Astroboy

Author: David Bowers

Welcome to the 1960s! The first popular series that today's viewers might recognize as anime was Astro Boy from 1963, which was the first to find purchase outside Japan, airing in Australia, Brazil, The UK, and in syndication in the United States. The series focused on a young robot who was created as a replacement for a lost child and whose creator is unsatisfied with him. Astro Boy is sent to the circus, and there becomes something of a savior to the other robots in the circus. The historical importance of Astro Boy is impossible to deny. Millions were first exposed to the style that Osamu Tezuka developed first in the manga , and then in the series. Drawing influences from around the world, including Walt Disney, Tezuka had already defined what manga would become to the point where many referred to him as the God of Manga. Astro Boy shows the start of what would become more than fifty years of anime evolution, and began the process of introducing it to the world. Why it's on the list: While not as successful outside Japan, it was the series that truly started the ball rolling on anime television series.