have a picture and price for the crazy Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller.

This hefty unit appears to have all the standard GameCube buttons, even though you hold it just like a real chainsaw, with one hand on the back and the other hand on the side. The controller has its own audio chip to generate a realistic chainsaw sound while you play. The controller's price has been set at $49.95 USD. If you're interested in pre-ordering one, hit the link above.

"EVEN THOUGH YOU HOLD IT JUST LIKE A REAL CHAINSAW"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WP -- I've operated a chainsaw many times so it'll be interesting to see if this actually holds true or not.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well.

November 17, 2004

Stolen from the Astroboy-online site:

I thought this might be interesting to discuss

Professor Tenma is Tezuka's version of Baron Victor von Frankenstein, and Atom is his version of Frankenstein's creation. Note that I compare to the novel, not the films about Frankenstein. There are several comparisons in which this is quite clear, while there are indeed other ways that it is not so clear. There are areas that are clearly different though, so I will start there:

Frankenstein created his monster just to see if it were possible to do so. He cared nothing for its welfare or happiness.

Tenma had a specific reason for creating Atom, but during the design process, he obviously went mad, & rather than merely making a 'replacement' for Tobio, he added rockets, machine guns, etc (depending on whichever version we consider). He only wanted to relieve his own pain of having lost his son, he cared nothing for its welfare or happiness.

Thus, regardless of the differences, both creators thought little of the created beings' needs, only of their own desires.

Frankenstein, once he recovered from the euphoria of having created life, realized that his creation was very ugly, & immediately cast it out, forcing it to fend for itself, having no knowledge of good or evil, only hunger, thirst, & loneliness.

Tenma initially embraced his creation, loving it as though it were indeed his son. However, he eventually rejected it (details depend upon the version, I think the saddest is in manga 6-8), & it was eventually taken in by Ochanomizu (Elefun).

Frankenstein's creation, finding itself rejected by its creator/father, attempted to find acceptance among humans, but being large, ugly, and initially unable to speak, was feared and hated by humans, & eventually resolved that it could not find friends among them, would asks its creator to create a mate for it. This being rejected by the creator, it then became murderous, & would destroy its creator's loved ones.

Atom, having enjoyed initial acceptance, & having an appealing appearance, found that life without father was tough, but endurable. He therefore maintained his respect for humans. In the 60s, years passed before Tenma realized he was not growing (duh!), & he sold him to the ringmaster. In the 80s, after living with papa for an unspecified time, Kathy acted as a mother, making the Ringmaster's harshness easier to endure. In the 2003, there was no enslavement in the Robot Circus, Atom had been deactivated, and left to gather dust. He awakened to find himself surrounded by loving humans, accepted, and remembering nothing of his past. In the manga, one version of his origin (volumes 6-8) has Tenma's wife present. She initially rejects him, but comes to embrace him as her son. He therefore knew the love of both mama & papa, even though papa eventually sold him to the circus. This is the most touching and tragic story in the entire world of Astroboy. The poor mother begged the ringmaster to just see her little boy, but was denied. I could say more, but will defer from spoilers. In all cases, he knew love & affection from adults, & was therefore able to believe in the goodness of humans.

If we consider the 80s & 2003 versions of Atlas, we will see that he was rejected by his father in both. He was merely a means to an end, Guiss used him to steal, & took away the one thing he loved in life, Livian. He therefore, became Guiss' deadly enemy, & eventually killed him. The 2003 (do not recall the father's name) father cared nothing for his son's feelings, desires, or welfare. He merely wanted him to be his successor in business. Thus, with Diachi, whether human or robot, he was nothing more than a tool. His bitterness for his father became hatred after his attempts to get actual affection failed. He then sought to destroy his father's business bit by bit, making him suffer these acts of vandalism, and eventually revealing that Atlas was none other than himself, Diachi. Still, Atlas had had some acceptance among humans, the gang of punks with whom he associated gave him a moderating view of humans, that some were ok. Compare this to the monster, whose only human companion was the blind man. This monster was not stupid, & eventually understood that he was accepted by him because he could not see his ugliness. When the blind man's daughter saw the large ugly monster, she screamed and that ended the monster's only friendship.

If Atom had been in Atlas' position, would he not have done likewise? Remember, that Atlas in the 80s was created from stolen plans for Atom. In the 2003, he was created by Tenma; thus, giving him many similarities to Atom, as Tenma no doubt essentially built an adolescent version of Atom for the grieving father. So, in both cases, Atlas is like Atom's brother who suffers similarly to Frankenstein's monster.

The existence of Atlas in these two series makes the comparison between Frankenstein's monster & Tenma's little robot valid. Atom was good because he had been loved by his father, & had therefore, learned to love, despite his eventual rejection. Atlas was never loved by his father, Livian's support was comforting but far from motherly, she simply lacked the power to counter Guiss' evil. Likewise, the gang of punks' companionship was good for Diachi, but was no substitute for his father's love.

"Livian's support was comforting but far from motherly, she simply lacked the power to counter Guiss' evil."

WP -- I can't exactly agree with this one. Livian didn't have the powere to counter all the evil that was put into Atlas but she obviously had influence. Astro being saved from death underneath the sea by Atlas is a great example of this. Livian being the motherly influence on Atlas is what gives Atlas some good inside him which in turn results in Astro's life getting saved. I always got the vibe that while Livian was without doubt a friend her interaction with Atlas was totally that of what a mothere would do.

Now one of the questions is who was around Atlas more? Skunk, Guiss or Livian? I can't remember but I was always under the impression Atlas was surrounded more often by evil than good aka Livian. That's a lot of influence on Atlas and when you're at that impressionable age you tend to take the word of those that have been around longer as fact even if it doesn't feel completely right. Livian despite not being around as much has a tremendous (and of course it's conflicting advice which would make it even harder for Livian to get through to Atlas) influence because when Livian dies for absolutely nothing it sends Atlas over the edge to the point where it appears that Guiss dies. That influence was motherly. Mothers care for their kids and make them prepared for the world that awaits them. That was what Livian did.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well.

November 18, 2004

Response on the Astroboy forum to the Livian - Mother - Atlas comment

Your analysis seems correct; Livian's influence was crucial in Atlas' last minute decision to spare Atom, no doubt about that. However, for the purpose of my argument, I did not need to go into detail about Livian's influence on Atlas. While it is true that she was the closest thing to a mother Atlas ever had, if she had indeed been his mother, she would no doubt have been more forceful in dealing with Guiss. She was a maid, though, and had been serving Guiss for some time before Atlas came along. Thus, she well knew of her master's wrath. As a female, she had compassion for Atlas, but as a maid, she knew it was not her place to intercede for him. Her purpose was not to be his mother, but to be the maid. Guiss was therefore angered with her for interfering with Atlas' training. If she had her way, he would be of little use to Guiss. Compare her to Kathy & you will see that Kathy was far more forceful in dealing with her employer than Livian was with her master.

Guiss and Skunk were about the only humans Atlas ever knew, and although he had hatred for Guiss, he was not too thrilled with Skunk. As such, he had a dim view of humans. He would just as soon have killed him, too, except that it was too much of a bother. While Skunk had yelled at him a few times, only Guiss had really been hateful toward him. It was Guiss, who dismantled Livian, thus depriving Atlas of the only source of kindness he ever knew. Yet, Skunk shared Guiss' goals for Atlas. He would be the one who most reminded Atlas of Guiss, and therefore would be a target.

That Atlas was influenced by Livian's admonishment to be kind to those weaker than himself, itself seems indicative of Tenma's having created a design that was predisposed to do good, rather than evil. Livian had so little time with Atlas, and yet her influence made a powerful impression upon him. All the time he had been with Skunk, who was trying to turn him into a criminal, & yet, he instead chose to oppose all humans, not just those who had what he wanted. Was she 'motherly' towards him? Not by his standard. If I am not mistaken, he asked her to be his mother. If this is so, he must have had in him an idea of what a mother should be. She never had the chance to be his mother, though; for when he rebuilt her, he made her just as much a cowering servant to him, as she had been to Guiss. Yet, she did help Atom escape the Crystal Castle. So, it seems that he did not totally deprive her of free will. Yet, he was not willing to risk losing her, he therefore did not give her the Omega Factor, that enabled him to choose whom he would serve.

Continuation of the Astroboy discussion. Below are my responses:

QUOTE

Your analysis seems correct; Livian's influence was crucial in Atlas' last minute decision to spare Atom, no doubt about that. However, for the purpose of my argument, I did not need to go into detail about Livian's influence on Atlas

WP -- Yeah, I know. I was just taking the topic off topic somewhat.

QUOTE

While it is true that she was the closest thing to a mother Atlas ever had, if she had indeed been his mother, she would no doubt have been more forceful in dealing with Guiss. She was a maid, though, and had been serving Guiss for some time before Atlas came along. Thus, she well knew of her master's wrath. As a female, she had compassion for Atlas, but as a maid, she knew it was not her place to intercede for him. Her purpose was not to be his mother, but to be the maid

WP -- This is why I like Livian so much. She wasn't in an enviornment that gave rewards for helping out Atlas. She didn't seem to be built for that either. So it goes against some natural inclinations to be motherly to Atlas but yet she does so. I would say the motherly instinct was very strong to be able to do what Livian did considering her surroundings. Livian wasn't stupid either. We saw why Livian died. A broken lamp = death???? She knew the explosive nature of Guiss and the power he had so standing up to Guiss wouldn't have been practical. If a lamp is enough for death than what would standing up to him do for somebody else? She did what she could. "Logical" as Spock might say.

In comparison we have Kathy. Was she more motherly? I can't go back to watch anything because I lent my Astroboy footage out to a friend but I do remember that Kathy had better surroundings. Yes, Kathy was in a controlled enviornment as well but the repricussions for doing whatever would not be as harsh as they would be for Livian. Kathy who was a human would also have more worldly surroundings and knowldege to do what she could to help Astro.

Really, Kathy reminded me more of an awesome friend that was part motherly than Livian who reminded me more of what a mother is. (Did Livian pat Atlas like a mother would to a child? I can't remember) Livian is the one who had more influence in shaping Atlas' charactor in comparison to the influence Kathy had on Astro which is what a mother would do.

It'd be interesting to see what happen if Kathy and Livian could magically change places because that would put Kathy in a more motherly posistion than she had with Astro. Kathy may have been more motherly but I don't think her motherly instinct was as strong.

QUOTE

If I am not mistaken, he asked her to be his mother. If this is so, he must have had in him an idea of what a mother should be. She never had the chance to be his mother, though; for when he rebuilt her, he made her just as much a cowering servant to him, as she had been to Guiss. Yet, she did help Atom escape the Crystal Castle. So, it seems that he did not totally deprive her of free will. Yet, he was not willing to risk losing her, he therefore did not give her the Omega Factor, that enabled him to choose whom he would serve.

WP -- I say Atlas loved Livian so much that he just built her exactly the same way she was built before. No modifications at all which must mean that she meant a lot to him and had a lot of influence on him when he was young. After Livian is rebuilt though she reminds me more of a romantic link to Atlas though than a mother.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well.

November 18, 2004

Haven't had the time to post about them, but I've seen four in total. The last two I saw were:

VII (Jack and the Three Blind Archers)

and

X (Jack and the Lava Monster)

Loved both of them.

Loved the first because of the sacrifice he makes at the end (and the build to it...more cool quiet moments, loved how he defeated them by listening and not seeing). He was able to do something an entire army couldn't do, but he gave it up because he knew it was evil and couldn't let anyone else be trapped by that evil. It's such a noble thing. Fascinating to me.

I also loved the concept of the second, that this man has been imprisoned in rock for 2000 years, waiting for the bravest warrior to slay him. These shows really have high-minded ideas and I'm surprised to see a show with such things on the Cartoon Network.

I think I might just buy the Season 1 DVD because no more episodes are available on TV.

November 18, 2004

VERY INTERESTING TIDBITS OF INFORMATION from ATOMAN on the www.astroboy-online.com site

SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE 60's SERIES!!!!!

BEWARE!!!!!

Actually Astro did have some armor added. The first story from vol. 22 of the manga has Astro wearing some chest armor. He had it because Tezuka decided to do a sequel to the last episode of the 60's series in which he took a bomb into the sun and was never heard from again. Tezuka got lots of letters asking him to write a sequel saving him, so he did. He had some aliens rescue him from drifting in space. They repaired him but made some "improvements" mainly the chest armor and a time travel dial on his forehead, thus making him a living time machine. He evan got a girl friend, an alien who loved him at first sight and became his traveling companion. He had no memory of where he came from or what time period, so he had to travel through time to find his home. This was a series of manga that Tezuka wanted to use as a pilot for a new Astro series, but it wasn't popular so he never finished the saga and only the first story was printed in the Dark Horse manga. To bad cause this would have been an awesome animated show and a nice companion to the 60's series. I guess it was the armor that people didn't like.

WP -- Sounds pretty cool. The drifting in space bit reminds me of Optimus Prime from the Transformers series which also reminds me that he may have been even more of a man's man than Captain Kirk.

A true man's man!!

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well.

November 18, 2004

Haven't had the time to post about them, but I've seen four in total. The last two I saw were:

VII (Jack and the Three Blind Archers)

and

X (Jack and the Lava Monster)

Loved both of them.

Loved the first because of the sacrifice he makes at the end (and the build to it...more cool quiet moments, loved how he defeated them by listening and not seeing). He was able to do something an entire army couldn't do, but he gave it up because he knew it was evil and couldn't let anyone else be trapped by that evil. It's such a noble thing. Fascinating to me.

I also loved the concept of the second, that this man has been imprisoned in rock for 2000 years, waiting for the bravest warrior to slay him. These shows really have high-minded ideas and I'm surprised to see a show with such things on the Cartoon Network.

I think I might just buy the Season 1 DVD because no more episodes are available on TV.

Glad to hear it Ray. THe series just has so many mark out moments. I can't remember the lava rock episoed but I do remember the blind archors episode which I love. Besides the cool ending (the very end reminded me of something you'd do in a video game puzzle) I loved the cool beginning. The janitor on the boat and Jack slightly raising his hat up to show interest in what the old veteran janitor was saying ruled. Stuff like that just makes the show so memoarable. I also love the simple quest Jack has. Go back in time to destroy Aku so he can save the future. Its simplicity brings in the cool factor for me as well. There are no million plot twist turns but yet I'm still behind the plot heavily. It's good to have that once in awhile.

THink I should put this in the "What do you look like?" thread.

Well, here I am:

WP in all his glory

As a Kid

As a grown man

And a Cool pic of everyone's hero

WP's Idendity in Alternate Dimension #4

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well.

November 19, 2004

Since his first appearance in the "Captain Atom" series in "Shonen" in 1951, Atom, the 100,000-hp jet-propelled robot boy, has boasted overwhelming popularity in magazines, on television and on the big screen as the star of the major series "Astro Boy". His character could even be said to be synonymous with Tezuka Osamu. Nonetheless, although he is usually thought of as being a scientific all-rounder, the robot product of an atomic fusion system who has 100,000-hp (that is later boosted up to 1 million-hp) and who is generally energetic in the fight for justice, in giving Atom his role, the message Tezuka Osamu wanted to portray was: Can science and humanity really coexist? Atom had seven powers with which to defeat his enemies, but he was also a tragic figure, a robot who suffered persecution at the hands of humans. This is the source of Atom's androgynous character, what gives him his bilateral nature. The prototype for Atom's character was the girl robot who flew through the skies in "Metropolis" and "Perry", the 100,000-hp jet-propelled robot created by Yokoi Fukujiro. In other words, since his conception, Atom has been a character with both boyish and girlish characteristics. This fuzziness is linked to the cross that Atom has to bear; the fact that he has a heart that is more human than the human heart but is also discriminated against because he is a robot. Incidentally, the hint for Atom's pointy hair came from Tezuka Osamu's own hair, which was always standing on end when he woke up in the morning. Atom shaved off his trademark hair to appear in "The Man Who Destroyed The World" portraying the sufferings of the close-cropped pilot of the fighter plane.

Mitchy was a pretty young heroine from the early days. She was the first female idol of Tezuka Osamu's Manga but was not merely a cute, doll-like figure. She appeared, for example, as the androgynous robot that can soar through the skies in "Metropolis", and as such became the prototype for the latter-day major star, Atom. Mitchy herself portrayed Atom's mother in the "Astro Boy" series. She was a character who could act the part of a robot and who could also turn in impressive performances in supporting roles as the mother of the protagonist; she can thus be said to have embodied the spirit of an actress in no small part. Moreover, she was not only the prototype for Atom she was also the model for Sapphire, the star of "Princess Knight". In other words, it would be no exaggeration to say that without Mitchy, the world of Tezuka Osamu would not be the lavish place it is today.

During middle school, Tezuka Osamu underwent massive culture shock when he visited the ancient ruins in the Asuka region. It was the shock of realizing that mysterious domains that cannot be explained by common knowledge or science undoubtedly exist! Tezuka Osamu attempted to reproduce this impression in the Manga "The Three-Eyed One", which is why its protagonist, Sharaku, was clothed in the military-style school uniform of a middle school student with a stand-up collar. Sharaku Hosuke: ordinarily he had the babyish, weak appearance of a bullied child, but once the Band-Aid on his forehead was peeled off and his third eye revealed, he displayed amazing supernatural powers and a glittering mind. The role is piled high with the aspirations of Tezuka Osamu's childhood days as a bullied child. Even the most unreliable children conceal surprising powers behind their individuality. If the seal can only be broken then that power could well change the world. Sharaku, who is entrusted with this dream, delights readers with his performances in famous and shady roles that demonstrate a full grasp of the intentions of his creator. He also performs the role of a boy with supernatural powers who is able to predict the future in another work, "Buddha". Sharaku personifies Tezuka Osamu's image of a person with preternatural powers. He isn't a person full of self-confidence, he's a baby who packs these powers unobtrusively into his small body. The person who emphasizes this side of his character is his partner, Wato. Although she is a spirited, tomboyish girl, she also has a strange sexiness and femininity that she displays freely and easily in her current incarnation as Princess Sapphire.

Apparently, one of Tezuka Osamu's childhood friends had a dent in the back of his head that looked like you could stand a candle in it. Tezuka Osamu used this friend as a model to create his inimitable, larger-than-life villain, Acetylene Lamp. The character had already displayed his talents as an imposingly unscrupulous journalist in Tezuka Osamu's pre-debut study "Lost World: Private Edition", and he subsequently established his position as a top-ranking gangster in the back streets of Tezuka Osamu's Manga works. Whilst the candle on his head lends him a very comic-book-character appearance, he gave superlative performances in serious roles, and the intensely evil aura that he spread in his performance as Lamp, the Far East Chief of German Intelligence in "The Stories of Three Adolfs", is unforgettable.

WP -- Pretty sure this guy makes an appearance in the 60s Astroboy series

The ability to pull a scene together is not just limited to big-wheel actors. There are numerous performers like Afill who specialize in bit parts, who although they contribute little to the drama, can competently bring a scene together in the same way. They are like the actors in period dramas who specialize in getting killed off. There's also something pleasing about the fact that he was named Afill simply because it resembled "duck" ("ahiru" in Japanese), and this character is typical of the period when Tezuka Osamu was writing manga-esque Manga.

The picture shown above is:

As the mysterious man in Astro Boy: The Secret of the Egyptian Conspirators

"Higeoyaji was born in Kanda, he's prematurely bald and prematurely gray and frequently appears as a sympathetic private detective, in fact, he's the oldest face in my works. But he was actually born in Itami, Osaka and he isn't even an original." As he confesses in his book "I Am A Manga Artist", this popular character, who is indispensable to Tezuka Osamu's Manga is in fact based on a doodle that one of his good friends in middle school drew of his father. Tezuka Osamu began borrowing this caricature from the time of "Old Man Detective". This character was brought to life in the world of Tezuka Osamu's Manga. He is short-tempered and rough. But is also warm-hearted and has a burning sense of justice. Continuously playing the role of a spirited if not particularly sophisticated middle-aged man, Higeoyagi's appearances have not stopped with the role of detective, he has also displayed his talents in many famous performances. He has been the boss of a sushi restaurant, a father desperately attempting to recover the trust of his son and a pickpocket who takes marked pride in his work. A younger version of the character with jet-black hair can be spotted in "The Green Cat".

In varius works such as:

As Dr. Higeta in Magic House

In Metropolis

As Shoya in The Plain of Abusegahara

In Black Jack: There were Two Films

In Astro Boy: Lightning Man

WP -- A famous Astroboy charactor, "Old Man Detective" is a charactor I like. Right now I'm getting pretty tired so I'll finish my little project later. Stay tuned. Same WP time. Same WP channel.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well.

November 19, 2004

I can't remember the lava rock episode

Very good one, I thought. The plot really appealed to me, because I have a fondness for warrior deaths and this had a great death scene for a warrior and even his ascent into his version of heaven.

I do remember the blind archors episode which I love. Besides the cool ending (the very end reminded me of something you'd do in a video game puzzle) I loved the cool beginning. The janitor on the boat and Jack slightly raising his hat up to show interest in what the old veteran janitor was saying ruled. Stuff like that just makes the show so memoarable.

Completely agree! I love how little details like that can add so much to our enjoyment of it. Love that he can be minding his own business, but also be so aware of his surroundings like that.

Time to talk about Astroby and the cuteness factor.

Normally, I don't like too much cuteness on my viewing screen. I'm cool with a little bit and maybe 1 over the top cuteness charactor that makes fun of the whole cuteness thing but besides that I'm not down with the cuteness loving. However, Astroboy has seemed to obtain the perfect combination of cuteness while not being cute. Yeah, that doesn't make sense but let me explain. Growing up I or my friend never thought Astro was cute looking but apparantly a lot of people do. Even some guys. The cuteness factor brings in the female fanbase while not offending the male fanbase. A perfect combination that only a show on the genius level of Astroboy could pull off! Fantastic thinking by the creators.

Thoughts?

From the episode I watched, it seemed like sort of a necessary thing, because he's a robot and it adds such a strong sense of humanity to him. Good way to do it, I think.

November 20, 2004

I can't remember the lava rock episode

Very good one, I thought. The plot really appealed to me, because I have a fondness for warrior deaths and this had a great death scene for a warrior and even his ascent into his version of heaven.

I do remember the blind archors episode which I love. Besides the cool ending (the very end reminded me of something you'd do in a video game puzzle) I loved the cool beginning. The janitor on the boat and Jack slightly raising his hat up to show interest in what the old veteran janitor was saying ruled. Stuff like that just makes the show so memoarable.

Completely agree! I love how little details like that can add so much to our enjoyment of it. Love that he can be minding his own business, but also be so aware of his surroundings like that.

Time to talk about Astroby and the cuteness factor.

Normally, I don't like too much cuteness on my viewing screen. I'm cool with a little bit and maybe 1 over the top cuteness charactor that makes fun of the whole cuteness thing but besides that I'm not down with the cuteness loving. However, Astroboy has seemed to obtain the perfect combination of cuteness while not being cute. Yeah, that doesn't make sense but let me explain. Growing up I or my friend never thought Astro was cute looking but apparantly a lot of people do. Even some guys. The cuteness factor brings in the female fanbase while not offending the male fanbase. A perfect combination that only a show on the genius level of Astroboy could pull off! Fantastic thinking by the creators.

Thoughts?

From the episode I watched, it seemed like sort of a necessary thing, because he's a robot and it adds such a strong sense of humanity to him. Good way to do it, I think.

Stole this from the tvtome.com site -- http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/Guide...064/epid-95299/

For anybody who doesn't know about this helpful site, just go to www.tvtome.com and click in the TV show you want information about in the search feature.

Note about Samurai Jack and its listings. THere seems to be some kind of mix up with the Roman numerals, the televised order, the intentional order or something. For example, the order didn't make sense if you just go by Roman numerals.

Episode Information

Episode Number 10

First Aired November 5, 2001

Guest Stars: Richard McGonagle (as Warrior)

Synopsis

Called on by a mysterious voice, Jack overcomes many obstacles and booby traps to find who is calling him. Deep in the earth he finds it is a creature made from rock and lava, who immediately challenges Jack to a fight, but why did it call for Jack?

Notes

First UK showing : 11th January 2002 5:30pm

This episode was the third in a Cartoon Network week-long special showing of past episodes entitled "Code of the Samurai", each of which symbolized part of the Samurai's Code ("Bushido"). This episode symbolized the Samurai's ideals of COMPASSION.

Goofs

A little before Jack gets zapped by the Lava monster. You see Jack sheathe his sword. When the camera view switches to a more farther point of view you can see that his sword is unsheathed, but when the camera shows a close up of jack again his sword is sheathed again. ( You never see him unsheathe his sword after he sheathes it, he only unsheathes it after the lava monster tells Jack his story.

Analysis

Norse Mythology

Plenty of people were probably wondering what was going on with the Fire Giant and the women on flying horses and the weird people standing in the sky (at the end) and everything. Well, to start off with, the culture represented is Norse, or Viking. The Vikings believed that if a man died of old age or sickness etc. he'd go to the frozen underworld. If he died in battle he'd go to Valhalla, a paradise where the sould of men get up in the morning, eat, drink, and make merry, go out on a battlefield and chop each other to pieces, reassemble themselves, go to bed, and do it again the next day (at least that's the general idea). The way they got into Valhalla was by way of the Valkyries, women who rode flying horses (you saw two of them) and took the warrior to Valhalla the moment he died. As for all those people at the end, they are the Norse Gods (I recognized Odin and Thor but I couldn't figure out the other two). I loved this episode in particular because it caught the finest essence of the Vikings, my ancestors, and because they got so much accurate, even the clothing. So, that's why everything was the way it was. Oh, one more thing. The villains in Norse mythology were trolls, undead, and the giants of ice, frost, and (gasp) fire! The Fire Giant obviously wanted to die, so it was only natural to take the form of what was, to him, a villain of the worst kind.

Odin's Guidance?

Now that we know that Odin was one of the three gods that forged Jack's sword, could it be that Odin somehow guided Jack to the Warrior's lair, hoping that Jack could help him?

Cultural References

.: .

All that is true, and perhaps I should add a couple of things: The two warrior women on flying horses are called "Valkyries"; known as the "choosers of the slain", they are agents of Odin (the cheif Norse God) whose job is to carry fallen warriors to Valhalla. Second, in the last scene, where the Warrior is watching Jack from Valhalla, the others with him are Norse gods and goddess - I instantly recognized Odin (the one with the eyepatch, as Odin is often depicted with one eye), Thor (the one with the hammer,) and Loki (the sly, green one, befitting as he is a trickster god). The goddess (with red armor and golden hair), is most likely Sif, the wife of Thor and patron of female warriors, while the one with blue armor and a sword is probably Heimdal, the guardian of Asgard (the home of the gods). Note that this is the first time mythological characters are alluded to, and it isn't the last. In future episodes, references are made to Eqyptian, Greek, and - natually - Japanese myths.

WP -- I gotta make a point to watch this one again but once again I'm very tired so if anything doesn't make sense here please forgive me. Which reminds me I'll finish posting the charactor descriptions that I started two posts up hopefully soon. Stay tuned. Same WP time. Same WP channel. Oh, how I love saying that!

I know must have this episode on tape because I managed to tape all the first episodes on VHS so I'll definitely have to check it out again.

I do remember the blind archors episode which I love. Besides the cool ending (the very end reminded me of something you'd do in a video game puzzle) I loved the cool beginning. The janitor on the boat and Jack slightly raising his hat up to show interest in what the old veteran janitor was saying ruled. Stuff like that just makes the show so memoarable.

Completely agree! I love how little details like that can add so much to our enjoyment of it. Love that he can be minding his own business, but also be so aware of his surroundings like that.

Yup, just plain old cool. Gotta love it.

Time to talk about Astroby and the cuteness factor.

Normally, I don't like too much cuteness on my viewing screen. I'm cool with a little bit and maybe 1 over the top cuteness charactor that makes fun of the whole cuteness thing but besides that I'm not down with the cuteness loving. However, Astroboy has seemed to obtain the perfect combination of cuteness while not being cute. Yeah, that doesn't make sense but let me explain. Growing up I or my friend never thought Astro was cute looking but apparantly a lot of people do. Even some guys. The cuteness factor brings in the female fanbase while not offending the male fanbase. A perfect combination that only a show on the genius level of Astroboy could pull off! Fantastic thinking by the creators.

Thoughts?

From the episode I watched, it seemed like sort of a necessary thing, because he's a robot and it adds such a strong sense of humanity to him. Good way to do it, I think.

Yes, once again I agree. Unless you're the coldest person on earth, you can't help but to feel for such a cute and young charactor who basically is not only growing up but literally has the weight of the world on his shoulders. As a race, we humans like to see kids grow up, have fun and basically just be a kid. When we see a yound kid or in this particular case Astroboy take on so much we can't help but feel sympthany for him which in turn turns into caring for what happens to Astr. That's just what you want when someone's watching a TV show.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well

November 21, 2004

He was the hard-boiled surgeon, the protagonist of the "Black Jack" series, who could in a sense be called the personification of the physician Tezuka Osamu. The questions Black Jack was asking, namely "What is the meaning of life?" and "In what does human happiness lie?", represent the themes that underwrite Tezuka Osamu's Manga. In light of this "(when I first started to draw the character), what was the meaning of the scar on his face, to say nothing of his pallor and his costume, his outdated bow tie and cloak? Why, when he demanded such exorbitant fees, did he leave in such a dilapidated old house? I hadn't given any of this any thought at all. There was no meaning attached to any of it." As Tezuka Osamu says himself (in a postscript to Chapter 18 of "The Complete Works"), there is a certain poignancy in the fact that like the character of Black Jack, he did not have a particularly salubrious upbringing. Even so, like Atom, he was nurtured into a popular character and can thus be said to have had a charmed life as an actor.

WP -- Never seen Blackjack but I want to. I believe Blackjack and Astroboy both sneakily appear in each other's show.

Tezuka Osamu

It goes without saying that this is the author himself. He appeared in quite sizeable roles from the early days and always seemed intent on stirring up a commotion. Whether this can be referred to as self-authored, self-starring Manga or as "My" Manga is difficult to say, but at any rate it represents a uniqueness that is virtually without precedent. "Vampire", in which the character portrayed President Tezuka, the man at the vortex of the disturbances at Mushi Production, is a representative creation.

Buku Bukk

He was consciously drawn from the villainous Disney character, Black Pete, and is a representative rogue from the early days. He embodied the type of villain who was around in the days when the world was still a generous hearted place, so although he was the bad guy, he also had fragile feelings, and a goodness of character stemming from the fact that his heart and soul was not fully in the role of the abominable criminal poured out of all his pores. He livened up the pages of Tezuka Osamu's Manga as the bad guy you love to hate.

WP -- Once again I have to leave as I've very tired and very tired. Don't worry though. Our hero WP may be up against seemingly unstoppable odds such as sleep deprivatio but he will labour on. Will our hero WP be able to make it through his perilous predicamentos of injuries, sleep deprivation, mental and physical insanity and 20 rep breathing squats to be able to bring you the next exciting and captivating episode of "the adventures of Ozuma Tezuka's charactors"? Stay tuned and find out. Same WP time. Same WP channel.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well

November 21, 2004

Samurai Jack Huh, I have never seen a whole episode, is it really that good?

November 21, 2004

Samurai Jack Huh, I have never seen a whole episode, is it really that good?

YES!!

And BTW Ohtani of Time, I'm still waiting for your favourite wrestling match list!

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well

Highland · November 21, 2004

I have to admit I've only caught a few episodes of the new Astroboy series, it's on at a rather inconvenient time (Sunday afternoon, I think) , but I used to watch the original series as a child religiously. What I do appreciate is they kept the Japanese names (as far as I can tell) for the modern series.

I think I've seen the entire first season of Samurai Jack, but again I haven't seen an episode lately; are there any new ones on YTV? I still prefer the first episode where Jack says nothing, because he didn't have to: The imagery tells the entire story.

November 21, 2004

I have to admit I've only caught a few episodes of the new Astroboy series, it's on at a rather inconvenient time (Sunday afternoon, I think) , but I used to watch the original series as a child religiously. What I do appreciate is they kept the Japanese names (as far as I can tell) for the modern series.

I think I've seen the entire first season of Samurai Jack, but again I haven't seen an episode lately; are there any new ones on YTV? I still prefer the first episode where Jack says nothing, because he didn't have to: The imagery tells the entire story.

Hello Highland. Thanks for coming to the thread! I appreciate it.

I assume you mean the Astroboy series from the 80s. Yes, that did rule and is the best of the three series from what I've seen. The pictures I have in my signature as of this time are all from the 80s series of Astroboy. Any favourite memories if you can remember them?

I'm pretty sure THE EMMY AWARD WINNING Samurai Jack is off the air now because a few months ago they had another show take its place so I checked their website and noted that there was no mention of Jack at all. Can somebody confirm that it's off YTV? They never did show all the episodes. THey even missed a couple while they were putting them on the air. The zombie graveyard episode was completely missed. Could've been due to the inconsiticies of the airing order and how the episodes in Roman numerals seem to be different. Still, they should've been on the ball and had that episode on.

Yes, Ray and I were talking about how we love the moments where there is no talking at all. This seems to be a consensus of the fans that watch this show.

I'm curious about how many people are actually reading this thread and who you are. If you are reading it please just make a quick post saying that you are indeed reading. Thanks very much. All cooperation is sincerely appreciated.

Remember this is now a Samurai Jack combined with an Astroboy thread so feel free to talk about Samurai Jack as well

Highland · November 21, 2004

My favourite Astroboy memories? Let's see....The fight on the moon between him and Atlas, and the episode where they revealed they were brothers, that kicked ass. I know there're other good scenes, but it's the '80s version so I can't be expected to remember them that well

SJ was cancelled? Damn it, why are the good shows always so short lived?

Vyce · November 22, 2004

Samurai Jack Huh, I have never seen a whole episode, is it really that good?

It's probably one of the best American toons of the past 10 years or so.

It's a shame that it was cancelled, because Genndy really created a program that worked on so many levels, and incorporated elements from such an eclectic number of sources near perfectly, that the end result is a series which I don't think will even fully be appreciated until years later.

If he's signed on to do a new Astroboy series, I have high hopes for it - though I know absolutely ZERO about Astroboy other than it's a landmark / legendary Japanese franchise.

EricMM · November 22, 2004

Fucking Cartoon Network and their fucking 52 episode limit.

Killed Home Movies,

Killed Samurai Jack.

I've downloaded ~48 of the 52 episodes of Jack. I find it ironic that you all are mentioning the older episodes of SJ as the good ones. They're fine and all, but they go SO much better.

Watch Jack vs. the Maruaders, Jack vs. MondoBot, and JACK VS. THE ZOMBIES.

Or Jack and the Zen Master, Jack and the Haunted House, The Birth of Evil, there are sooooo many great episodes.

If you haven't caught any of these episodes, and you enjoy action cartoons at all, catch them. You won't be dissapointed.

"New" Astroboy trailer 2003 series

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