An Absolute child favorite! Must watch.
Not what I expected, yet it was terrific. Can't wait for more.
I really wanted to love this, but it fell flat for me.
I really enjoyed the themes it was exploring, but it ended up coming off a bit too pretentious.
It had gaping plot holes that made taking the rest of it seriously a bit of a stretch.
My favorite was that one of the seven most powerful/expensive robots in the entire world was sold to the circus as a joke!?!?
Note: _I didn't read the source material, and maybe they stayed true to it, but not fixing the plot holes was a mistake if that was the case IMO. _
The animation and the acting were very good, the mood was perfectly fitting as well.
This had the potential to be a home run, but they fell short of the mark.
It's definitely not Urasawa's best work.
The original material is very weak and the adaptation is also weak. Astro Boy's story of peace is far from bringing peace or resolution to the problems of World War II. And placing Japan as a victim or protagonist is problematic to say the least.
The story does manage to bring suspense and intimacy to the problems of war based on the needs of family. It's a smart and challenging choice. As it encourages people to watch, it also creates a dramatic charge. However, I couldn't identify with the characters except for the detective (who was probably Urasawa's initial character).
It seems to me that there was a business intention here between the Tezuka association and the Urasawa publishers. I speculate that Urasawa already had a science fiction story and that it was sold to the association.
Anyway, the production manages to maintain a high level of quality except for the 3D. The soundtrack is good and the voice actors are exceptional. In my opinion, the weakest points are in the story and mainly in the direction that fails to improve the narrative and makes it more rigid.
