When Fred Ladd imported the cartoon that became Gigantor over here in 1964, he only used 52 episodes. The first 26 episodes were not used for "a variety of reasons." I always wondered what they looked like. Thanks to the internet and some great fans, a few subtitled episodes have showed up. I have an issue of Xenorama getting prepared for sixty years of Gigantor. I have been a fan of the character for almost my entire life, and this research is fun.
I found the first two episodes of the show online, and I can see why these episodes were not used. The characters look different and the animation is far more limited. Tetsujin himself looks a bit different as well. He has no rockets on his back, so cannot fly. He is also a lot slimmer here. Figures, when you get popular and make money, it goes straight to your waist. Oddly enough, Shotaro has a much rounder figure. The human characters all look far more cartoony as well. If the first set of episodes all had this aesthetic, I can see why Fred would have chosen later episodes.
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