is a Japanese black-and-white

Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...

live action TV drama that aired on MBS from March 7, 1959 to May 28, 1960 for a total of 65 episodes split into five parts. It was produced for Mainichi Broadcasting System, sponsored by Lotte Corporation, by Matsuzaki Production, which was founded by Keiji Matsuzaki, who worked with

Eiji Tsuburaya was a Japanese special effects director and cinematographer. Known as the he worked on 250 feature films in a career spanning 50 years. He is regarded as one of the co-creators of the ''Godzilla'' series, as well as the main creator of the ...

as a special effects director before the war and was a producer at

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...

. It is the first adaptation of

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...

's ''Mighty Atom'' (a.k.a. ''

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 '' tankōbon'' ...

'') manga comic book series and predates the 1963 '' Mighty Atom'' (''Astro Boy'') anime. The plot of the TV series has less science fiction elements than the original, and is more in line with the detective hero stories of the time, with a focus on fighting gangsters. In the original, the story takes place in the 21st century, but according to Atom's dialogue in the final episode of Part 2, the historical background of this series is 1959, which is the same year as the broadcast. Although the series was popular for a year, Tezuka became dissatisfied with the live-action adaptation of his own manga, saying that it was too far removed from the image of the original work, and this became the driving force behind the production of the first ''Astro Boy'' anime a few years later. In addition, when Sōji Ushio approached Tezuka in 1965 to make a live-action version of ''

Ambassador Magma is the title and protagonist of a manga and tokusatsu TV series created by Osamu Tezuka. The TV series, produced by P Productions, Norway Productions and Krantz Films, was aired on Fuji TV from July 4, 1966, to June 26, 1967, lasting a tota ...

'', Tezuka initially suggested that he make a live-action version of '' Big X'' for this reason.''Ambassador Magma Perfect Book'' (Byakuya-Shobo CO.,LTD.) However, the live-action adaptation of ''Ambassador Magma'' produced by

P Productions is a Japanese production company, which has produced anime and tokusatsu television programs, with minor work in motion pictures. It was founded in 1960 by the late TV producer Tomio Sagisu (also known as Soji Ushio). The company exists today as ...

was highly praised by Tezuka, and the bad impression of live-action adaptation was dispelled, and Tezuka himself considered producing a live-action version of ''Mighty Atom'' in 1972.

References

External links

''Mighty Atom''
at allcinema

Astro Boy 1959 Japanese television series debuts 1960 Japanese television series endings 1950s Japanese television series 1960s Japanese television series Mainichi Broadcasting System original programming Television shows based on manga Television shows set in Japan {{Japan-tv-prog-stub