Astroboy, Japan’s Post War Hero! – Birth of Astroboy and Mad Machine (Tezuka)
By now, no matter what history you’re taught, there will be note of World War II along with the terrible bombings on Japan’s major cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This terrible moment was forever ingrained into Japan’s culture as it moved forward into the age of modernism. The mid to late 90’s for Japan was filled with new media in light of Japan’s identity and independence. This new age also drove forth the entire nation to unite in remembrance of the tragedies. All of these themes are evident in the media output at the time. Various manga, tokusatsu, and anime held themes of unity, identity, new age tech, and sufferings faced in Japan’s history written into compelling stories. One of these sensations was Astroboy! And, in my personal opinion, I believe Astroboy upholds all of Japan’s post war themes and ideals, making him the hero of post war Japan!
Not only does Astroboy represent Japan’s “apocalyptic” era right after the bombings, but also the widespread fear of technology falling into the wrong hands. Throughout the Birth of Astroboy and Mad Machine by Osamu Tezuka, the world in which Astroboy resides (a futuristic and advanced society) could be seen as apocalyptic. The world is filled with technology beyond modern standards, but it is overrun with robots and mad scientists that turn it into a garbage dumb of scrapped parts and circus freaks. This advanced technology is not only consistently tossed aside, but also misused. Tenma, Astroboy’s scientist father, made Astroboy to fill the void of his late son Tobio, but then sold his new robo son off to the circus when Astroboy did not fulfill his expectations. Later in the universe, Astroboy faces off against a villain who is determined to control all robots in the city with a super weapon. These instances highlight an important piece of Japan’s culture at the time, afraid of the future, tech, and total destruction.
Astroboy himself is also a depiction of the orphan epidemic that followed the bombings on Japan, many children growing up in a broken society without their parent’s to guide them. Astroboy was created to be someone’s son, but he failed and was thrown out for a hefty sum. Quickly, barely into life, he was abandoned and left to a world not made for him. This rings true for many children at this time. They had to pick up the pieces of their homes that the adults were no longer around to help with. Astroboy quickly succumbed to what life was, doing what he could to survive.
But, like any good story, there is always a happy ending and hope for the future. Astroboy delivers on such a future, becoming a hero to the city that was prejudiced against robot kind, a savior for the humans that showed him no kindness. He put it all on the line and used his life experiences and his advanced technology to become a hero, a symbol for the hope of tomorrow. This greatly represents Japan’s climb back to the top of the world’s greatest nations list, the new generation that was left alone after the World War II tragedies uniting together to build a better tomorrow, not just for themselves, but for their country, for their future.
Astroboy encompasses all of these qualities that we now see as Japanese nationalism: a united front against all trials and tribulations of life, strong and steadfast against any challenge, and hopeful for better tomorrows. He is really Japan’s greatest hero, post war and beyond!
-Null
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