Friday, January 16, 2004

I’m in a good mood today.

I can’t help being in a good mood today.

Two days ago, a few bootleg anime DVDs arrived. “Oh, fine,” you say, “You watched and enjoyed some new anime.” No, this goes far beyond that.

One of those DVDs contained the first four episodes of the new remake of Astro Boy. Oh, how I wish there were more on that disc.

I watched two episodes Wednesday night, and another two last night. And…oh, the joy I felt. Oh how wonderful this series is.

First and foremost, it is Astro Boy. It is a consistent execution of Osamu Tezuka’s vision. It is bright and cheerful and deep and complicated and spiritual. It explores issues of purpose and prejudice.

The animation is also stunning. Absolutely stunning. Each episode cost a quarter of a million dollars. To put that into perspective: most anime series are made for far less than a million dollars.

The theme song is running through my head right now. I am happy. I have seen a thing that is real anime.