Astro Boy!

The other day I was on a specific mission for my wife at my new favorite bookstore - Half-Price Books when I stumbled across a real bargain. For a fraction of the listed price I found a brace of dvd collections dedicated to the 1960's TV version of Osamu Tezuka's manga creation, known as Astro Boy.

I never saw Astro Boy in my youth. I've only seen a fragment here and there of the show which so many hold in such high esteem. But here in two sets were nearly sixty of the original cartoons for a relatively tiny price, and so I snatched them up.

I've only watched the first episode as I type this but I was fascinated by the story, familiar but different at the same time and surprisingly emotive. And the animation, black and white and limited, it solved the storytelling difficulties with some skill and some distinctive character.

I don't know how quickly I'll plumb the depths of these collections, but I look forward to seeing more of these distinctive cartoons which seem to have impressed folks so mightily over the years. And it's finally nice to know first hand what folks are talking about.

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