The Amazing 3
ワンダー３ (Wonder 3)
Genre	Science fiction
Manga
Authored by	Osamu Tezuka
Publisher	Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd.
Serialized in	Weekly Shonen Sunday
Original run	6 June 1965 – 27 June 1966
No. of volumes
TV anime : ワンダー３
Directed by	Taku Sugiyama
Studio	Mushi Productions
Network	Fuji TV Syndicated (non-network) Channel 9
Original run	6 June 1965 – 27 June 1966
No. of episodes	52

The Amazing 3 (Japanese title:W3 - Wonder 3) is an Osamu Tezuka manga and a black and white anime series. It involved the adventures of three agents from outer space who were sent to Earth to determine whether or not the planet should be destroyed due to its potential threat with a device resembling a large black ball with two antennae that is variously called an anti-proton bomb, a solar bomb, and a neutron bomb. Although the three agents (Captain Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko) are originally humanoid in appearance, upon arrival on Earth they take on the appearances of a rabbit (Bokko), a horse (Nokko), and a duck (Pukko) that they had captured as examples of Earth life forms. While on Earth they travel in a tire-shaped vehicle capable of enormous speeds called the Big Wheel, which can travel on both land and water (and, with modifications, through the air). Image File history File links Amazing3c. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ... This article is about the manga artist and animator. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_(bordered). ... Headquarters of Shogakukan in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan Shogakukan ) is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, nonfiction, childrens DVDs, and other media in Japan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_(bordered). ... Weekly Shonen Sunday (少年サンデー Shōnen Sandē) is a shōnen manga magazine published by Shogakukan. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Tankōbon ) is the Japanese term for a compilation volume of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series, magazine articles, essays, craft patterns, etc. ... Braun HF 1, Germany, 1958 OT-1471 Belweder, Poland, 1957 Television is a telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound over a distance. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Mushi Production (虫プロダクション lit. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_(bordered). ... The Fuji TV headquarters in Odaiba is known for its eccentric architecture. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... The Nine Network is an Australian television network, available in major markets across Australia. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... This article is about the manga artist and animator. ... 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ... A black-and-white portrait. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Antennae (singular antenna), are the paired appendages connecting to the first (and in crustaceans also to the second) segment of the head of the members of all subphyla of the arthropods except Chelicerata. ... The term humanoid refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a human. ...

The series tackles a number of issues which were surprisingly progressive for an animated cartoon of that period; particularly ecological concerns and poverty. Ecology is the branch of science that studies the distribution and abundance of living organisms, and the interactions between organisms and their environment. ...

Characters

Bokko is the cute one, and the brains of the group. She is capable of great powers of hypnosis, has extremely sensitive hearing, and can also control the inner workings of machines by pressing her ears against them. She likes humans and sees no need to destroy the planet because of the actions of a few bad eggs. Despite the fact that in her humanoid form she is somewhat older than Shinichi (their human friend who is probably in his early teens, while she is probably in her 20s), and the fact that she's a rabbit in her animal form, her feelings for Shinichi are considerably more than platonic. Her deepest desire is to be an Earth girl so she can be with Shinichi. Platonic idealism is the theory that the substantive reality around us is only a reflection of a higher truth. ...

Nokko is capable of creating inventions incredibly quickly, and is extremely fast and strong. Nokko would also prefer to see the Earth not destroyed - largely because he likes the food. He has a girlfriend named Felina who is also a member of the Galactic Patrol. She is seen once in the series when sent to Earth on a mission and takes on the form of a cat.

Pukko is a curmudgeon with an occasional heart of gold, can generate shockwaves with his wings, and is also quite a capable guitarist. He is also quite a bit stronger than his duck appearance would suggest. However, he is the member of the Amazing 3 who is most in favor of destroying the Earth, and this increasingly brings him into conflict with Bokko as the series progresses, also criticizing her for her feelings regarding Shinichi (it's implied on occasion that he harbors his own feelings for Bokko). Pukko has what appears to be either a Beatles haircut or a Beatles wig; probably added by Tezuka due to the Beatles' enormous popularity in Japan at the time. Curmudgeon is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana. ... Introduction The shock wave is one of several different ways in which a gas in a supersonic flow can be compressed. ... The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ...

Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko are all conversant in Japanese - and apparently English - and can also talk to other animals. They also possess a gun called the time reversal gun. It can be used to reverse the flow of time in a small area. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

An Earth boy named Shinichi Hoshi (named after Tezuka's longtime friend, the Japanese science fiction writer Shinichi Hoshi) becomes their ally throughout the series. He is the only person who knows what they really are, or that they can talk. Shinichi's girlfriend Kanoko also figures prominently in the manga, but is absent from the anime; possibly because her presence would have detracted from Tezuka's plan for the ending of the series. Shinichi Hoshi (星 新一 Hoshi Shinichi, September 6, 1926 - December 30, 1997) was a Japanese novelist and science-fiction writer. ...

Koichi Hoshi, Shinichi's older brother, is a secret agent for an organization called Phoenix, whose cover is a manga artist. His primary adversary is Interspy, though he also fights against others as well. He sometimes uses guns, but primarily relies on martial arts, and his watch, which contains a small hammer and chain, a radar, and a flashlight, which also can also be used as a beam to blind his opponents. His pipe also contains a smoke gas which can conceal his whereabouts. Within Phoenix he is known as Agent P77. Koichi joined Phoenix in order to avenge the death of a friend (who had previously been Agent P77) who had been killed by Interspy. The policy of Phoenix is to avoid violence when possible, but recognizes that it's sometimes unavoidable. Secret Agent is a 1936 British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. ... Mangaka (漫画家) is the Japanese word for a comic artist. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ...

Three other characters who show up regularly in both the manga and anime are Shinichi and Koichi's mother and father, who operate a small hotel. Their mother is a heavyset woman, and their father is something of a milquetoast who is domineered by their mother. The third major supporting character is the mysterious M, the head of Phoenix and the person from whom Koichi takes his orders. Only the back of his head is ever seen. Caspar Milquetoast was a comic strip character created by Harold Webster in 1924 for his comic strip The Timid Soul, published in the New York World. ...

In the American version of the series Bokko's name was changed to Bonnie. Nokko became Ronnie, Pukko became Zero, Shinichi was renamed Kenny Carter, and Koichi was given the name Randy.

Japanese voice actors

• Bokko: Shiraishi Fuyumi
• Nokko: Kojima Yasuo
• Pukko: Chikaishi Shinsuke
• Shinichi: Sawada Kazuko
• Koichi: Kanauchi Yoshio
• Shinichi's and Koichi's mother: Sakurai Ryoko

For the article about the company named Seiyu, see Seiyu Group. ...

American voice actors

• Bonnie: Bobbie Byers
• Ronny: Neil Patrick
• Zero: Paul Brown
• Kenny and Randy Carter: Kurt Nagel

Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 - August 5, 1991) was an athletics coach of American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League. ...

Plot

Conclusion

In the final episode of the series the decision is made by the galactic council that mankind is unredeemable and that the Earth is to be destroyed. Although Pukko is in favor of this as much as ever, Bokko puts off the order as long as possible, and eventually decides to disobey the council's decision. However, prior to Bokko's decision to disobey her orders, Shinichi is appalled at the likelihood that his friends would obey the order and runs to Koichi to ask Phoenix to intervene. Although dozens of Phoenix agents fight the Amazing 3 in their saucer, they are unable to destroy it, and Shinichi appeals to Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko to take him back to their home planet to plead Earth's case. During the trip Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko revert to their humanoid forms for the first time, much to the surprise of Shinichi, who had never seen their true appearances before (perhaps not clearly, anyway - he had also seen them through the window of their saucer in the first episode, though it's suggested in the episode that he could only see their silhouettes). Shinichi is particularly surprised by Bokko's beauty in her actual form. A3 are presented to the galactic council on charges of disobeying orders. Shinichi is given a chance to plead Earth's case and the council offers him the opportunity to stay on their planet with all the rights and privileges of other citizens. Shinichi becomes angry and attacks a guard, thus proving mankind's inherently violent nature to many there. The order is given to wipe out Shinichi's memories, but before this can be done Bokko pleads for him to be released, and for the Earth to be given more time to develop. The council eventually decides to return A3 to the Earth and re-examine the matter when Shinichi reaches adulthood. Upon their return to Earth Pukko is ashamed of his attitude toward humans before that point, Shinichi is reunited with Koichi, and Bokko is transformed by Nokko and Pukko into an Earth girl so she'll have a chance to be with Shinichi as the human girl she really wants to be - for a short time, anyway. The closing shot of the series is of the now-human Bokko walking towards Shinichi's home to find him. UFO can mean: Unidentified flying object United Future Organization, a Japanese-Brazilian electronic jazz band UFO, the rock band that previously featured Michael Schenker UFO, the Gerry Anderson TV series United Farmers of Ontario, a political party that formed the government in Ontario from 1919 to 1923 U.F.O...

Anime

Differences between the manga and anime

The premise of both the manga and the anime was the same, and the characters looked nearly identical in both, but the stories differed greatly. Stories which appeared in the manga were not used again for the anime - and vice-versa. In addition, the manga version has Shinichi's schoolfriends and teachers playing more of a role than they would in the anime.

Though the concept was originally intended solely as an animated project, the manga appeared one week earlier ^{[citation needed]}

Theme music

Unlike Astro Boy, where the opening theme music was the same in both the Japanese and American versions (with only the lyrics changed), the Japanese and American versions of The Amazing 3 had different theme music, as well as considerably different opening and closing segments. The American version borrowed part of its melody from the Japanese version, but any similarities ended there. The Japanese theme (sung by a group called Vocal Shop) was considerably more playful and complex than the American version. Astro Boy is the American title for the Japanese animated series Tetsuwan Atom , which roughly translates to Mighty Atom and literally to Iron-arm Atom) first broadcast on Japanese television from 1963 to 1966. ...

Production notes

This series was the first Tezuka production in which Tezuka adopted a method of animation which had long been used by Disney and Warner Brothers in which each animator was responsible for drawing a single character instead of the team of animators each taking a piece of a show and drawing everything. Disney may refer to: The Walt Disney Company and its divisions, including Walt Disney Pictures. ... Warner Bros. ...

Pilot

In the pilot for the series a few characters looked slightly different. Bokko's appearance was more rabbit-like and less feminine, and she didn't yet have the black tips on her ears, or the tuft of black hair on her head. Pukko didn't have his Beatle haircut. And Koichi looked much the same, but his face was altered slightly for the series. The pilot for the series is largely the same as the first episode - and some footage was reused for the first episode - but differs in a few respects; mostly with regards to how Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko first meet Shinichi. It is also only about 15 minutes long, and ends with Koichi's discovery of a hidden base, which isn't part of the first episode. This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

Revival?

There was a brief report from the 2000 Anime Expo in Anaheim, California that Studio Pierrot and a newer company called Digital Manga were considering the idea of teaming up and producing a new version of the series to be streamed on the internet. However, it appears that the project never got past the initial design stage. Outside the convention hall at AX2004 Anime Expo, also known as AX, is an anime convention that usually takes place on the July 4th weekend for 4 days every year in Southern California. ... Anaheim is a city in Orange County, south_west California, a part of the greater Los Angeles conurbation to the east of Long Beach. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Founded in 1979, Studio Pierrot (スタジオぴえろ) is a Japanese animation company. ...

Availability

The Japanese version of this series was first released on DVD in Japan in two volumes in 2002 and 2003, which are now out of print. A complete single-volume 10-DVD set was released in 2005. Though the negatives for the series were damaged in a warehouse flood, the episodes on the Japanese DVDs were taken from the best existing sources.

During the 1990s the series was also available both on two sets of laserdiscs and on a series of thirteen VHS videocassettes. These are, of course, now out of print. Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Top view of VHS cassette with U.S. 25c coin for scale Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed Top view of VHS cassette with front casing removed The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard for analog video cassette...

The American (English-dubbed) films are rumored to have been either lost or destroyed, so an official DVD release in the United States seems unlikely, though bootlegs of varying quality exist which were taken from videotaped 1974 KCOP broadcasts of the series using an early pre-Betamax home video recorder, the Sanyo V-Cord. Approximately half of the series' episodes exist in this format. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... This redirect page is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Sonys Betamax is the 12. ... Old logo New logo SANYO Electric Co. ... V-Cord was a videocassette format developed and released by Sanyo in 1974. ...

The English-dubbed version of the series also aired on Australia's Channel 9 beginning in 1969, so the possibility exists that English dubs of the series might be found there. 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

The series is also known to have been dubbed in Spanish and broadcast in Spanish-speaking countries as Los tres espaciales.

The complete Japanese-language manga is available in two volumes. A late '70s three volume set can also sometimes be found. The manga has never been released in English.

Other appearances

Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko make a cameo appearance in the 2004 game Astro Boy: Omega Factor game created for the Game Boy Advance, along with a number of other characters created by Osamu Tezuka. Pukko also made a brief appearance with several other Tezuka characters in an episode of the 1980 Astro Boy series. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... GBA redirects here. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... This anime/manga-related article is a stub. ...

External links

• W3 File on the Amazing 3 anime on the official Tezuka site.
• W3 File on the Amazing 3 manga on the official Tezuka site.
• W3 A site containing a lot of information about the series in both its Japanese and American incarnations.
• The Amazing 3 IMDB link.