Astro Boy: The Complete 1980 Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Astro Boy: The Complete 1980 Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Astro Boy returns with an 80’s revival which explores the character in an exciting way. The anime series adaptation is based on the original manga by Osamu Tezuka. Produced by Hidehiko Takei (Lupin III: Dead or Alive) and Satoru Yamamoto (Undersea Super Train: Marine Express), Astro Boy is terrific fun for those anime fans who appreciate classic cell-based anime series. Licensed by Discotek Media for distribution in North America, Astro Boy offers audiences a whirlwind of excitement. The timeless tale of Astro Boy is brought to imaginative life with the first color anime adaptation of the beloved manga.

Doctor Boynton loses his beloved son. The scientist decides to use his remarkable knowledge bank in robot engineering to create a robot boy. Determined to turn a bad situation in to something positive, Boynton creates Astro Boy, who uses his incredible skills to help the world: fighting for those with less power than he has – aiming to bring peace and kindness to others the world over. With a compellingly heartwarming message, Astro Boy lifts off and fights for the little guy in all of us.

The character at the heart of the story is one of the primary reasons Astro Boy has become such an important and iconic element of Japanese pop culture and anime. The character has a strong will towards helping others and fighting for justice. These elements make the character extremely relatable and compelling. Astro Boy is the hero of the story – and this aspect of the saga makes the anime all the more compelling.

The animation is outstanding and makes a huge impression. The art style is exquisitely realized and brings something fantastic to the production. The art direction on Astro Boy is by Setsuko Ishizu (Osomatsu-kun, Heisei Tensai Bakabon). The animation is wonderfully detailed and shines with traditional cell-based animation. Modern anime series have a vastly different aesthetic and audiences who appreciate classic anime series will enjoy the aesthetic more. The art style is one of the joys of the series that makes it continue to shine.

The series has excellent character designs as well. Adapting the original character designs by Osamu Tezuka, the anime designs are similarly impressive and well-suited for the story. The art also has an assortment of mecha designs by Kunio Aoi (Thunderbirds 2086, Love Position - The Legend of Halley). These mecha design elements deliver a wonderful sense of scale and gravity to the production. The designs excel in spades.

The original score composed by Shigeaki Saegusa (Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam) is compelling and fits the material well. The music imbues a sense of adventure and excitement in to the episodes. The score provides good background music to the action sequences and there is something wonderfully fun about that aspect. The end results are worthwhile and will keep audiences feeling entertained.

The cinematography by Nobuyuki Sugaya (Galaxy Express 999, Space Battleship Yamato: The New Voyage) is astonishing as well. As with most traditional hand-drawn animation, the art style is an excellent fit for a layered and complex cinematographic approach. The visuals help enhance the experience: the stories, the characters, and the foundation.

Astro Boy features writing by lead screenwriter Haruya Yamazaki (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Space Adventure Cobra). The series benefits from the fun sense of style that Yamazaki brings with. Exploring the manga characters in a new way for the second adaptation, the screenwriting does excellent work at focusing on Astro Boy and the adventures at hand.

Directed by Noboru Ishiguro (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, The Legend of the Galactic Heroes), Astro Boy is a joy to watch. The series is a great deal of fun and there is wonderful sense of rhythm to the production. The series has a charming tone and the action sequences are exciting. Fans of the original Astro Boy will want to check it out to compare (while newcomers will also find it brings something unique to the table). A worthwhile production. Check it out.

Astro Boy: The Complete 1980 Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Astro Boy is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The presentation is a wonderful element of the release. The encoding is excellent and perfectly suitable for the series animation style. The art style shines here and makes a solid impression. One element of the series encoding which stands out is the manner in which the presentation preserves fine detail in the image. The video encoding doesn't use excessive DNR or the like and instead has a naturally filmic image that retains dust, debris, and other elements – yet these aspects are never excessive and by keeping these image elements intact, more detail is actually preserved for the release. A solid effort by Discotek.

Astro Boy: The Complete 1980 Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The audio presentation is encoded in 24 bit depth. The lossless audio preserves the original soundstage. Though not a pristine audio presentation, the audio sounds surprisingly good and has a nice degree of detail. Dialogue was easy to understand. The music and sound effects never sounded too harsh or overbearing.

Astro Boy: The Complete 1980 Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

English Version: Episode 1 & 2 Combined

Japanese Version – Complete Version

Title-Free Opening (HD, 1:16)

Title-Free Closing (HD, 1:17)

Astro Boy: The Complete 1980 Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Astro Boy returns! The beloved character created by Osamu Tezuka zooms back in to action with more exciting adventures. The series has a fun sense of energy and there is a lot to enjoy about the classic hand-drawn animation style. The Blu-ray release from Discotek Media has a solid video-audio presentation. Fans of classic anime series will be pleased with the release. Recommended.