AstroBoy Online Forums

Awr, socks. <3

I also find it a little funny that his leg-length seems to change from time to time depending on if he is wearing the boots or his flats... Sometimes when he isn't wearing the boots his leg length seems to increase, and when the boots are on they are more stunted. Wondering if that was an animation necessity.

Even though I've seen him with different footwear multiple times, I've got it programmed into my brain that the boots are actually a part of Astro. Like, he's got no feet under there, just the skeletal frame and motors and wires and whatevers that make him go. It's like that time on Homestarrunner.com where the guys were arguing about whether Homestar Runner had shoes or just blue soles glued to his feet. Feet are weird.

"MrsEclipse" wrote:Even though I've seen him with different footwear multiple times, I've got it programmed into my brain that the boots are actually a part of Astro. Like, he's got no feet under there, just the skeletal frame and motors and wires and whatevers that make him go.

That's the way they envisioned him in the 2003 anime, there is even a shot of the boot folding in on itself to expose the rocket/jet nozzle.
The Manga and the other two anime series are not so clear. He is clearly shown with feet including toes in the 1980 anime. And Tezuka drew him with and without the boots (both walking and in flight) in both the 1963 anime and manga.

The same question can be asked about his briefs. Are they just 'painted on', or are they a real item of clothing? While Tezuka does sometimes show them as the latter, I think when he does that there is a 'sight gag' involved and the scene isn't to be taken seriously. Uran once wears a pair of his briefs to try and convince Pluto that she is Astro. While this isn't really a gag, it's a one off bit that was required for the plot. Tezuka never worried about his continuity errors!

The arm jets were never seen by the English speaking world who watched the '63 series. I suspect that they might have been edited out of the episodes that Ladd prepared for NBC. Jeffbert has shown at least one or two of them among the 'missing 89', and I'm certain there were a few more instances of them as well to be found. In the manga Cobalt has both leg and arm jets, but he is lacking them in the anime (unless THAT is also to be found in the 'missing 89').

Another thing that Jeffbert has revealed in the '89' is an unknown Astro weapon. He seems to be able to generate an electric shock though his hands. I've seen that in at least two of episode shots posted here. Cobalt has this ability too, he can shoot lightning from his hair spikes.
Were these added late in the series, or did NBC edit them out of the early ones?

"Tetsuwan Penguin" wrote:[QUOTE=The 鉄腕アトム Fan;212522]Haha never really thought about this . What really bothers me the most is that in the manga he grows tall then shrinks then is tall in another. Maybe the constancy is like is disappearing boots.

Tezuka mentions in the manga introductions that he experimented with Astro's height over time. He found that the taller he drew him, the less his reader's liked the character.[/QUOTE]

But at the same time mentioned he LOVED the tall Astro, didn't he?

I did read he as "frustrated" that people didn't respond to older version of Astro.

There is a clip that is featured in ATOM VS. ATOM, but originated in one that was dubbed. It shows the imitation Atom's foot folding away & jet emerging. I cannot recall in which episode it originated, though.

I think that the same sequence is seen in the 2003 Anime opening sequence. It shows his boot folding in and the jet nozzle emerging. The 1980 anime, had a sequence showing his foot (complete with toes) folding in and the jet firing.

While his 'reaction engines' are usually referred t as 'jets' the fact that they function under water and in outer space means that they are actually rocket engines, as they are not air breathing engines. Also, while I haven't done the math, I am certain that there is NO way enough fuel mass could be contained within Astro's body to generate enough specific impulse to lift him from the surface of the earth and up into orbit, a feat that he has done in at least one story.