'Atom: The Beginning' Anime: 'Astro Boy' Prequel Will Launch in April on Amazon Prime Video

Before the world read and saw "Astro Boy", there was A106 and two genius friends who had different perspectives about the future in "Atom: The Beginning". The anime show is an adaptation of Tetsuro Kasahara's manga of the same title. The story takes place before the events of "Astro Boy" and the first episode will air on April 15, 2017.

The flying android child in "Astro Boy" became a hit manga series written by Osamu Tezuka. It was later adapted into an animated TV series and started the country's anime industry. Its original title was actually "Mighty Atom". Now, its prequel, "Atom: The Beginning" is getting its own anime adaptation this April, according to Anime News Network.

The "Atom: The Beginning" anime release date is on April 15 on NHK at 11:00 PM, but it will be available on Amazon Prime Video on April 16 at 1:30 PM. The story takes place in Japan after the country suffers a great calamity. Two scientist friends, Umataro Tenma (Yūichi Nakamura) and Hiroshi Ochanomizu (Takuma Terashima) work together to create an android for the future. However, the two have very different ideas about what they're trying to create.

Umataro wants to create a god-like being while Hiroshi wants to create a "friend". They eventually create A106. Other members of the "Atom: The Beginning" anime cast are Yūki Inoue as A106 (A-ten-six) and Takahiro Sakurai as Moriya Tsutsumi. According to Crunchyroll, Moriya is the head research student in the school of robotics engineering at Nerima University. Mikako Komatsu will voice Motoko Tsutsumi, Moriya's younger sister and a graduate of robotics engineering. She also has a crush on Hiroshi.

Other "Atom: The Beginning" characters include Ayane Sakura as Ran Ochanomizu, Hiroshi's younger sister who becomes A106's friend. Kengo Kawanishi will star as Shunsaku Ban, who loves robots and becomes Umataro and Hiroshi's friend. Nobuo Tobita will lend his voice to Kensaku Ban, the two scientists' boss. Yoshino Nanjō will play Maria, a female robot in charge of a robot-themed park. Watch the trailer below.