Early Signs: Cubix: Robots for Everyone

I used to watch this computer-animated cartoon show called CUBIX: Robots for Everyone.  I remember this show and I watched it when it started in the summer of 2001.  It has returned to air on Saturday mornings at 7:00am.

This cartoon is about a robot named CUBIX (he is made of cube-shaped pieces).  He is able to convey emotion through facial expressions. This is in a world where humans and robots coexist, robots of many different kinds.  It was a very colorful cartoon.  It's nice that it's coming back to TV again.

I'll try to catch an episode or two, if  I feel like getting out of bed at 7am on a Saturday morning, ha ha hah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubix

Google Image Search for CUBIX: Robots for Everyone

Update for Robot Anime I’ve been watching + Mega Man Megamix

Tuesday afternoon I had a chance to catch up on some robot anime. I watched episodes 15 and 16 of Casshern Sins.  There is no bad episode, this show is so great and powerful.

After watching Casshern Sins, I watched episode 8 of Android Kikaider the Animation. It was a compilation episode, but I didn’t mind. It was a good idea that episode 8 happened to be a compilation episode because it has been a while since I watched Android Kikaider the Animation anyway. If I wanted to watch robot anime, lately it was Casshern Sins. Episode 8 of Shotaro Ishinomori’s animated series touched up on some issues that were pretty important to the show; Mitsuko’s feelings for Jiro; Jiro’s loneliness; Jiro’s negative self-image as Kikaider; Kikaider’s strength, and other things important to the story.

Now there are only five more episodes of Android Kikaider TA that I have to watch.  I am almost sorry that the series is only thirteen episodes.  But that means I can watch the series again in Japanese audio.

Recently, I think on the night before watchin the anime, I read the first chapter of Mega Man: Megamix Volume 2. The author and artist is Hitoshi Ariga. This chapter features Skull Man. I can only say that the story for this chapter reminds me of the many reasons why I love robot literature so much, especially when it comes to robot characters that lack something (like love) and are misunderstood.  Even if you are not a Mega Man fan, but you like robots/ robot literature, read this manga.  Hitoshi Ariga’s stories for Mega Man are truly amazing.

Another Robot anime I am interested in: Time of Eve

I subscribe to Anime Reviewers Weekly and just today I got this newsletter about a six-episode anime called Time of Eve.  It is made into a movie, combining the six episodes into one feature length unit.  I saw the first picture/screenshot the review provided and thought, "Wait, is that a robot?  Wow, I gotta read what this is about!"  And it turns out that robots and androids are part of the focus for this anime.  I like how the reviewer mentions the fact that science fiction is a metaphor, and this is a big reason why I like science fiction related to robots, androids, cyborgs, all that. 

   Earlier in Cybernetic Dreams I wrote about how robots and androids, even cyborgs can be discriminated against, because they are different from humans; they are made of mostly metal and have computers for brains rather than the squishy, flesh and blood matter with which human beings are composed.  There are androids that look apparently more robotic than human, and there are androids that look and act so close to the human being that it would be hard to tell the difference at first.  In this anime, it seems that both types of androids are represented.  That is very good.  I am looking forward to the fact that this anime will be addressing some important questions, not  just for science fiction pertaining to robots, but for our future.  A future that is not only about humans' relationship with robots, but with other humans with different ethnic backgrounds and customs.  This is why robot literature (especially from Isaac Asimov) is so good, and in my opinion, the best type of sociological science fiction you can ever read.  This is what guides me to the reason that I must check out this anime Time of Eve.  I think it is something Asimov would be interested in seeing and discussing as well.

When there does come a time when  humans must co-exist with robots and androids , the humans must find a way to live with them-- and that means humans must acknowledge the robots' and androids' existence with respect.  This is how their co-existence will facilitate and begin.

So what if robots and androids don't have emotions?  Yet.  Sometime, they will.

Here's the review at the link below.

Link:
http://animereviewers.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/time-of-eve-review-movieona/