Astro Boy Is Weak In The USA

[avatargirl]

hi- i consider ASTROBOY to be a good character and series- besides i love a story involving science fiction and robots- and to me ASTROBOY is cute and sweet- if ASTROBOY is a good example of Japanese Anime- then i am happily a fan of anime- and ASTROBOY is a good enough series that it should help encourage interest in new technologies while entertaining- please someone tell me why is THE SIMPSONS worthy of over 2 decades of being on television- but ASTROBOY 2003 can't stay on CARTOON NETWORK a full month? thanks and hugs and pray everyone the very best possible future always

[Prettywitchiusaka]

[QUOTE=kokoro;194396]At first glance Astro looks like a stupid little-kid superhero generic anime. And because that's what people are used to, I guess they pass it off without looking into it. Like Kimba, there are good episodes and dorky episodes. But mostly people have never heard of Astro Boy. At my school there's an anime club and I went to one of the meetings. It was full of Naruto and Bleach people. Come ON.

Typical. Sounds like a typical Anime convention too.
YOU DURN KIDS TODAY! *shakes his cane in anger*

I think part of the problem is that most modern otaku aren't familiar with Tezuka nowadays. I'm sure there's a good hand of people off-line in teh community who know of his presence, but let's face it; Tezuka isn't put up on a pedestal the way anime like Naruto or Bleach are.

I do think it's kind of sad, especially since having done some research myself, I think Tezuka has made at least one thing that everyone will like or become invested with.

At the same time though, I'm actually kind of glad that Astro isn't as hyped up in North America. Don't get me wrong, I do wish that more people knew about Astro Boy so I could at least talk to them about it. BUt at the same time, I fear that with overhyped popularity for Astro would come three things;

.Crazy/Annoying fans
.Over exposure
.Cynics/Detractors (of the snobby kind)

oh, and horrible fan fiction. Don't forget the horrible HORRIBLE fanfiction. Look at the stuff people write for Death Note some time. On second thought... don't [/QUOTE]

(laughs) Ah yes, I am aware of the bad fanfiction. Heck, you should see the few sickos who actually try to get away with Rule 34 as far as KND fanfiction/fanart is concerned.

(Unfortunately, I'm not kidding when I say that)

As for your question Avatar, I think it's somewhat simple;

With something like the Simpsons, I think that because they were so strong for those first ten years( which I know is debateable), that they haven't been able to stop. It also doesn't help that fandom and ratings are still fairly strong despite the show somewhat degrating in quality. It also helps that it's marketed fairly well.

Astro Boy I feel suffered from this; it failed to find an audience due to poor marketing. Granted, I never really watched Toonami as a kid. But I never really rememberd seeing lots of promos for Astro Boy when I went on vacation during the summer of 2005 (which was when it was airing I'm pretty sure). Heck, teh most I remember seeing as far as Astro Boy promotion was a small tv spot on YTV YEARS ago.

[Dragonrider1227]

I remember seeing a promo of it on CN though it wasn't often and the only real advertising I saw for it when it was on Kids WB was a lame Astro Boy themed contest some Popsicle company was having.

[Prettywitchiusaka]

Yeah. I have to say, having looked at the Toonami promos for Astro Boy, those were actually really good. So much so, that I almost wish they'd broadcasted them on a more regular basis before the series tenyure was up too early.

[Shiyonasan]

I think there are three big reasons why Astro Boy was never really big in America. You guys have already talked about the fact that they didn't advertise enough, but here are two other reasons:

1: The heavy editing. I don't think anime fans appreciated that the company that localized the '03 anime made the show something that it was not. What I don't understand is why they edited the show so much when the original was actually not that bad content-wise. I suppose they wanted to get younger people to like the franchise, but it just didn't work. Had they left the show intact, I think it would have become a little more popular than it was.

2: There were many other shows that appealed way more to kids at the time on Toonami. Dragon Ball GT was premiering in America at the time, and I remember every boy at school talking about GT. Along with GT, there were other shows like Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, and other anime that just seemed cooler to kids at the time on Toonami. I know because I was still a kid back in 2004. To be honest, I never remember other kids talking about Astro Boy.

I know the editing was a huge reason as to why Astro Boy failed in America, but I have to think that my second reason contributed to it as well.

[AprilSeven]

I've been thinking about this, and I have a feeling that it also goes beyond editing and marketing. I mean, I've loved the show from it's first premiere here, and it seems people either "get it" and love it, or don't understand the appeal of Astro and his whole universe.

I have a feeling Astro Boy is "too much" for a lot of people, the same way jazz or classical music or "hard rock" is. There are a lot of raw emotions directing the characters, and Tezuka makes a point of putting Astro at the receiving end of a LOT of unfair treatment throughout his stories.

Notice how in the American version they tried to make him a little more "tough" - heck, he was hurting inside big time!

But - that IS life. And I guess that's why I always felt moved by his story. Life ISN'T fair. But you find friends along the way. And hopefully everyone who has a Tenma in their lives, also has an Ochonomizu. We're lucky because we know what that means!

Once the "average" person grows bored with what ever they are watching now . . . perhaps they'll give Astro a chance, and they'll find out what they've been missing. You've got to be willing to open up your heart and hurt for Astro. And if you do that, it changes how you look at the world (in a GOOD way).

That's why it's up to us to keep it going forward!

[Prettywitchiusaka]

So, what you're saying is that maybe Astro Boy is too much for some people to take, simply because it's more close to real life?

I could picture that, most people who watch entertainment usually watch it to get away from reality, not to see reality being depicted on screen. That's not to say there aren't people who do go out of their way to watch those types of shows, but I can see your point.

I've heard of people not giving a chance to or even disliking genre deconstructions simply because of this (which I think is sad, but that's just how I feel), so I guess anything is possible.

I think teh other reason Astro Boy might be unpopular over here is due to age. Let's face it, a lot of new school otaku tend to either ignore or not watch old school anime, usually because of its age factor. So if they see a reboot come out, it won't matter to them. Which sucks, because the 03 series itself is great.

[Hikari Tail]

Most of the times, None of my friends or people I know don't even know who Astroboy even is. If I mention Naruto all of them go like
hey yeahh thats that cool Japanese cartoon!

ugh.

[Dragonrider1227]

I feel your average American audience doesn't know what to do with Astro. At first glance he looks like a cutesy little kid show until you realize that it involves a child DYING in a car crash. Too violent for little kids, too cutesy looking for usual anime fans.

[diehard67]

most western people don't want to think when they watch tv, why it is called the idiot box lol.

they tend to want mindless action rather then a character that except for being a robot could actually be real.