This particular incarnation of the anime is probably the best of the bunch in terms of overall enjoyment - it's far less dated than the original 1960s launch and has none of the soul-less feel of the 2003 series. This said, one should be prepared for what can perhaps best be described as a cliché 80's series: it's horrendously violent.
The entire show revolves around the mighty Atom (Astro Boy), a robot boy with 100,000 horsepower, a built in phone, butt-cannons, arm cannons, rocket boosters, super-hearing, and flashlight eyes. The scene is set in futuristic world where robots are in the process of (finally) acquiring their civil rights. True to American history, this is far from an easy process, and of course, this having aired in the 80's, killing off robot characters in terrible violent ways is par for the course (as long as they're not actually human, it was A-Okay!). Deaths of secondary robot characters are often pointless and under-whelming, but certainly interesting. This show (and the original 1960s incarnation) are a must watch for anyone who enjoys the classics!
