Synopsis
In "Little Astro Boy," Astro appears to be a typical, lively child, though he is actually a robot with flight capabilities and immense strength. He lives in a small town where humans and robots coexist, and his upbeat personality earns him many friends. Curious and adventurous, Astro often embarks on exciting journeys with his friends. Their adventures take an unpredictable turn when the nefarious criminal Hamegg, aided by his allies—a pink gorilla robot named Gora and Professor Flau—interferes. Through facing these challenges, Astro and his team not only grow but also explore the deeper values and wonders of the world around them.
Background
Robot Atom, also known as Little Astro Boy, is an Astro Boy franchise anime television spin-off series produced by Tezuka Productions and Yomiuri TV Enterprises in partnership with the Nigerian broadcaster Channels TV. As an international co-production, three Nigerian animators traveled to Japan to animate two sequences. Makoto Tezuka spearheaded the international focus, which was partly made as a response to declining birth rates in Japan and in hopes of receiving an endorsement from the Cool Japan initiative. Described as "edutainment," Robot Atom ran in English on Channels TV's children's block of programming between March 22, 2014 and April 26, 2014. A bilingual DVD was later released in Japan on November 3, 2015. While the show was not aired anywhere else, it received positive feedback in Nigeria.
