Little Astro Boy
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| Little Astro Boy | |
 Japanese DVD cover | |
| ろぼっとアトム (Robotto Atomu) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Preschool, Science fiction |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Masayoshi Nishida |
| Written by | Toru Nozaki Mayumi Morita |
| Music by | Hayata Akashi |
| Studio | Tezuka Productions Yomiuri TV Enterprises Channels TV |
| Original network | Channels TV |
| Original run | March 22, 2014 – April 26, 2014 |
| Episodes | 8 |
| Related works | |
Little Astro Boy (ろぼっとアトム, Robotto Atomu, lit. "Robot Atom") is an anime television spin-off series Astro Boy franchise created by Osamu Tezuka. Aimed at preschoolers, the series was produced by Tezuka Productions and Yomiuri TV Enterprises in partnership with Nigerian broadcaster Channels TV.
Consisting of eight 11-minute episodes, the series ran in English on Channels TV's children's block of programming between March 22, 2014, and April 26, 2014.[1][2] It later received a bilingual DVD release in Japan on November 3, 2015.[3]
Production[edit]
At the 2013 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Tezuka Productions revealed that they were in early negotiations to create local adaptations of Astro Boy with international companies. The furthest along was a partnership with Nigeria's Channels TV, with whom Tezuka were looking to "re-version" the brand with. The international focus, which was made in part as a response to declining birth rates in Japan, was spearheaded by Makoto Tezuka and was hoped to receive funding from the Cool Japan initiative.[4][5]
The following January, Tezuka Productions officially announced the series. Described as "edutainment" aimed at preschool children, Little Astro Boy was greenlit for 8 episodes with the intention to focus on the lead's innocence, rather than might. While primarily produced by Tezuka in Japan, as part of being an international co-production, three Nigerian animators traveled to Japan to animate two sequences.[6][5]
Voice cast[edit]
| Character | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Astro Boy (Atom) | Rie Murakawa | Jennifer Cameron |
| Pikko | Yuka Nakatsukasa | Chantal Strand |
| Reggie | Masami Kikuchi | Rogger Harris |
| Tac | Mayumi Yamaguchi | Ashley Alexander |
| Kinako | Ai Fukada | Shannon Chan-Kent |
| Ken | Asami Tano | Erin Mathews |
| Mitchy | Chuna | Callyn Dorval |
| Paul | Yuka Terasaki | Erin Mathews |
| Hamegg | Riki Kitazawa | Cole Howard |
| Dr. Flau | Tsuyoshi Aoki | Charlie Bostio |
| Gora | Daisuke Egawa | Adam Fedyk |
| Pato | Kentaro Tone | Campbell McLoed |
| Speed Joe | Katsuyuki Konishi | Campbell McLoed |
Episodes[edit]
| No. | English title / Translated title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Astro Becomes a Racer" Transliteration: "Atomu, Rēsā ni Naru!?" (Japanese: アトム、レーサーになる！？) | March 22, 2014 |
| 02 | "Recycling Gone Wild" Transliteration: "Bōsō Risaikuru" (Japanese: 暴走リサイクル) | March 22, 2014 |
| 03 | "Astro Goes to Space" Transliteration: "Atomu, Uchū e Iku" (Japanese: アトム、宇宙へ行く) | March 29, 2014 |
| 04 | "We Love Cleaning" Transliteration: "Osōji Daisuki" (Japanese: おそうじ大好き) | March 29, 2014 |
| 05 | "Fly! Mitchy" Transliteration: "Tobe! Mitchy ―" (Japanese: 飛べ！ミッチ―) | April 12, 2014 |
| 06 | "Heart on Fire" Transliteration: "Hāto ni hi Ga Tsuita" (Japanese: ハートに火がついた) | April 12, 2014 |
| 07 | "I’m Moler, You See?" Transliteration: "O, Oira wa Mōgurāna nda na" (Japanese: オ、オイラはモーグラーなんだな) | April 26, 2014 |
| 08 | "Astro and The 5 Adventures" Transliteration: "Jikan o Nusunda Otoko vs Atomu to 5-ri to Bōken-tai" (Japanese: 時間を盗んだ男vsアトムと5人と冒険隊) | April 26, 2014 |
References[edit]
- ^ Schilling, Mark (March 12, 2014). "Japan's Tezuka Respins 'Astro Boy' For Africa". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "Japanese Animation" (PDF). Taiyo Industry. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (May 24, 2015). "Amazon Japan Lists "Robot Atom/Little Astro Boy" DVD". Crunchyroll. Otter Media. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Hopewell, John (June 12, 2013). "Tezuka in Talks for 'Astro Boy' TV Series Re-versions". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ a b "A Joint International Project with Nigeria - Tezuka Productions Takes its Newest Anime Robot Atom to Africa". Tokyo Otaku Mode. January 15, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Loo, Egan (January 11, 2014). "New Astro Boy/Mighty Atom Animation to Air in Nigeria". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
External links[edit]
- Tezuka Productions page (in Japanese)
- Happinet Pictures page (in Japanese)
- Little Astro Boy at IMDb
