A new incarnation of Osamu Tezuka’s popular manga character returns to the TV airwaves this weekend as Kids’ WB! premieres Astro Boy this Saturday at 8:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT). Created 50 years ago by Tezuka (who is regarded as the father of Japanese comic books known as manga), Astro Boy was the first Japanese series imported to the U.S. and became one of the country’s most-watched syndicated shows.
Produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan and Tezuka Prods. and distributed in the U.S. by Sony Pictures TV, the 25-episode Astro Boy series follows the adventures of a youthful, atomic-powered robot who fights for justice and peace for humans and robots alike. Known as Kokoro in Japanese, Astro possesses a dazzling array of awesome abilities and he’s able to experience human emotions as well.
Also energizing the Kids’ WB! lineup this weekend is Static Shock, the Humanitas Prize-winning series about the first African-American teenage superhero, Virgil Hawkins. In the action-packed fourth season of the popular toon, Static and sidekick Gear save a gifted young athlete from the clutches of an evil supervillain, go mano a mano with the Green Lantern, and discover that world-famous NBA All-Stars have a super secret of their own.
Here’s what the new Kids’ WB! Saturday morning lineup looks like:
8:00 Jackie Chan Adventures
8:30 Astro Boy
9:00 Teen Titans
9:30 Xiaolin Showdown
10:00 Pokemon: Advanced
10:30 Mucha Lucha!
11:00 Yu-Gi-Oh! Enter the Shadow Realm
11:30 Static Shock
For more information, visit www.kidswb.com
