Astro Boy

This cartoon show was typical of the many 1960's cartoon shows that came from the time that tried to be appealing to both children and adults.

When I was young, I was amazed by the cool robots and monsters.

When I saw it later, I was surprised by the sophisticated themes that were presented under the science fiction cartoon genre. Some themes were runaway technology; obedience to morality and programming; science can lead to both good and bad.

Time warp: apparently a tv show back in the 1960's only had 30 seconds of commercials per half hour!

I thought the 60's theme song from this cartoon series was one of the best and coolest of any cartoon series ever. Very underrated. Sounded like a school chorus choir, from what I remember. Anyone know of where you can find it/download it? "there u go Astro boy, on your mission today, rocket high to the sky,etc" Also are there any remastered DVD's out on this series. I checked Ebay and Amazon and could not find anything? There was a complete VHS set put out years ago but I thought the quality was terrible even for VHS Also, who was the name of the cool villain , who always regenerated body parts?Any help out there? Seansky

I've listened to the theme song many times and can never be sure of the lyrics. One particular line has never sat well with me. Everywhere I look it says "fighting monsters high in the sky" but it doesn't sound like that to me. The closest I've come up with is "fighting monsters flying the skies".

I'm a little disappointed with the comments here. The negative comments seem to propose that the only quality that's important in a series is that it's well-animated and high-budget. This is not a Disney cartoon. This is, however, groundbreaking for Japan as it was the very first televised anime. The animation is not quality, but the art style is simplistically beautiful. What's honestly great about Mighty Atom AKA Astro Boy is the writing. The style may be outdated, but the messages are timeless and interesting to both kids an adults. Most of the plots of the show come from the original manga written by Tezuka. Tezuka is the god of manga and anime, without him neither would exist as it does today. Astro Boy was one of his best works, and certainly his most popular, but he also wrote fiction for adults and explored every genre imaginable. He even wrote an award-winning manga about Hitler. Personally I would recommend reading both Astro Boy and Phoenix, his other greatest work. Note that I am not speaking from nostalgia, nor am I Japanese. I found the works of Tezuka as an adult and appreciate him for both his adult and children's works.

Fans of this cartoon cult classic will definitely want to check out the fantastic rendition of the Astro Boy theme song, featured on the Osaka Popstar album 'Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk'. It takes the theme song, speeds it up, and puts a punky twist on it, but without a hint of the snotty patronization you hear in other punk covers. It really makes you think, "now that's what this theme song is supposed to sound like!" Also, some of you Astro Boy fans might be interested to know that the album contains another cover of a popular cartoon's theme song, Sailor Moon. A less-speedy, but just as catchy version, with heart-felt vocals and melodious guitar riffs. A real gem for fans of TV theme songs, and anime/classic cartoons. :-) ~Darlene~