Customer Reviews

Astro Boy Volume 7

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tezuka Osamu shows Atom (Astroboy) in an alternate origin. Here, much more detail is given than in volume #1, and sub plots abound. In volume six, Atom found himself thrown through a time warp, and in mid twentieth century Japan, a time before the rise of robots. His dilemma is that he cannot be refueled by the then current technology. Adventures abound, both tragic and comic. As time-travel was introduced in the previous volume, it should come as no surprise that the origin of Astroboy does not occur until the middle of this one, when the date finally reaches 2003. A tear-jerking version of his creator/papa's rejection is within these pages, for while volume 1 made Dr. Tenma single, divorced, or widowed, here he has a wife. Her presence adds an element of tragedy that was absent in volume 1's version of Atom's origin.

Tezuka Osamu shows his talent for addressing serious cultural issues while keeping a light touch. The robot vs. human rights issue mirrors the black vs. white conflict that was prevalent during the early 1960s when Tezuka wrote this story. Although he lived in Japan, one can ascertain that there was class trouble there too, or perhaps he was aware of the trouble in other nations. Here, in the twenty-first century, intelligent robots are common, but they are treated as mere property of the humans, and lack even the most basic freedoms. Humans merely scrap them when they wear out.

Scara, an insect person from a distant plant, who was introduced in volume 6, has become much wiser in the 40 years since she arrived on earth. Not only that, but she has been shrunken to insect size, and has now become Atom's Jiminy Cricket. She now advises the bewildered young robot, just as the cricket advised Pinocchio. This would confirm Disney's influence on Tezuka, for in Collodi's novel, Pinocchio killed the cricket that tried to point the finger at his errors.

NOTE: The story in this volume started in volume 6, and continues into volume eight.

Tezuka Osamu shows Atom (Astro Boy) in an alternate origin. Here, much more detail is given than in volume #1, and sub plots abound. In volume six, Atom found himself thrown through a time warp, and in mid twentieth century Japan, a time before the rise of robots. His dilemma is that he cannot be refueled by the then current technology. Adventures abound, both tragic and comic. As time-travel was introduced in the previous volume, it should come as no surprise that the origin of Astro Boy does not occur until the middle of this one, when the date finally reaches 2003. A tear-jerking version of his creator/papa's rejection is within these pages, for while volume 1 made Dr. Tenma single, divorced, or widowed, here he has a wife. She adds an element of tragedy that was absent in volume 1's version of Atom's origin.

Tezuka Osamu shows his talent for addressing serious cultural issues while keeping a light touch. The robot vs. human rights issue mirrors the black vs. white conflict that was prevalent during the early 1960s when Tezuka wrote this story. Although he lived in Japan, one can ascertain that there was class trouble there too, or perhaps he was aware of the trouble in other nations. Here, in the twenty-first century, intelligent robots are common, but they are treated as mere property of the humans, and lack even the most basic freedoms. Human merely scrap them when they wear out.

Scara, an insect person from a distant plant, who was introduced in volume 6, has become much wiser in the 40 years since she arrived on earth. Not only that, but she has been shrunken to insect size, and has now become Atom's Jiminy Cricket. She now advises the bewildered young robot, just as the cricket advised Pinocchio. That would confirm Disney's influence on Tezuka, for in Collodi's novel, Pinocchio killed the cricket that tried to point the finger at his errors.

NOTE: The story in this volume was begun in volume 6, and spans at least the next volume. If you love Atom, you must purchase those too. I am still awaiting delivery of volumes # 8-10, but do not mind a lengthy story when it is as pleasing as the one started in volume six and continued here.

Q: Do you have a male preteen, who likes Pokemon, Yugioh, cartoons, owns at least two game systems (handhelds count) and knows what anime is?

A: Yes.

Stop here and buy the series. Don't ask why, or is it valuable, beneficial or even engage in the debate about the academic merits of comic books, or graphic novels. I could tell you it is a Japanese classic, on par with Superman, that it may be a collectors item in the future or it is an engaging series with complex subplots for this age group.

That doesn't matter.

You only need to know that if you buy it:

1. He is reading
2. He is reading
3. He is not playing a video game
4. He is reading
5. He is not arguing or fighting with a sibling
6. He is not watching TV like a mindless drone
7. He is reading
8. He will want to read other graphic novels.