MovieChat Forums > Astro Boy (1963) Discussion > Why Are the Characters Occidental?

Why Are the Characters Occidental?

posted 16 years ago by mvance-1
7 replies | jump to latest

I had no idea that the original "Astroboy" was playing anywhere in the States until I accidentally came across it on "Adult Swim" at eleven this evening. Since I haven't seen a minute of the show since the 1960's, you can imagine what an eerie, off-kilter mood this discovery has inspired in me.

My question is: since the series was created in Japan and produced for local consumption -- only later being imported to the U.S., according to the info page here --, why are all of the human characters recognizably "Western," "occidental," "non-Asian," or whatever the most politically-correct term may be? Were the creators looking ahead to international marketing from the first? Was the series in any way "re-drawn" to appeal to less-culturally liberal Western audiences of the time?

Just something that sort of bugs me. Steve V.

[–] einsteinfile 16 years ago

I'd also run across the last bit of an Astroboy episode, a few weeks ago, on Adult Swim. It was the first time in a long long time that I had seen this show. The last time it was shown here in NYC was during the mid 1960s. Cool to catch it, but I was a bit bummed that they were already up to episode 20-something and evidently had been playing them in chronological order since the summer. I was real pleased to see that Adult Swim scheduled in the first 14 episodes, for a Christmas Night marathon. They played them and have them scheduled for the first week in 2008. Cool. Hopefully, they'll pick up where last night's group ended.
I had read, a while ago, that the show was drawn with the intent of selling it for showings in the States. What greater, and more lucrative, marketplace for Japanese TV to try and advance into - especially in the early 60's!?! There was no redrawing of any of the strip etc. The Astroboy books published in Japan look exactly like the cartoon....as do many many of their manga ... stuff that would never 'make it' here in the States! A lot of their more 'liberal' stuff would definitely be offensive here, at any time....all of that politically-correct garbage notwithstanding!

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mayjachance 16 years ago

I think it's more a case of Tezuka paying to homage to the Western cartoonists/animators that inspired him. (Disney for example)

[–] GeorgeObliqueStrokeXR40 15 years ago

Disney Studios seemed to have "returned the favor" by cribbing the plot and characters of "The Lion King" from "Kimba the White Lion."

[–] hodie 16 years ago

A lot of anime still looks like that. I did always wonder why all the signage in the cartoon was in Japanese!

God save Donald Duck, vaudeville and variety

[–] diddymuck 15 years ago

Two good reasons...
one, Tezuka's hommage to his inspirations, namely Disney and the Fleischers.

and two, marketability. Make the characters from anywhere and you can sell it anywhere.

His idea caught on and now we have characters in anime with eyes the size of dinner plates!!

[–] mavrickindigo 15 years ago

You must be new to Japanese animation. 99% of the Japanese characters in Japanese cartoons look Causcasian. It has to do with the fact that the father of manga/anime, the person who made Astro Boy, based his style off of Disney movies.