Product Details

• Actors: Billie Lou Watt, Ray Owens, Gilbert Mack, Peter Fernandez
• Directors: Right Stuf
• Format: Animated, Box set, Black & White, DVD, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Subtitled
• Language: English (Unknown)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 11
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Bayview Entertainment/Widowmaker
• DVD Release Date: March 28, 2006
• Run Time: 1220 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000E3LGDI
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,951 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Animation > Characters & Series > Astro Boy

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Astro Boy was not the first Japanese animated series, as some fans have claimed, but it was the first with an ongoing storyline--and the first to air in the U.S. Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) began Tetsuwan Atom (literally "Iron-arm Atom") as a manga in 1952, then adapted it to a TV series that debuted in January 1963. NBC Films bought the rights to about half of the 193 episodes and edited them for American viewers. Astro Boy premiered in the U.S. in September 1963, and ran on local stations through 1972. The story is well-known to anime fans: After the death of his son Astor (Tobio in Japanese), Dr. Boyton (Dr. Tenma) builds a 100,000-horsepower super-robot to replace him. But a robot can never grow and truly replace Astor, so the scientist sells him to a cruel circus owner. Dr. Packadermus J. Elefun (Dr. Ochanomizu) rescues Astro and helps him become a fighter against crime and injustice.

The original English-language masters were destroyed in 1975, when Tezuka's Mushi Productions went bankrupt. For the Ultra Collector's Edition, Right Stuf tracked down the best surviving voice elements and combined them with video from the original Japanese negatives. Not surprisingly, the sound quality varies on the discs, but barring the discovery of additional material in some forgotten vault, this is the closest to a definitive Astro Boy English speakers will see. Tezuka wrote some of the scripts and co-directed the 1980 remake (Astro Boy Collection Box Set); the 2003 incarnation combined drawn and CG animation (Astro Boy: The Complete Series). But the stiff, black-and-white original remains the truest version of Tezuka's watershed creation. Extras include: the first part of an interview with producer Fred Ladd; two episodes in Japanese with subtitles; small galleries of character art and merchandise; "The History of Astro Boy" in booklet form; and a biography of Tezuka. (Unrated, suitable for ages 7 and older: violence, alcohol use) --Charles Solomon

Product Description
ASTRO BOY, the series that launched the anime phenomenon, returns to the US for the first time on DVD in a stunning new collection! The very first anime ever produced, Osamu Tezuka's (KIMBA, THE WHITE LION / HI NO TORI / METROPOLIS) original 1963 - 1964 ASTRO BOY delighted children around the world with its touching stories and compelling characters. In the U.S., many will remember this popular children's series which aired on TV during the 1960s. Now, this groundbreaking series returns for the first time ever in a stunning new collector's edition that includes the first 52 episodes of the original black and white series as seen in the US, restored to pristine detail, and featuring never-before-seen footage and brand new exciting extras. The original boy-robot with 100,000 horsepower strength and courage! In the year 2000, Dr. Boyton creates a super-robot in his deceased son's image. He calls the robot Astro Boy. Astro Boy can swim oceans, leap over mountains, even fly into space on his own power. However, Astro Boy can't replace his son; Dr. Boyton becomes dissatisfied with the boy robot and disowns him. Astro Boy is befriended by Dr. Packadermus J. Elefun of the Institute of Science, who guides him through his adventures. Endowed with super strength, rocket-powered flight, a selfless heart and a kind demeanor, Astro Boy fights a never-ending crusade against the forces of evil! The special Ultra Collector's Edition DVD Set 1 features the first 52 episodes of this great series, an entire DVD full of extra bonus material, including: Part 1 of an interview with series producer Fred Ladd, Original Japanese Episode #1 (with English subtitles), Original Character Art Gallery, Merchandise Gallery, and a Collector's Booklet featuring: "The History of Astro Boy", an "Osamu Tezuka Biography", and much more!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The one and only original Astro Boy!, April 4, 2006

By	Raymond Tucker (Zombie Swamp, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Largely unseen for over 30 years, most current audiences only know Astro Boy by its reputation and through various remakes. While contemporary anime may have greater technical polish, there's energy, imagination and a surprising amount of humor to these shows which is still unmatched. The sad news is the english masters and negatives were destroyed ages ago. The good news is thanks to fans and collectors worldwide the first 52 episodes are all accounted for with video from the Japanese masters married to english audio from a variety of sources. In a few cases the sound may leave something to be desired, but that should only make us all the more thankful for a piece of TV history which was very nearly lost to us for all time. This beautifully packaged set of 11 single sided discs displays very handsomely. Extras include an interview with Fred Ladd and two episodes of Tetsuwan Atomu in Japanese with english subtitles (Episode #1 & 20) to allow comparison with its original version. Buy it, whether to relive Saturday mornings of a bygone era or to experience firsthand THE show which started the anime revolution.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astro Boy is "Rocket High . . . Go, go, go Astro Boy!", April 8, 2006

By	[e-mail] "Michael C. Turner" (Georgia (USA)) - See all my reviews

The newest DVD release of the original US verison of the 1960's Astro Boy is indeed "Rocket High" and has been long anticipated by many, especially the original fans. Considering that the original film masters were almost destroyed years ago ( in some cases several of the original Japenese versions were destroyed) it is a miracle that these benchmark masterpieces of early Japanese animation still survive at all. Even though the original English version sound masters were destroyed, the collected sound files used are overall, very good especially considering these were produced 43 years ago. Perhaps sound and imaging technologies will soon compensate for the aforementioned. Old and new fans alike shall certainly be saying . . . Go, go, go Astro Boy!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Restored, June 16, 2006

By	Mike Dungan "Casual Nerdoscente" (Seattle WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I watched Astro Boy as a child in the 1960s. Having it on DVD is a dream come true. Right Stuf went to great lengths to find the best surviving duplicate masters they could, splicing in video from the original Japanese masters as necessary to restore the shows. Astro Boy now looks better than ever. The audio is surprisingly good on most of the episodes, however there are a small handful of episodes that sound poor. It's a small issue compared to the value of having this piece of history restored to us. The English dub, featuring Billie Lou Watt as Astro Boy, Ray Owens as Dr. Elefun, and Gilbert Mack as Mr. Pompous is a joy to listen to. It still sounds fresh and lively more than 40 years later. The extras includes the first half of an interview with US Producer Fred Ladd and two of the episodes in Japanese with subtitles. The presentation and artwork is top-notch. This is an essential addition to any anime fan's library.