▪	RELEASED BY:		SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		4:3 FULL SCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		ENGLISH / PORTUGUESE / SPANISH  DD 2.0
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		202 MIN
		▪	RATING:		NR
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		09/15/2009
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		10/12/2009
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		SCOTT CAMPBELL

Fly into action with Astro Boy in this high-tech, new version of Tezuka Osamu’s superhero series that started the anime revolution. And while Astro may be small in size, the flying robot boy packs an atomic-powered punch!

This anime, "Astro Boy" (two words), is of course the 21st century remake of the popular 80's anime "Astroboy" (one word). "Astro Boy" is a pretty good modernization of the Astroboy we know and love from our early morning TV watching sessions as kids. It is set in the future, just like in the original, but has a much more sleek, futuristic feel to it now that our views as a society of what the future might be like has changed dramatically since the 80’s. The animation is much improved over the classic (depending on how you look at it of course, because this version will not have the same nostalgic factor that the original has for anyone who watched it). Having good memories of the Astroboy series that aired in the 80's, I was intrigued to hear about a remake. After watching it I’d say it’s fair to say the new crew and cast has done a very good job at modernizing this classic anime with some fresh ideas and a very nice new look. There are many changes in the storyline and the character’s names, but the basic idea still rings true and should be very interesting to both new and old fans of Astro Boy alike. One factor that is still very much the same and alive in this new version is the music and the sound effects in the show. The music is much like what I remember the 80’s show being like, and boosts the nostalgic factor for sure. But whether something about this new version is similar - or different – it is certainly entertaining, and has a lot of entertainment value that goes beyond just being nostalgic for old fans of the early original. This is a 50 episode anime spanning five DVDs, with over 1000 minutes of anime. New fans, or old fan, there’s something here for you.

In volume three, we get more robot action and daring deeds than we’d bargained for! Astro Boy meets his new robot sister, Zoran, and works hard to protect her from harm both in the skies and inside her operating system. In the meantime, he befriends a human boy who wants to be a robot, battles Shadow’s army of mind-controlling teddy bears and protects Princess Abby from being overthrown in her ancient land of Mayura. This is the best volume yet – chockfull of humor and action in a perfectly entertaining mix!

This series is much like the classic, but much improved in many ways over the original. The newer animation especially continues to impress and keeps the viewer’s interest because it is so sleek and colorful. It’s nice that they didn’t veer to far off from what Astro Boy originally looked like as a show though, and kept with some of the original sty lings. It’s subtle changes and similarities that allow a show like this to stay nostalgic, but still offer something new and exciting. This was a great anime in the 80’s, just as the new version is a great anime now.

EXTRAS:
The disc extras include Portuguese and Spanish language tracks, and the “Remaking of Astro Boy” featurette.

IN SUMMARY:
Astro Boy continues to impress in this third volume, and shows a lot of promise in being a fantastic series for all ages. Hopefully this great new series quickens the pace on the new Astro Boy movie coming out in the near future and gets people excited about the prospect!