"Astro Boy" by Osamu Tezuka

Even if I wasn’t reading the manga or binge-watching the anime back when I was younger, anyone could mention the name “Astro Boy” and I would have vivid memories of seeing Astro and his adventures in my head. He’s surpassed his origins in Japan, where he’s known as Mighty Atom, and has become a dearly beloved character in many other regions of the world, selling over 100 millions copies worldwide.

For some reason I was expecting the stories in the manga to be based more on elementary topics, following a simple formula: “bad guys are threatening the town! Astro goes on and saves the day once again!”. But after reading both the first and second editions of the manga, you can see that, yes, Astro does end up saving the day for the majority of the stories, yet they’re all very diverse in their message and their content. What’s most special about each of them is also the fact that Tezuka made sure to include scientific facts to elements in his narrative. It was in the “Introduction” section of the first manga where I came to find out that Tezuka was at first studying to become a physician, but later when on to become an artist, since that was his biggest passion between the two.

 For someone that’s just slowly starting to become more interested in the literature of mangas, the introduction for Astro Boy was helpful at making me understand more about the author. An example would be an explanation of what Astro is meant to signify, and Tezuka’s commitment to adding science-based facts that were being learned at the time. These stories’ main purpose was not just to entertain its young audience, but also to teach of the many opportunities the world had through the use of technology. Even so, he also tackled the topic of technology from a different perspective; how technology and its use to take control of things can lead to terrible altercations, or even worse, dehumanization and mass destruction.  

Such strong topics that Tezuka was able to make easy for a child to understand. For example, in Astro Boy, Chapter 2: The Hot Dog Corps, the main conflict is deals with Mr. Mustachio’s dog, Pero. After an unfortunate car accident, he’s taken away by the antagonists of the story and, along with many other dogs, is turned into a robot who’s meant to take over the moon. Throughout this ordeal, the audience experiences the pros and cons of technology. You learn about how the evil antagonists have used high technicalities to make artificial intelligence while keeping part of their previous life (in this case, the dogs still have their nervous system, which comes out handy later in the story). From this conflict to the resolution, in which Pero ends up turning back into a dog (a cyborg one), one can see that technology and science really is a double edge sword, and that people must take precautions on how to use such knowledge. 

It’s just so interesting how a manga targeted mainly to a younger audience can make you think way! Tezuka really is impeccable at storytelling. The kind that kept you entertained all throughout and leaves you thinking right after. I must say I really loved it, and I can’t wait to read more about Astro’s next adventures. 

(I’ll leave my favorite panel of the 2nd chapter here because it took me so off guard hahah)