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elizala's review
hopeful
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Car accident
itsniamhie's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
abomine's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
REVIEW WIP
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
I read this manga because I watched and enjoyed the 2003 reboot of the anime (in English, because the Japanese dub is nearly impossible to find here in the States), but wanted to get the full, undiluted, original experience. Oddly enough, instead of getting said full, undiluted experience, I felt like I was looking at the graphic novel equivalent of an impressive, if uncut and unpolished, stone; full of magnificent potential, but unrefined.
I kept comparing this book to the anime I had watched, and thinking that there were places where the anime did it better: better character development, better drama and tension, and better trimming of useless plot points and characters. For instance, in the manga, Astro has a robotic family of a mother, father, and two siblings built for him, but these characters contribute very little, if anything, to the plot. They might as well be background props. The 2003 anime fixed this by having Ochanomizu and Zoran, two characters who actually do contribute to the plot, be Astro's father figure and little sister, respectively. However, I appreciate how much more blatantly violent this manga is compared to the watered-down English dub of the anime, and Astro's much more tragic origin story.
While Astro Boy certainly not stellar (at least not so far), I will be continuing with this series, and I recommend it to any open-minded anime/manga fan who wishes to see where modern Japanese animation and comics got their start.
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
I read this manga because I watched and enjoyed the 2003 reboot of the anime (in English, because the Japanese dub is nearly impossible to find here in the States), but wanted to get the full, undiluted, original experience. Oddly enough, instead of getting said full, undiluted experience, I felt like I was looking at the graphic novel equivalent of an impressive, if uncut and unpolished, stone; full of magnificent potential, but unrefined.
I kept comparing this book to the anime I had watched, and thinking that there were places where the anime did it better: better character development, better drama and tension, and better trimming of useless plot points and characters. For instance, in the manga, Astro has a robotic family of a mother, father, and two siblings built for him, but these characters contribute very little, if anything, to the plot. They might as well be background props. The 2003 anime fixed this by having Ochanomizu and Zoran, two characters who actually do contribute to the plot, be Astro's father figure and little sister, respectively. However, I appreciate how much more blatantly violent this manga is compared to the watered-down English dub of the anime, and Astro's much more tragic origin story.
While Astro Boy certainly not stellar (at least not so far), I will be continuing with this series, and I recommend it to any open-minded anime/manga fan who wishes to see where modern Japanese animation and comics got their start.
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