Character of the Month: Astro Boy

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Greetings, fabulous people of the Internet!  With Flashback February coming to a close, it’s time to carry on the tradition that is Character of the Month.  And for this month, I honestly felt like this month’s pick was a no brainer.  Not that it was an obvious pick, but given that this character has had a long history as one of the most beloved anime characters of all time, not to mention has been an endearing personality for just as long, I couldn’t pass it up.  With that being said, let’s talk about this Flashback February 2019’s Character of the Month: Astro Boy from, well, Astro Boy.
Meant to be the reincarnated son of Ministry of Science head Dr. Boynton, Astro Boy was a one of a kind robot in the year 2000 (again, this was the 1960s, so you’ve got to be forgiving here).  However, despite that, Dr. Boynton, out of depression and grief, sold the robot off to a circus.  However, this catches the attention of Dr. Elefun, who later adopts the robot.  It’s not long after that that Astro Boy becomes a crime fighting icon.  And it wasn’t long after that until this little powerhouse became one of the most iconic characters in anime.
Sure, for all the talk I’ve been doing, it does seem like the only notable aspect to Astro Boy is that he’s one of the most recognizable anime characters next to Usagi from Sailor Moon and Goku from the Dragon Ball franchise.  But based on what I was able to watch of the show, I found that there was more to him than just an iconic face.  One thing that I noticed with the show was that it surprisingly had some deep moments, many of them centered around Astro Boy himself.  Whether it’s dealing with a sense of belonging and/or abandonment or with discrimination by humans against robots, the show presents some pretty unique real-life situations for Astro Boy to deal with.  And yes, I know in my review on the show I had mentioned that the show missed some prime opportunities to explore adult themes and situations more thoroughly, but of the times it did, it did them well, or at least adequately.  And while I still would have liked to have seen these kinds of moments done better, there was no denying that they were done in a way that kids could have some grasp of them.  And what’s more, they were done in a way that Astro Boy could serve as an example for everyone to follow.  So in the end, Astro Boy was not only a robot who could kick butt, he was also a role model for others to follow, and that’s both kids and future anime icons alike.  So go, go, go Astro Boy, cause you’re Hanime on Anime’s Character of the Month!

And so Flashback February comes to an end!  Stay tuned for March’s batch of reviews on the latest anime shows.  Hope to see you all March 3 for another video review!
-Hanime on Anime


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