Astro Boy: Every 20 years or so, they repolish the little guy.
A few weeks ago now I received a call from my mother at a little after 6:00am. Firmly under the perception that only a family emergency would prompt a call so early in the morning I began to panic. The dog was fine. The reason she had called was that she was wondering if I too was watching Astro Boy at this un godly hour. I shambled, as I’m prone to do at that time of day, into the living room and found the sofa’s firm yet receiving cushions. We have a great sofa. All the while mum is telling me that it’s a new one that she hasn’t seen. I should point out at this stage that my mother is an Astro Boy veteran. She watched him in all his gray-scale glory when she was child and then found out his boots were red during the 1980s when I was a child.
I have seen a few episodes here and there of the latest series, but haven’t given it a whole lot of time despite my fondness for the last iteration. I realised that it was unlikely that I was going to get out of bed at or before 6:05am on a daily basis, so I instructed one of the blinking boxes that at some stage found itself reluctantly cabled to our television to gorge itself on the latest incarnation of the little hero robot that inspired me to run around in nothing but my underpants and gumboots shooting things with my arse twenty years ago. I returned to bed, still shambling, to ponder the bounty that awaited me.
A couple of weeks on and I’m keenly entrenched. The first thing you notice when comparing it to both the earlier series is the visuals. “Well, really Jacob? We had no idea that animation often looks better when done decades later. Thanks for the update.” What I’m talking about is the design. The city that plays host to a majority of the plot lines is rich and vibrant monolith to yester-years science fiction aesthetic. It’s references to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis are immediately apparent, and the robot designs are distinct yet consistent with the other design elements. My favourite so far was the mining facility on Deimos in episode 3, but I find myself rewinding nearly every episode so I can get another look at something, especially when Astro flies through the city.
If you live in a country (like Australia) where the show is currently airing, do yourself a favour and take in a few episodes. There’s no rush. The next incarnation isn't due until sometime after 2020, so you’ve got a little time.
For those of you who don’t care about things that came out seven years ago, you are in for a treat because I’ve been reading Philip K Dick (again), and apart from all the enjoyment I have been deriving from the jokes that are available to people who like to talk about how much they like Dick (like that) I have also been enjoying his books. Considering the planet Earth was robbed of his genius nearly thirty years ago I should have something really current to talk about next time.
I have seen a few episodes here and there of the latest series, but haven’t given it a whole lot of time despite my fondness for the last iteration. I realised that it was unlikely that I was going to get out of bed at or before 6:05am on a daily basis, so I instructed one of the blinking boxes that at some stage found itself reluctantly cabled to our television to gorge itself on the latest incarnation of the little hero robot that inspired me to run around in nothing but my underpants and gumboots shooting things with my arse twenty years ago. I returned to bed, still shambling, to ponder the bounty that awaited me.
A couple of weeks on and I’m keenly entrenched. The first thing you notice when comparing it to both the earlier series is the visuals. “Well, really Jacob? We had no idea that animation often looks better when done decades later. Thanks for the update.” What I’m talking about is the design. The city that plays host to a majority of the plot lines is rich and vibrant monolith to yester-years science fiction aesthetic. It’s references to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis are immediately apparent, and the robot designs are distinct yet consistent with the other design elements. My favourite so far was the mining facility on Deimos in episode 3, but I find myself rewinding nearly every episode so I can get another look at something, especially when Astro flies through the city.
If you live in a country (like Australia) where the show is currently airing, do yourself a favour and take in a few episodes. There’s no rush. The next incarnation isn't due until sometime after 2020, so you’ve got a little time.
For those of you who don’t care about things that came out seven years ago, you are in for a treat because I’ve been reading Philip K Dick (again), and apart from all the enjoyment I have been deriving from the jokes that are available to people who like to talk about how much they like Dick (like that) I have also been enjoying his books. Considering the planet Earth was robbed of his genius nearly thirty years ago I should have something really current to talk about next time.
