Tuesday, April 7, 2015

One Last Time: ASTROBOY Reboot.

Hello. It has been a very long time, hasn't it?

There are many reasons why I had to neglect this site and leave it by the wayside for years. Mainly, I went back to school to study Video Game Art, which took up an incredible amount to time and energy. I graduated with distinction (a 4.0 GPA) and have been looking for a job, and hopefully a new home to go with it. Despite my admiration of the work of Osamu Tezuka, I had to let this site go and concentrate on other things.

But with the news and first footage of the new "ASTROBOY Reboot" project, I figured it was time to come back and do one last post!


ASTROBOY Reboot is a French/Japanese animated co-production from Paris based studio Caribara Animation. There are set to be 26 half hour episodes. It will have a new storyline and new characters. You can see more about this exciting new series on Cartoon Brew.



Even before the CGI movie was released, I knew that no matter what kind of reception it got, Astro Boy would be animated yet again. It was only a matter of time. When I first started AstroBoy World, it seemed like here were only a few scattered sources of info on the world of Osamu Tezuka, and only a little bit of actual celebration on his accomplishments and influence. But now, with this new series, digital manga and multiple successful Kickstarters (and that other big one that we don't need to talk about), and announcements of a live action Astro movie, it seems like Tezuka is everywhere! Everyone knows how great the work of Tezuka is, and there is demand for more! The future of Tezuka seems brighter than ever, and so this seems like as good of a time as any to say goodbye to AstroBoy World. And it's no coincidence that I'm posting this on April 7th, Astro's Birthday.

The site will remain online for the foreseeable future and I will still read any comments that happen to be posted, but it will remain inactive. I would like to say thank you to Astro Boy movie director David Bowers, the gang at AstroBoy Online, Tezuka in English, my friend David Merill, and everyone else who has helped with this site, contacted me, commented, and kept the spirit of Osamu Tezuka and his great characters alive. I especially want to thank former Imagi art director Felix Ip, who got in touch with me very early in the life of this site and added so much legitimacy with everything he did.

If you would like to keep in touch with me, please follow me on Twitter and check out my website SykoGrafix.com, as well as my other endeavors at my About.me page.

Working on Astro Boy World was quite time consuming, but I had a lot of fun with it while I could. I regret having to leave the site abandoned for long, but I'm glad I get the chance to come back, just this once, to talk up this upcoming animated series, because I'll be watching it right along with all of you!

Sayonara.

Continue reading "One Last Time: ASTROBOY Reboot."...

Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Comic Book History of Comics


It's a comic book, about comic books! That's right, The Comic Book History of Comics tells the story of how comic books became what they are and features some of the medium's most influential figures.

It was created by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey and originally released in 6 issues by IDW. Now, a volume collecting the entire series is being released and Comics Alliance has a preview featuring the chapter on the the life of Osamu Tezuka and the rise of manga in Japanese culture. Check it out!

You can purchase a copy of this book here on Amazon and help support AstroBoy World in the process. You will also find even more pages to preview there.

Continue reading "The Comic Book History of Comics"...

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Don Dracula, Leo, Melmo, & more now on Viki.

Not too long ago I reported on Viki.com, the free streaming site that presents international video with crowd sourced subtitles. They had added 80's Astro Boy and Black Jack anime to their service, and it looks like they are not stopping there!



Another huge batch of classic Tezuka anime has been added to Viki, and there is an incredible selection! Not everything is available with English subtitles yet, but you can now watch the following list anime from Tezuka Productions.
All of this is 100% free and legal!

(The Ambassador Magma anime is not very good, but hey, it's the thought that counts!)

Let's hope that the streaming rights for more shows can be acquired and that the offerings continue to expand. Princess Knight would be a fantastic addition. Let them know what else you want to see!

Continue reading "Don Dracula, Leo, Melmo, & more now on Viki."...

Tezuka Museum Tourism Video

The Hyogo Tourism Association and the Let's JAPAN Channel have put together this video look into the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka, Japan. It's a very detailed look on what spending a day at this museum must be like. Give it a watch!



One day, I will be there! It will be my pilgrimage.

Continue reading "Tezuka Museum Tourism Video"...

Monday, April 30, 2012

60th Anniversary Vinyl Astro Figure

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Astro Boy manga, ZC World has released this new collectable figure in Japan.


This figure retails for about ¥12,000 ($147) and comes with a wooden box. Astro is depicted looking very young here and sure displays a lot of personality!

Check out more great pictures of this great collectable on Crunchyroll.

Continue reading "60th Anniversary Vinyl Astro Figure"...

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Astro Bus

Let's turn back the clock and go all the way back to the year 2009 for some pictures of a bus decorated to advertise the November 5th release of the Astro Boy movie in Singapore. Glad someone was able to capture these images, as I didn't see anything like it at the time. I guess you could call this a promotional vehicle!


Astro Boy Bus by ~tintinspartan on deviantART


Astroboy Flying Over Taxis by ~tintinspartan on deviantART


Astroboy Soaring To The Roads by ~tintinspartan on deviantART

Continue reading "Astro Bus"...

Crime and Punishment and Tezuka

Check out David Merill's classic anime blog Let's Anime for a great article about the rare English language edition of Osamu Tezuka's manga adaption of Crime and Punishment.

I mean, where else are you going to find a write up on Russian Literature turned into Japanese manga turned into a tool to learn English?

Continue reading "Crime and Punishment and Tezuka"...
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