Sunday, April 13, 2008

Uran

To conclude our birthday themed week here on AstroBoy World, let's take a look at what Astro himself actually got for his 1st birthday in the original manga.

He got what every kid wants. He got... a little sister! Sarcasm!


Uran made her debut in the manga episode "Miss Uran" and was built by Dr. Ochanomizu as a gift for Astro. This was adapted into the 60's anime episode called "The Strange Birthday Present". The English dub refers to her as "Astro Girl".

In the 80's series she is given to Astro as a New Years present in the episode "Uran the Tomboy". In the Canadian dub she's named "Sarah". In the other English dub she's still called Uran, but it's pronounced more like "You-rane" for some reason. She had her own song, which would sometimes replace the regular end credits sequence, as seen in this video.



She also appears in the 2003 anime, and in this version she has the power to talk to animals. In the English version she's called "Zoran".

Uran is a tomboy and a bit of a troublemaker. She's an important part of the Astro Boy story as her presence helps Astro learn about being responsible and having patience. She's popular in her own right for both her child-like inocence and her fiesty independant attiude.

Tezuka in English has a great detailed write-up on Uran's first appearence. Make sure you give that a read!

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