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Mighty Atom Astro Boy
Promotional artwork for the United States broadcast of Astro Boy
鉄腕アトム (Tetsuwan Atomu)
Genre	Action, Adventure, Science fiction
Anime television series
Directed by	Osamu Tezuka
Written by	Yoshiyuki Tomino
Music by	Tatsuo Takai
Studio	Mushi Production
Licensed by	AUS: Madman Entertainment NA: The Right Stuf
Original network	NTV (1963-1966)
English network	AUS: Nine Network (1965-1971) Network Ten (Victoria Only) ABC NA: Syndication (1963-1975) WNEW-TV NYC (1963-1965) WVEC-TV VA (1990-2000) Adult Swim (2007-2008)
Original run	January 1, 1963 – December 31, 1966
Episodes	193 (List of episodes)
Anime film
Mighty Atom: Hero of Space
Directed by	Rintaro Yoshitake Suzuki Eiichi Yamamoto
Produced by	Koji Bessho Mori Masaki
Written by	Rintaro Yoshitake Suzuki Eiichi Yamamoto
Music by	Tatsuo Takai
Studio	Mushi Production
Released	July 26, 1964
Runtime	87 minutes
Related works
Astro Boy Mighty Atom (1959 TV series) Astro Boy (1980 TV series) Astro Boy (NOW Comics) Astro Boy (2003 TV series) Astro Boy (film)

Tetsuwan Atom (鉄腕アトム, Tetsuwan Atomu, "Mighty Atom", lit. "Iron Arm Atom") is a Japanese television series that premiered NTV on New Year's Day and is the first popular animated Japanese television series that embodied the aesthetic that later became familiar worldwide as anime. It originated as a manga of the same name in 1952 by Osamu Tezuka, revered in Japan as the "God of Manga." After enjoying success both in Japan and abroad as the first anime to be broadcast overseas, Tetsuwan Atom was remade in the 1980s as New Mighty Atom, known as Astroboy in other countries, and in 2003 as Astro Boy: Mighty Atom. It lasted for four seasons, with a total of 193 episodes, the final episode presented on New Year's Eve 1966. At its height it was watched by 40% of the Japanese population who had access to a TV. In 1964, there was a feature-length animated movie called Mighty Atom: Hero of Space (鉄腕アトム 宇宙の勇者, Tetsuwan Atomu: Uchū no yūsha) released in Japan. It was an anthology of three episodes; The Robot Spaceship, Last Day on Earth and Earth Defense Squadron. The latter two were filmed in color.

English-language version

For the English version, the producers, NBC Enterprises settled on "Astro Boy" after discussions between producer Fred Ladd and representatives from NBC. Of the first 124 episodes created (there were 193 total), 104 were adapted into the English version by Fred Ladd, and initially syndicated from September 7, 1963 through August 20, 1965, with repeats continuing until the series was withdrawn from syndication in the early 1970s. The names were adjusted for American audiences. Frederik L. Schodt, who created the English version of the original comic, said that the names were “cleverly” changed for American tastes.

In one Tetsuwan Atom manga story Tezuka expressed frustration towards the restrictions passed by American television networks on the adaptation of the newly-titled Astro Boy television series. The U.S. version did not air an episode showing a dog being operated on, as the producers believed it was too cruel and grotesque to show. Tezuka criticized this as hypocrisy, as non-Japanese eat and kill animals in manners he described as “grotesque.” Tezuka added that many White people in Africa shot animals for sport, yet people in England spread false rumors about Japanese people eating dogs.

In 2007 and 2008, Cartoon Network broadcast and webcast NBC’s syndicated edition of the original 1960s episodes as a part of its late night Adult Swim line-up. Only the first 52 episodes were aired.

The Right Stuf International and Madman Entertainment have recently released the entire dubbed series on DVD in two box sets. The Right Stuf sets also include episodes 1, 20, 34, 56, and 193 in Japanese with English subtitles, a behind-the-scenes film, and an interview with Fred Ladd.

Characters

Episodes

Reception

Tetsuwan Atom was named the 86th best animated series by IGN, calling it the first popular anime TV series.

References

Notes

1. "Astroboy: An Anime Legend". IGN. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
2. Lambert, David (2006-07-01). "Astroboy - Press Release for Astro Boy (1963) - Ultra Collector's Edition Set 1 DVDs!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
3. "Profile: Tezuka Osamu". Anime Academy. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-30. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
4. Schodt, Frederik L. "Introduction." Astro Boy Volume 1 (Comic by Osamu Tezuka). Dark Horse Comics and Studio Proteus. Page 3 of 3 (The introduction section has 3 pages). ISBN 1-56971-676-5.
5. Schodt, Frederik L. "Introduction." Astro Boy Volume 1 (Comic by Osamu Tezuka). Dark Horse Comics and Studio Proteus. Page 2 of 3 (The introduction section has 3 pages). ISBN 1-56971-676-5.
6. Tezuka, Osamu. Astro Boy Volume 1 (Comic by Osamu Tezuka). Dark Horse Comics and Studio Proteus. 34-35. ISBN 1-56971-676-5.
7. "86, Astro Boy". IGN. 2009-01-23. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-24. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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• 1963 anime television series debuts
• 1964 anime films
• Nippon Television shows
• 1963 Japanese television series debuts
• 1963 American television series debuts
• 1966 Japanese television series endings
• 1975 American television series endings
• Astro Boy
• First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
• Television series set in the future