Astro boy 2003 complete series review

Non-spoiler review 

Story:

I loved the Astro boy 2003 complete series story! Its about a robot named Astro who tries to bring peace between robots and humans. 

The action in this Astro boy 2003 DVD is intense and different from normal shows. There aren't always robots fighting other robots. Sometimes, Astro has to save environments from being destroyed. Other times, there are chases. One of the things that the Astro boy 2003 complete series does best is to make you feel for the characters. There are loads of episodes that make you feel such sadness for the characters, you almost forget they're robots.  

Despite the Astro boy 2003 complete series' success, the show's biggest flaw that ruined it was the fear of crossing boundaries. The dialogue was too obvious. I was irritated by characters constantly calling other characters by name and stating the obvious. One of the biggest flaws was the lack of inner conflict. I hardly ever felt Astro's belief in harmony between humans and robots was truly tested. He always stood firm in it since episode 1. There was rarely a point where I felt he was going to break the code he lived by. 

The show brought back characters that were allegedly destroyed like Atlas and Pluto. Their initial appearances were so powerful. When they made return appearances, they became less powerful and undid the emotional impact they had on us. I felt the creators could've used their destructions in past episodes to make Astro question if humans and robots could coexist. 

You might think "it's a children's show" but that's no excuse for bad storytelling. I feel the creators were too afraid to take risks. They probably felt if they didn't make on-the-nose dialogue, children wouldn't understand what was happening. Children understand better than they think. As a child, I laughed as I heard the dialogue because it felt so forced to where it became obnoxious. The creators probably brought back characters like Atlas just to avoid death references because children can't handle death. To me, that reasoning doesn't make sense. They're robots. How can they die? If the show didn't bring them back, it would've made children wonder "did they die or survive? Are robots alive? Can they feel like we do?" I felt the show could've powerfully got its message across had the creators trusted their audience could handle mature concepts. 

What makes the Astro boy 2003 complete series special is how well it blends different emotions. The show makes you feel joy, sadness, pain, etc. When you feel them, you deeply feel them. I was deeply disturbed by the revelation Tenma practically turned his son into a robot to try to mold him into who he wanted him to be. 

The Astro boy 2003 complete series ending was very satisfactory. I loved how there was never a conclusive battle between shadow's forces and Astro boy. The blue knight, shadow, and the other robots simply left earth. We don't know if the blue knight would ever change his mind about humans and robots co-existing or continue in his robot revolution. We don't know if shadow would finally conquer the earth and rid it of humans. We don't know if humans and robots could really live in harmony. We're only left with the hope that Astro could motivate them to understand each other.           

Cinematography:

I loved the spectacular camera angles in the Astro boy 2003 DVD! You can see wide shots of Metro city and the landscape! 

Characters:

Astro - I love how different Astro is from other superheroes. Astro doesn't have many abilities. He's not a talented fighter. He's firm but not aggressive. Astro's greatest strength is his belief in harmony between robots and humans. He doesn't like fighting. He's noble, pure, and courageous. He's not afraid to sacrifice himself for the greater good. I love how despite being a seemingly flawless robot, Astro's weakness is not being able to fully understand people's emotions. 

Tenma - I loved Tenma because he's a complex villain. Its not entirely clear what he wants or who he is at first glance. Sometimes, he displays "good" traits. Other times, he has evil traits. His robot, shadow, is practically his alter-ego.                

Atlas - He's an interesting villain with a tragic backstory. The battles between Atlas and Astro were some of the most intense of the show!  

O'Shay - O'Shay is one of the best characters in the show. You can feel his pain when he can't help Astro. You also feel his intense love for Astro. O'Shay sometimes doubts Astro's potential but when O'Shay believes in Astro, O'Shay is willing to sacrifice his life to help Astro.     

Zoran - Zoran is another unfortunate example of the Astro boy 2003 complete series' weakness. Zoran made a solid debut at the beginning of Astro boy and made the show more intense with the incredible introduction of Pluto. However, she felt somewhat unnecessary to the show after that. She didn't need to be Astro's sister to make a deep impact. I felt if she was a side character who only appeared in a few episodes, she would've been memorable.       

 Animation: 

The Astro boy 2003 DVD animation is breathtaking and beautiful! I loved the unique combination of cel animation with 2D animation. Everything looks hand-drawn! What impressed me about the animation is how it made you feel emotions. The background animation in some scenes made me feel very gloomy. A very minor flaw i had with the animation is it seemed a little too bright for most of the series. If the animators could've used slightly darker colors, it would've been perfect!     

Theme:

Another theme the Astro boy 2003 complete series addresses so well is dysfunctional families. Tenma's relationship with Astro reflects many relationships between fathers and their sons. Fathers never really love their sons. Fathers see them as raw materials to be manufactured and molded into who they want them to be. Fathers want them to be extensions of their false selves - their egos. This is why they might be incompatible with each other. Nevertheless, Astro finds the meaning of family in people who aren't even biologically related to him like O'Shay.        

The Astro boy 2003 complete series took brave risks in introducing such deep concepts to a young audience.  

Soundtrack:

I loved the Astro boy 2003 complete series soundtrack! The theme song was memorable, catchy, and emotional. I loved how the soundtrack mixes elements of techno. with dubstep and a little bit of rock. It makes you feel you're in the future. I love how the Astro boy 2003 complete series doesn't always repeat the same music. Some of the music only plays once or twice in an episode. When it plays, it makes the action more intense and exciting!   

Voice acting:

The voice actors did their best. The voice acting wasn't as good as i hoped. I couldn't fully suspend disbelief because i felt the show had the same voice actor play different characters.   

Overall, i highly suggest buying the Astro boy 2003 DVD!