Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy, one of the most famous anime characters today, got a masterful reinterpretation with a fan's cosplay. The design, which was unveiled at the fan event Dragon Con, uses elements of a recent figurine as the basis for internal parts exposed from some ostensible battle. The surprisingly life-like appearance only shows how effective a bit of imagination can be in livening up Atom's cartoonish design.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT The cosplay, originally captured by Jen Yates's Instagram account, is credited to the cosplayer known as "Molotov Baily" / "Doctor Molotov". Molotov's Facebook account describes the costume maker as an artist. According to image uploads, their other work includes costumes and puppets inspired by other media like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Labyrinth.
Atom's design in the cosplay is an incredible piece of work, highlighting the traditionally innocent hero's potential to look much more grim. The cosplay is undeniably creepy, showing the true machinery behind Atom's normal appearance.Battle-damaged Atom is a Unique Look at Classic Designs According to Molotov Baily, the design for the Atom cosplay was inspired by the 12'' figure of the character produced by the company Blitzway.
Other adaptations have tried to take the 1952 manga in new directions: the 2009 American movie tried for more realistic lighting and shading while shucking on some clothes, while Naoki Urasawa's Pluto chose to imagine Atom's advanced nature as being as near human as possible. Molotov Bailey's cosplay hearkens back to the classic design while making Atom's internal machinery a reality, rather than Tezuka's suggestions to his readers.
The cosplay of the original design by such a talented artist, and shaped in such a unique way, only goes to show the enduring popularity of the manga even when its presence in public consciousness is minimal. While the upcoming Netflix adaptation of Pluto is Atom's next big showing, the last all-audience adaption came out a decade ago, in 2003.