Mention Astro Boy to any middle-aged Japanese male and you're likely to get a quizzical or even hostile look. Mention Tetsuwan Atom and you'll witness the same warm glow that comes over the face of most middle-aged American males when they're reminded of Li'l Abner, Steve Canyon or Buz Sawyer. For long before it was rechristened Astro Boy for the American market, artist Oswamu Tezuka's Tetsuwan Atom (lit., "Iron-arm Atom") was the most popular comic book in Japan, as well as one of the longest-running newspaper strips (1951-1968) in the country's history.

The project began as Atom Taishi ("Ambassador Atom"), but soon adopted its more familiar title, which can also translate as "Mighty Atom." The plotline, set in the year 2000, concerned the Institute of Science's Dr. Tenma, who out of grief over the traffic accident death of his own son, built a rocket-powered robot in the dead boy's image. The robot, Tetsuwan Atom, had in addition to the usual super-strength and ability to fly the capacity for human emotions. But Dr. Tenma soon became irritated that his mechanical "son" would never grow into manhood, and eventually sold the creature to a circus (shades of Pinocchio). Atom was brutalized in the Robot Circus by greedy Ringmaster Hamegg. He was rescued by kindly Dr. Ochanomizu, who adopted him and took him to the Institute of Science. Already programmed by Dr. Tenma to be "a good little boy," Atom was influenced by Dr. Ochanomizu's goodness and altruism into adopting a life of crimefighting-a not inconsiderable task, since his foes included mad doctors, space aliens, mind control freaks and an evil giant robot known as "Colosso."

Though his work went in a diametrically opposite direction, Osamu Tezuka was a big fan of Ameican animators Walt Disney and Max Fleischer. As an homage to these cartoon giants, Tezuka drew nearly all his manga characters with huge, saucer-like eyes-a style soon adopted by virtually every other Japanese animator. It is for this reason, and not because of a distorted Asian perspective of how occidental eyes are shaped (as has sometimes been uggested), that the characters in Astro Boy and other anime efforts all seen to have optical elephantiasis.

The animated cartoon version of Tetsuwan Atom, which served as the premier attraction of Osamu Tezuka's then-recently established Mushi Productions, debuted of Fuji TV on 1 January 1963, as Japan's first animated TV series, and later moved to the NHK Network. In all, 193 half-hour episodes were produced. When NBC Enterprises purchased the series for American TV, rights were initially secured for 52 installments; ultimately, a total of 104 programs made it to the States-still more than enough for a Monday-through Friday syndicated strip. Like the other non-Japanese distributors among the twenty nations carrying the series, NBC Enterprises adapted the project for domestic consumption. Dr. Ochanomizu was renamed "Dr. Packadermus J. Elefun," a tribute to his impressive nasal appendage; Tetswan Atom was named "Astro Boy"; and "Astor Boynton III," who in the NBC Enterprises version was the son of Dr. Boynton (formerly Dr. Tenma), was derived from "Astro Boy." In most other countries, the series was rechristened Mighty Atom (with Dr. Tenma renamed "Dr. Atom"), but a conflict with an obscure American comic book character of that name prompted NBC Enterprises to break with international tradition. (As the series progressed, Dr. Ochanomizu/Elefun constructed a sister companion for the titular hero, named "Astro Girl" in the American version.)

While Astro Boy was re-edited and redubbed to conform to American broadcast policies, much of the casual sadism of the original remained intact. Surprisingly, considering the youth market for which it was aimed, the morbid opening episode sequence involving the death of Astor Boynton was left untouched, as was the curiously cruel "black" humor surrounding Dr. Boynton's eventual descent into gibbering madness. These and other no-nonsense touches elevated Astro Boy from the usual kiddie adventure cartoon rut, encouraging adults to join in on the excitement.

Although the animation was primitive to the point of nonexistence-the series popularized the Japanese animation technique of simulating movement by flat-cutting and lap-dissolving from pose to pose, rather than using in-between or "smear" animation-- Astro Boy moved with swiftness, vigor, intelligent plot development, and a welcome dash of knockabout humor. It became a major syndication hit, knocking the competition out of the box in major markets like New York and Los Angeles. Even in smaller markets where the lack of independent television channels confined the series to weekly rather than daily exposure, Astro Boy performed exceedingly well. The series prompted an onslaught of Japanese-made cartoons on the U.S. market, enriching Mushi and establishing the careers of many other aspirant animation houses.

The granddaddy of all lovable robot cartoon series, Astro Boy isn't seen too much today, due to its black and white status in a color-hungry TV world and the fact that Mushi's bankruptcy in 1972 somewhat bollixed up U.S. distribution rights (Osamu Tezuka tried to make a 1980s comeback with a new, full-color Astro Boy, but the spirit was gone and the updated series failed miserably; Tezuka died in 1989). It can safely be said, however, that no matter what one's personal feelings are regarding such Japanese products as Speed Racer, 8th Man, Kimba the White Lion, Battle of the Planets, Robotech and Voltron, chances are none of these projects would have made a dent outside their home base had it not been for the pioneering popularity of Astro Boy.

From http://members.tripod.com/~absoluteanime/astroboy/index.htm