The Amazing 3
Three alien agents judge Earth in animal forms.
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The Amazing 3, also known as Wonder 3, is a Japanese comic series and black-and-white animated television series created by Osamu Tezuka in the 1960s. The story follows three agents from outer space—Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko—sent to Earth by the Galactic Federation to determine whether the planet should be destroyed due to its wars. Upon arrival, they take the forms of a rabbit, a horse, and a duck, and befriend a young human boy named Shinichi Hoshi.
Lore & Background
The series was first published as manga in Japan in 1965, then adapted into an animated television version with different stories. The English-dubbed version aired in Australia and other English-speaking markets (not in the United States) as The Amazing 3, with a different theme song and opening/closing elements, and later in Spanish-speaking countries as Los tres espaciales. The Japanese-language animated version was released on VHS in 2002, with a full 10-disc DVD set in 2005. In 2017, a Kickstarter campaign raised $82,137 for an English translation of the manga, which was released in 2020 under the title The Amazing 3.
Reader's Guide
The Amazing 3 is significant for tackling issues unusual in 1960s animation, including ecological concerns, poverty, and racial diversity. The plot centers on the Galactic Federation's decision to destroy Earth due to its wars, with the three agents—Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko—gradually changing their views through their friendship with Shinichi.
The series ends with the council deciding to re-examine Earth when Shinichi reaches adulthood, and Bokko is transformed into an Earth girl to be with him. The characters' abilities, such as Bokko's telepathy and Nokko's inventions, and the time reversal gun, add to the series' unique blend of science fiction and social commentary. Its legacy includes the 2020 English manga release and its influence as an early example of Tezuka's work addressing mature themes.
Did You Know?
- The series' instrument of destruction is called an anti-proton bomb, solar bomb, and neutron bomb.
More in Animated television series about extraterrestrial life
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: The Amazing 3 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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