Forum - View topicAtom The Beginning (TV).
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15462 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Atom The Beginning (TV) Genres: science fiction Plot Summary: In Japan after a great calamity, there were two geniuses who dreamed of the future. One was Umatarō Tenma. The other was Hiroshi Ochanomizu. The two labored day and night in robot research — Tenma to create a "god," and Ochanomizu to create a "friend." Thus a robot, A106, was born from their collaborative friendship. ---------------------------------- Episodes 1-8 Kind of a bit surprising there is no topic before now, or perhaps not with my own thoughts. This being a prequel of Astroboy, which was a bit before my time and not really something that had a big influence on me beyond being an icon, I really did not have a particular interest in it, in fact it might be opposite. I suspected that this would all work off of nostalgia, and on top of being a robot battle anime I did not really have really thoughts that I might find it that enjoyable. With character designs and themes I did not expect to like I kind of disliked that I decided to watch it early on, but before I knew it the show has actually really grown onto me, perhaps because it has not become just some sort of battle, but something more. This is especially ironic where the show is at this point. The show just got a robot battle tournament, the sort of thing the OP has been showing, but the tone is really different from what to be expected. Because rather than what Tenma wanted of a super weapon, it is Ochanomizu who has defined A10-6 as the Kindhearted Child of Science. It has taken these many episodes, but the thing that has really sunk in is that A10-6 really has a heart, and it is kind of cruel to ask him to actually hurt someone, even the robots who are not moving under by an actual AI. I don't really know how much of the original series has this as part of his character, but this actually feels like the spirit of a hero I can get behind, where it is not all about what powerful weapons, but the intent and restraint that can be shown. One of the things I have liked since the beginning of this series is what is done in the middle parts where the commercials would be where we are treated to something of A10-6's point view that feels like we get glimpses of what he sees, we see sparks of who he is. And it is not just that, but the rest of the cast. Indeed Tenma and Ochanomizu are from the original Astroboy, but rather than this all relying on some sense nostalgia, I think there is a good job with these characters, including Ran and Motoko. I didn't care too much for it at first, but I quite like the OP of this show now, which I think that I actually care about these characters, and especially fond when they act like big dorks. It was the previous episode which was about Ran that I realised that I had actually grown to quite like this series. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15462 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Episode 10
It was really kind of sad seeing all the other robots destroyed by Mars. But also interesting that right under the noses of his creators A106 has kind of grown, thinking about the robots he defeated and then showing an interest in wanting to talk. Like trying to talk to Barrel Shoulder and only getting back error codes from the less complex robot, and lastly he does want to talk to Mars, which I am kind of wonder might be done by their actions rather than simply words in the next episode called Dialogue. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15462 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Episode 12 (finale)
A little sad that an episode titled "the beginning" is actually the end, at least for this anime. Actually the episode in general had kind of a sad feel that in some aspects you could almost put in a sort of horror sense. Almost the entire episode was from A106's point of view, which was a really cool stylistic choice that feels built up from the episodes. At first it was kind of a mini re-cap, something I was afraid of, but that aspect was more of us showing that apparently A106 unbeknownst to his creators had been able to recover fragments of memory despite the supposed memory wipes, that actually could remember things. The rest of the episode went on from him being in his broken state where he would get turned on every so often over a time, how it took a sad path was how him being unable to move or speak, his repairs took time. A106 had to watch as his creators fought and took their time fixing him to the point cobwebs started to build up on our Kindhearted Child of Science. It was pretty sad as he had pretty much nightmares that he would be thrown away, even watching them designing the next model, A107. And then saving grace Ran cleaned poor Six up, pretty angry at the state her brother left poor Six at. Before finally it seemed that Tenma got working on fixing him, it looks like Ochanomizu was actually waiting for Tenma so they could fix him together, important that they both do it. Their friendship seemed to have a bit of a rocky bit there, and although it was all happy, there seems to be the hint that Tenma does not quite like that A106 was both their creation and not just his for fighting against Lolo. There was a really kind of cute moment though where while jumping up A106 can see (or thinks he can) something flying in the sky that is vaguely Astro like. A dream of greater freedom. I really enjoyed this title more than I expected, I had low expectations, but its style like the OP, got kind of into me and I really got into it. I have already talked already about how the focus was actually different from what I expected, and it kind of feels like a purposeful dissonance from what even creators of A106 expect vs what we get from his point of view. That the talk of making him fight, is just kind of sad while there is the promise of quite a bit more for him, that it is practically cruel after knowing the actual fears he is developing. I give a rating of Good (7/10), I think it is actually quite worth watching. I do think that there was a little lull in places, like there was not really that much happening, but in the end it kind of felt like it worked to put A106 as more than just a robot for fighting. |
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positronic
Posts: 31 |
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The characterization of Astroboy as having the personality of a good boy who only wants to get along with people and other robots but has a strong belief in peace and justice is the same as in Osamu Tezuka's original Astroboy manga. Atom doesn't like fighting but if dangerous robots are given bad orders which will harm people, Atom will oppose them to protect others. If you happen to be familar with Mega Man, he has pretty much the same character and personality as Atom. Tenma's motivation for creating Astroboy is quite different in the original story. When Dr. Tenma's son Tobio dies in an accident, he is determined to create a lifelike robot simulation of Tobio to replace his son, and this is the robot who will eventually become Atom. It's indicated in the story that after his real son's death, Tenma, while a brilliant roboticist and the head of the Science Institute, is somewhat mentally/emotionally unstable. When Atom fails to replicate the precise behavior (and the ability to grow, over time) as a real boy, Tenma cruelly rejects him, and sells him to a carnival owner. The carnival owner treats Atom like a slave, but eventually he is noticed at the carnival by Professor Ochanomizu. Since selling Atom to the carnival, Dr. Tenma had become even more mentally unstable, and he eventually disappears. In the meantime Professor Ochanomizu had become the new head of the Science Institute. The plight of Atom has alerted Ochanomizu to the sorry state of robot's rights in society, and his pushes through a law making it illegal to keep robots as slaves, because they're intelligent beings. Atom is thus freed from his cruel servitude to the carnival owner, and Professor Ochanomizu becomes sort of a guardian and mentor to the boy robot. Note, however, that in Osamu Tezuka's original story, Professor Ochanomizu had nothing at all to do with Atom's design or creation. It was all a project funded by the Science Institute of which Dr. Tenma was the director, so he could secure the funds for the project which he hoped would result in a robot simulacrum of his dead son Tobio. With the origin story of Atom, Osamu Tezuka was trying to create a science-fictional parallel to Pinocchio. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15462 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I don't think that A10-6 is literally Atom, the boy robot later built to replace Tobio. But I kind of felt it hinted that A10-6's code as a learning robot may be used as a partial basis for Atom's, and will somewhat become him in that way. Either Tenma or Ochanomizu may even remember that little robot that was strong, but also kind and showed humanity to an extent.
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positronic
Posts: 31 |
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I guess if A10-6 is never actually referred to by the name 'Atom', he could be some kind of prototype (even Mega Man had Proto Man as a prototype for his creation). And it's true that it's indicated in Tezuka's original story that Professor Ochanomizu is also a talented roboticist himself, and had been working at the Science Institute for some time, so presumably at some point had taken part in earlier robotics projects directed by Dr. Tenma, and could even have worked together with Tenma at some point before Tenma was appointed to the post of director of the Science Institute. In general though, it's indicated that Tenma's genius in designing Atom is well beyond Ochanomizu's capabilities (although once created, Ochanomizu is perfectly capable of understanding Atom's inner workings, and is able to maintain, repair and even upgrade him on several occasions). Also, if this were before the death (or even the birth) of Tenma's son Tobio, it would be before Tenma started to become mentally unhinged. Still, Tenma's motivations for creating the A10-6 prototype really don't seem to jibe with his later motivations for creating Atom. Tenma's frustration and subsequent rejection of Atom as his foster son stems from the fact that Atom wasn't human enough to satisfy Tenma-- the 'replacement Tobio' didn't need to eat or sleep, and had to be specifically taught ways of human behavior which would have been natural in a human boy of Atom's apparent age. He could solve complex mathematical equations in fractions of a second, and didn't seem to be aware that he shouldn't display his strength of 100,000 horsepower. Tenma gets angry at each instance where it's apparent that Atom IS a robot, and not a real boy, and his mind finally snaps when he measures Atom's height after a period of a year or so and finds that he hasn't grown at all (nor could he, as a robot, and Tenma should realize that from the start). If Tenma had previously been involved with Ochanomizu in creating a human-like prototype robot which was also superstrong, his reactions after creating Tobio/Atom should be different based on his memories of the earlier prototype A10-6.That doesn't quite jibe with his earlier motivation to create a robot who would be so far superior to humans as to be godlike, so I'd have to consider this story more of a 'reboot' to the original than a mere 'continuity implant' revealing previously unknown information of Tenma and Ochanomizu's earlier history together. The story of ATOM still interests me though, and I'll probably get around to watching it at some point. I'd like to read the manga, too, if it's ever translated and published in English. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15462 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Actually, I think it does. I think that the thing that especially comes across in this prequel, is that Tenma is kind of shallow in how he views things in a mechanics way. While other notice that A10-6 has maybe human aspects in a way, his response is total denial, he says A10-6 is super strong, and plainly has robotic parts. He enjoys getting A10-6 to do human like aspects, but it is just to show how awesome he is, and not seeing A10-6 as human in any way. Ochanomizu is better in seeing the emotion like aspects and treats him better. While Ran is even more, as someone likely on the Autism spectrum, people who can often be called robots due to social problems and difficulty showing outward emotion despite it not the fact, who sees very much human emotional aspects. Based off of Atom: The Beginning, I don't think it would be surprising that this Tenma could recognise people seeing humanity in A10-6, but unable to recognise it himself after he got carried away with robot physical additions into his replacement son. I seem to remember him having a strange reaction to the guy in the wheelchair, who's physical body was weak, and the chair helped him. Tenma is a genius, but sucks at understanding emotions, probably even his own. |
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positronic
Posts: 31 |
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I guess I'll reserve final judgment on whether I consider it a prequel or a reboot until I've actually seen the whole thing. One point that's worth mentioning is that in Tezuka's Atom origin story, he drew his inspiration not only from Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, but also from Mary Shelley's 1818 book Frankenstein. Tenma is like Collodi's puppet maker Gepetto in that he creates Atom to be his own son, and Atom is like Pinocchio in that he wants to be as much like a real boy as possible to make Tenma happy. He can't, though, because he's just a robot, not a real boy. Tenma is also like Victor Frankenstein in that he creates Atom in a fevered state of mind where he's driven and inspired to prove something to the world, that he can create a humanlike robot. When he discovers, like Frankenstein, that his creation isn't anywhere near human enough, he completely rejects it and sends it away to face the world on his own. He wants no further responsibility for it. I appreciate your posting of the synopsis/review of ATOM: THE BEGINNING, though. Thanks. |
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