Kiteretsu gets you because it never pretends the gadgets matter more than the kid using them. A time machine is just an excuse to watch a genius boy and his friends stumble through their own lives, fail at things, apologize, and try again tomorrow. The robot is there to keep him honest, Miyoko keeps him grounded, the bully keeps him humble, and somehow every episode reminds you that being a neighborhood kid with wild ideas is enough.

Kite Eiichi, known as Kiteretsu, is an elementary schooler with a gift for invention. He discovers an encyclopedia left by his ancestor Kiteretsusai, a great inventor whose designs outpace modern technology, and uses it to build Korosuke, a robot who becomes his companion. With Korosuke and his friends, Kiteretsu often travels through time in a machine of his own making. Around the neighborhood there is Miyoko, a local girl who is practically his girlfriend, his rival Tongari, and Buta Gorilla, the neighborhood bully who likes to pick on Korosuke. The long-running TV series mixes comedy, drama and everyday slice-of-life moments.