Mar 18, 2024

Two episodes of "Astro Boy" restored and broadcast in Japan

Two episodes of the iconic anime series Astro Boy, thought to have been lost decades ago, have been restored and are now being broadcast in Japan.

The lost episodes of Astro Boy are like the Holy Grail for fans of classic anime, and the restoration of the two long-lost chapters is a momentous event.

Episodes 125, "Searching for Germs," and 127, "Experimental Robot," are two of the three missing parts of the original 1963-1966 program produced by Mushi Productions (later Tezuka Productions). Episode 139, "Stolen Atom," is still missing, but the restoration of episodes 125 and 127 must surely inspire hope that the same long-lost work may one day be found and restored in the same way.

Created by Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy is considered one of the most important manga and anime series of all time; serialized in Kobunsha's Shonen magazine from 1952 to 1968, the manga was later collected in 32 volumes and sold over 100 million copies worldwide.

The comic has spawned several series, movies, video games, and merchandising empires in the decades since its debut.