Pluto

Jan 10, 2009

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

Beatnik (All reviews)

185 people found this review helpful

Naoki Urasawa, now an established author of pot-boiling epic thrillers such as Monster and 20th Century Boys, delivers again with Pluto, a sci-fi mash-up of Osamu Tezuka's Tetsuwan Atom.

This excellent sci-fi revolves around AI robots and dispenses with the explanation of Asimov's Law of Robotics for Dummies and just gets right on with entertaining your brain with explorations of the theme of sentient life born from humanity's hands. You're either a sci-fi reader and will immediately swim in the narrative, or new to all this and thrash around unknown waters because Urasawa is not interested in holding your hand, he just wants to tell the bold story using the 'World's Strongest Robot' story arc of Tetsuwan Atom as a jumping point.

Urasawa even takes a supporting character of the original manga and turns them into the main protagonist, rendering Astro Boy himself into a supporting high profile cameo, and a great one at that. This entire concept of one artist dipping into another's world is fascinating and full of wild possibilities. Tezuka's imaginative universe coupled with Urasawa's tension-filled narrative is a joy to read, especially after a few volumes when crisis after crisis befalls characters pushing them to the limit.

Blade Runner, I, Robot, Ghost in the Shell, The Animatrix, to name a paltry few, the list is long and varied. All of sci-fi's greatest literature and movies play with these ideas of the relationship between AI/robots and humans, as did Tezuka and as does Urasawa. But with Pluto there is no vague posturing of whether they can fit into human society, these ideas are already established by the time the story starts.

A brilliant decision as there are already many stories about the border between acceptance and antagonism of robots, the threat of their uprising against humanity culminating in apocalyptic war, but not as many stories about robots being treated as valid citizens of countries, with jobs and families of their own, some of them even revered and idolised by the masses while others are disliked for their metallic bodies. Yes it’s an allegory for race relations, but so is all sci-fi an allegory for something, at least it’s not hackneyed in the hands of a seasoned writer like Urasawa. (uh, except for a robot-hating character called Adolf, but anyway...)

The backdrop to Pluto is great future-retro design. Skyscrapers with inexplicable tubes for commuters flowing around and between them, sleek efficient cars wrapped in glass, long roads swirling around cities. It’s a heightened fantastical futurescape full of idealism. Urasawa's characters are distinguished by their noses as usual, with different races differentiated easily, you dont ususally ever get confused with who is who in his tales.

What kick-starts this story is when a major robotic figure, loved by all, is murdered brutally. Fans of Urasawa rejoice, we have yet another exciting mystery with procedural investigation, a cast of many witnesses, suspects, criminals and cameos. This manga began publication the same year a certain country was attacked and occupied by another, and that event permeates this story, for better or worse is up to you, but its integrated well by tying many threads together into the whole mystery. The first robot victim that opens the story was one of 7 of the most powerful robots in the world. Someone is going round bumping them off. Europol detective Gesicht is on the case.

A methodical man troubled by nightmares, he is as brooding as Urasawa's previous protagonists yet having the added depth of being a robot himself. This main character is so great because there is that classic dichotomy and juxtaposition of man and robot, the constant questioning of motive and intent, the internal conflict of the character and the external conflict of his work life and private life. By robot law instilled into every AI, robots aren’t allowed to take human life, yet all surface evidence of the crimes in the story point that they could not have been perpetrated by a human, so our detective has his work cut out for him to solve the mystery while resolving the issues in his mind.

At heart Pluto is a mystery/crime thriller, and there are great intriguing cliffhangers to each chapter. We follow Gesicht as he investigates crime scenes, questions people and we also get the occasional and obligatory “regret to inform you” scene which is turned on its head. You don’t know if you're meant to laugh at the blocky metal robot in a kitchen apron being told her husband's been killed, but the pathos through dialogue and composition ends up with gravitas.

You shouldn’t be laughing at our metallic friends; they've got intelligence and emotion as much as their creators. As is amply demonstrated through many chapters with robots attempting to attain the higher level of consciousness lived by their creators. When some of them die, in their last moments they're perplexed by how much humanity they show in death and it’s poignant.

So when Gesicht gives his chapter-one ending statement with steely determination, we're firmly in the passenger seat, riding shotgun for some great sci-fi thrills.

"I will search for the killer. Whether he is robot or human, he is possessed by a demon."

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Mar 18, 2014

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

imjustjk (All reviews)

54 people found this review helpful

A coupling of brilliant acumen can evoke undertones of approval, or of apprehension. But all can rest assured that in the case of Pluto, the pairing of manga suspense master Urasawa and legendary cartoonist Tezuka is an exceptional good stroke of fortune. From the creators of anime giants Monster and Astroboy, the multiple-award winning manga Pluto gives first impression as a high-tension thriller that befits the reputation of its creators.

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality.

Once in a couple of years, a great manga that differentiates itself from the rest of the horde, overcoming stereotypes of near-sighted librarians, perverted high school boys, and female fighters with huge chests and short skirts – at the same time unusual and ludicrous. No, Pluto does not possess any of these indiscretions. Instead, this novel offers characteristics apparent in great anime classics that moved our hearts back during the turn of the century; a robot impersonating humans and striving to acquire emotions, a tear straining allegory of an old director with music as his only memory his homeland, a child genius that can impress even the smartest of doctors, a series of robot murders, and a detective giving all he has to solve the case – all in the style of novel classics such as Akira and Monster. This is the kind of manga that we have come to love, that we have become used to during the golden age at the turn of the century.

Taking inspiration from Isaac Asimov, arguably the greatest author of robot fiction, we are presented with a retro-futuristic world, the exact prototype of envisioned by Verne, Bradbury, and Huxley. Taking insight from Tezuka, we are again presented with old characters of renown that inundates one with vast pangs of nostalgia. An entirely new universe is born from the remnants of the old. An entire world envisioned to perfection where robots coexist with humans besides building and on sidewalks, a world in which, instead of Ku Klux Klan and Jim Crow laws, we are presented with anti-robot organizations and the trashing and replacing of machines without sympathy. A world where those who fight for the rights of robots are killed mercilessly.

The strength of the story comes from its impenetrable plot. The setting is based on a police state of a society in the near future, where the moral dilemmas of ethical treatment of machines arose after the invention and development of the robots; as such, the plot is cleverly woven, and the issues brought up subtly. We are presented with big pictures. Head of departments screaming at their officials because they are robots, criminals kept alive in order to undergo extensive examination; we are also presented with insiders. In the homes of the denizens of the city, we see families mistreating robots who have worked for them without complaints over their short life-span when they are unfit for work. Although the characterization is arguably equally important, the minor characters, the ones that Urasawa is famed for focusing in order to develop the plot, are the ones that should receive the most attention.

Regardless of whatever accepted norms in which one writes a story, Urasawa breaks expectations and brings plot progression not through the introduction of characters, not through their deaths, but through the conversations between the main character and minor characters in the story. Through the conversation with a common household robot maid – whose husband is directly involved in a robot death, the reader is reveled with insight into the emotional threshold which robots are envisioned to develop in the story, and thus, have been perfected into beings which crossed the fine line between the living and the dead; the conversation with a robot who is locked up as a psychotic human killer – introducing events happening long before the story, creating the story’s back drop without excessive filler; through the dialogue uttered by father of the greatest robot ever built Atom – another character with only rare appearances in the novel, we are introduced to new ideas through subtle means. What better way to deftly progress the plot than to use minor characters instead of the protagonists from whom we expect change? So we’d better pay attention, because seemingly unrelated allegory to a musician can explain volumes.

A great skill that Urasawa possesses is the ability to keep suspense in animation for the entire duration of the manga. Unlike its more relaxed cousins, Pluto brings the suspense permeating through the entire cast of the characters. No matter from what angle one views the purpose of the protagonist, the mood is felt throughout the manga that he is on the edge of being blown into bits or slaughtered mercilessly. There is no moment when the reader ceases to worry for Gesicht as well as his compatriot androids; they seem at once invaluable to the plot, and disposable at any moment, a large boon to casting most of the characters as robots who can be seen as more things than persons, which brings up a main motif of the novel: if robots are so close to the real thing that they may be seen to have a conscience, then are they still animated objects? Humans originate from silt, and animate through the electrical signals sent by nerve endings, a description essentially identical to that of robots; so why are we held in higher regard?

As contrasted from thoughtless stories, the presence of these aforementioned reoccurring motifs provides the opportunity for thought, adding flavor to the plot through personal interaction. In this respect, Pluto proves itself as not merely a juxtaposed series of events for entertainment, though it provides a plethora in tow, but rather, an insightful reflection towards the allegory of life’s purpose. The addendum of these motifs also serves to bind the story together by providing a central theme as well as benchmark topics that work as threads connecting one parcel to another, forming the overall sphere of plot from the background.

The jewel in Pluto’s crown is its pantheon of characters, as well as Urasawa’s use of characterization on the antagonist. Wielding dexterous bouts of diction and plot devices, Urasawa molded the villain into a constant force lurking in the shadows; albeit having few appearances, we are left with a deep impression of the deep dangers threatening the main character. There is no place that is not influenced by the darkness; even in the mildest of settings, the central conflict is unconsciously understood through symbolic harbingers. A ride in the peaceful woods can turn into an explosive battle and insinuating sabotage. What to expect? What will happen next? We are kept at the edge of our seat as we turn page after page of insidious ploys and puzzling mysteries.

Without attention grabbing action and music adding a flourish, manga is rarely preferred over anime in this community. However, belonging to part of a minority does not mean that it does not have anything valuable to offer. On the contrary, manga works such as Pluto provide an interesting alternative to much of the tasteless cash reapers debuting on adult swim. Immobile graphics burst into life with the help of our imagination, each person envisioning a different world in the mind, with glorious music fitting perfectly into the background. That is the beauty of manga. To animate the imagination.

Any way the wind blows~

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Dec 19, 2013

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

JizzyHitler (All reviews)

35 people found this review helpful

Pluto is a sci-fi manga by Naoki Urasawa, the creator of such beloved series as Monster and 20th Century Boys, like the 2 works before it Pluto is a dark psychologically driven mystery revolving around themes of hatred, revenge, and death. Pluto is a remake of the late Osamu Tezuka's manga Astro Boy, specifically the "Greatest robot on earth" arc. Despite for the most part following its source material Naoki Urasawea's interpretations takes risks and adds more depth to both the setting, the implications behind the story, and most notably its characters all whilst giving the overall picture a much darker than grittier feel to it both in looks as well as the story itself ultimately resulting in an emotionally powerful and intense story that has stuck in my mind even after finishing it.

Pluto's story revolves around A europol detective named Gesicht, one of the worlds 7 most advanced robots, as hes brought in to investigate the murder of one of the creators of said 7 robots, at the crime scene there is a suspicious pair of horns brutally attached to the victim's head, suddenly more deaths of creators and even a couple of the 7 robots alike all with a pair of horns somewhere near the body, Now with Gesicht at the helm of the mystery as well as him being in direct danger its up to him to discover who is doing this and why. The Story of pluto may not have as many twists as the previous stories by Urasawa had but its none the less intriguing, it manages to throw in a new aspect of world building, back-story, or a interesting new development to the plotline whenever it feels like it may become predictable and thanks to the liberties naoki urasawa takes with his own interpretation it provides a very different and more unpredictable story than the original source material.

The characters are easily the strongest aspect of Pluto, The amount of depth given to the characters is truly a masterful example of story telling, with the 7 robots in particular even with the short screen time given to a few of them the manga provides an in depth look into their motivations, Their relationships with others, what makes them happy, what torments them, as well as giving them unique and believable personalities that only helps strengthen the theme of humanity in robotic beings that Pluto uses as a main crutch to its story. The main character Geischt in particular was a compelling character and the story arcs dealing with his control over hatred and the emotional connections he feels to others most notably his wife was easily one of the highlights of the series for me, we are consistently teased with hints of tragedy in his past and uncovering what happened in the past is one of the more minor but none the less intriguing mysteries behind pluto. Gesicht is a smart and well written character with a load of depth and even some development in him, from start to finish he was a compelling and often times tragic character that really helped carry the themes the manga tries to convey. On top of these characters is the character Atom, or as you may know him astro boy, Atom is a much different character than in the source material being a much less care free and more mature to the point character. Atom like the other robots was given a strong look into what makes the character tick and does act as a strong lead alongside Gesicht. Alongside the robots there are human characters like the much more gritty Dr Tenma, the vengeful Adolf Haas, and the more serious Dr. Ochanomizu whom add alot of depth to the story as the series progresses though I will refrain from mentioning much about them as they are best left to see from your own eyes rather than a synopsis. The depth given to the robot characters makes pluto stand out to me as one of the best examples of a story using the humanity given to robots premise done right.

As the story progresses and more of the mysteries unravel the series does transition from a mystery to more of a drama/thriller, sadly even though the last 2 are still strong the series does reach a peak with volume 4 which provides a intense and emotion filler story full of revelations and intrigue all packed with a shocking ending that left me speechless, the final pages of volume 4 with the help of the phenomenal and detailed art is one of the most powerful and saddest images i have seen in story telling. What comes after is still a tear jerking tragedy but mainly in the final volume the series it begins to feel a bit rushed mainly in some explanations, while there are no lose ends the series does require you to use your head to fill in a few of the blanks, though this comes off more as rushed and poorly written in that aspect but not enough to really hurt the series too much as it was just trying to stay true to the source material and had to take a hit as a result, though the extremely abrupt ending of the final pages is disappointing none the less. Even giving it the handicap the final volume of Pluto is its greatest weakness, but isn't so weak to undermine the story pluto masterfully told up until that point.

Pluto is an emotionally powerful series that never left me feeling bored, despite its considerably shorter length than Urasawa stories are usually it still had so much depth to its writing, characters, and themes that its becomes hard to tell its as relatively short as it it. Its a phenomenal series more than worth a read despite its hiccups near the end. Osamu Tezuka would have been proud.

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Jul 26, 2010

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

JephCassidy (All reviews)

35 people found this review helpful

Pluto by Naoki Urasawa and Osamu Tezuka. The overall base of Pluto is taken from (according to Anime news network) a story arc of Astro Boy and uses some of its characters. Naoki's touch comes in with the main character detective Gesicht (almost a reincarnation of detective Lunge, from Monster, with more emotion), in the art and in the thriller suspense that comes in at the beginning followed by the intricate plot depth that continues throughout the manga.

Story: At the beginning the story starts off as a mystery/thriller with the series of robot murders and then slowly turns into read more

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Jul 12, 2020

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 6

rectified_rascal (All reviews)

5 people found this review helpful

I haven't read Astro Boy or seen the series. So, none of the characters were new to me before I started the series.

The story gets off to a strong start. A murder mystery in a robot dominated world. Cool! But unexpectedly, it is also full of pathos, regret and deep sadness. Just in the first 2 volumes, there are several scenes which are incredibly emotional and gut-wrenchingly tragic. And then from the third volume, the story expands. There is a war, a dictator is overthrown, there is an anti-AI league, a horticulturalist goes missing, there is a mysterious teddy bear, apocalyptic earthquakes occur, a read more

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Mar 16, 2015

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

StalkerPoetess (All reviews)

11 people found this review helpful

This is more theory crafting than reviewing and it may have some mild spoilers.
This is an amazing manga and you should read it no matter what, don't even hesitate.
So I've just finished re-reading Pluto by Naoki Urasawa which the first ever manga I've read, about 5 years ago. I was about 14 when I first read it so I didn't understand much of it, I was a huge astro boy fan as a child so I was quite mesmerized by Pluto, even though at the time I had no idea what manga and anime was, but it still was an amazing introduction to this world even though I was quite disappointed when I found out that not all manga were as amazing amd mesmerizing as Naoki Urasawa's and Jiro Taniguchi's works, but then again that was to be expected since those works were in the adult section of the french library in my city.
But after reading it again, I was even more surprised at how amazing and well written Pluto was. I had forgotten most of what happened aside from the fact that Gesight dies and that his hatered is what revived Atom, and that Epsilon is without a doubt one of the coolest robots ever. But what I didn't catch with my first reading was how this manga was way too relevant to what happened and is still happening in this world. And beyond its final message about how hatred can't solve anything, the final pannel with the evil teddy bear made me realize something I didn't expect Urasawa to do. The manga started serialization on 2003 which is the same year that a certain country invaded a certain other cpuntry under the excuse of dictatorship and making of weapons of "mass destruction" yet they found nothing in the end if we analyze some of the bs excuses flying around and understand the real reason they started the war, and what was the reason why Pluto was created? United states of Athracia attacked Persia under the exuse of manufacturing robots of "mass destruction" when in reality they were making robots to solve the problem of deforestation. Just look at the names and the clothes of the inhabitants of Persia to understand, and not only that look at how all 7 robots from different countries all went in the aid of the Athracia, which organization does that? And at last that teddy bear that was pulling all the strings from the shadows, a weak teddy bear yet who has the help of the president of the strongest nation and even asked him to be his slave in order to protect him, I have a theory about that, just think about that certain country that's been creating problems yet is protected fiercely. I don't want to go into details as discussing my political views will just turn into an ugly sight and it's not worth it.
Those may be just speculation of my part of course, but if I'm right, then damn Urasawa is a freaking genius. I've only given three manga I've read so far 9.5 or 10/10 which are A Distant Neighborhood, Onanie Master Kurasawa and Pluto. But Pluto is without a doubt the best manga I've read in the last five years. I've always said it's my favorite even though I had almost forgotten everything about but its greatness stayed fixed in my mind. I'm really grateful that this was my introduction to manga.
For those who read the manga, I would love to hear some of youd theories and your thoughts on mine.

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Apr 5, 2018

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 8

Ultima14 (All reviews)

6 people found this review helpful

Pluto is a mature retelling of Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka, more specifically of the arc called The Greatest Robot on Earth.

It’s about an alternative future where robots that emulate humans are becoming a reality, with the world’s seven strongest robots being the “perfect models”. There’s a global conspiracy in the world and said strongest robots are being destroyed one by one.

The story might not seem original if you have read or watched classics like the Watchmen, Blade Runner, I, Robot or Pinocchio as it borrows elements from these stories, but as a whole is very intriguing and the themes are presented in a mature way.

One of the positives of this manga is how the story jumps from different point of views, through the seven strongest robots that are targeted and in danger of being destroyed, having their own meaningful side stories that connects with the other robots, while each one is contributing more to unwrap the mystery.

While initially I didn’t care much, the story gives enough focus and number of distinctive interactions to the characters so you get to know them before they meet their death. The way the manga builds the drama gives weight to these events, it’s quite subtle and nothing is overblown. The manga greatest achievement is making his robotic characters human-like and worthy of compassion. Part of the trick to achieve this was to give these robots a human appearance, with their advanced technologies they felt in some way like androids or cyborgs instead of robots. They also felt like incomplete humans, beings that could feel sad but couldn’t feel like dying, beings that had frustrating memories but couldn’t forget.

The villains and their motivations are certainly the weakest aspect of the manga. In the end all of them are generic well-intentioned extremists, for example that anti-robot organization that resembles the KKK, they have resentment to the robots because the old models had failures and have hurt the humans by accident but this seems pretty exaggerated and unjustified when you start to think that this organization is against all robots, and in the context of the story the robots that caused their resentment are scarce, being replaced and the new models are literally unable to hurt humans because of their programming.
The teddy bear is just as bland, with a similar lame motivation. Pluto, one of the most important characters, has a pretty simple characterization. The villains are over the top and in certain way, unjustified.

The last two volumes are rushed (it goes from a mystery/suspense story to a more action-packed one) as some revelations are way too convenient, especially the finale, with most problems being resolved quite fast. Also, the story leaves you with loose ends. You don’t really get to know who exactly was that teddy bear, how Bora turns magma to ice or how Brau 1589 escaped the prison. It’s too far-fetched in general. As if this wasn’t enough the final message is delivered in a non-subtle way.

In all, Pluto has great build-up but with generic antagonists and a lackluster ending. It’s still one of the best sci-fi manga when it comes to portray a robotic futuristic scenario and treat all the philosophical subjects that entails.

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Jul 26, 2014

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

ghostcardinal (All reviews)

5 people found this review helpful

When I first heard about Pluto, I wasnt eager to read it. "Its just a retelling of an arc in Astro Boy," I thought to myself, "cant be that good." Eventually I caved and read it. I was blown away. The story is suspenseful and addictive, as expected of Urasawa. The characters are deep and interesting, and the art style is very fitting. Naoki Urasawa is a two time winner of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. The first time was for his masterpiece, Monster. The second time was for Pluto, and now I see why. However, for all the brilliance in this masterpiece, there is read more

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May 16, 2011

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

hallanmeras (All reviews)

5 people found this review helpful

General reviews overall a 10, but the art is a little too fluid for my liking. Still good art, but not perfect from my perspective. It in no way detracted from the story, but I can't give the art a perfect score.
This is a perfect melding of hard scifi, classic scifi, classic manga and new manga.
Like all great stories, the plot, characters and themes are universal. The setting and media are one that appeal to comic readers, but could easily be modified to reflect any era.
I always like stories that take us off the beaten track a little, and let's face it - the most read more

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Dec 9, 2020

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

Jakuzure_Nonon (All reviews)

1 people found this review helpful

When it comes to manga, urasawa never disappoints. Whether it comes to storywriting, his art or even creating interesting three dimensional characters, he's one of the best. Pluto is no exception.

As someone who is only vaguely familiar with the astroboy series, this manga was still extremely enjoyable. I think the author manages to subtly explain the overall astroboy universe without being so "in your face" about it which I liked.

The art is beautiful, when it comes to drawing people, he's one of the best mangakas out there. He sometimes same-faces between series but rarely within the same manga which is impresive considering even the most read more

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Sep 17, 2020

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 8

Hadeyan (All reviews)

1 people found this review helpful

Well, Its Urasawa after all. It's still classy, engaging and enduring, and beautifully illustrated. Yet the story and plot not fit in each other and certainly Urasawa's work not fitting into only 65 chapters. That's why the last 2-3 volume work is rushed heavily and this rushing kinda makes first 30-35 chapter value act pointless. Most of the character roster turns out to be metaphysical tools to use (many origins of many Deus ex ).

So there ain't room enough to care about the plot, the characters, or the history that shaped this very world of Pluto.

Proper prioritization of the plot is the most lacking read more

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Dec 8, 2018

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

sakis263 (All reviews)

1 people found this review helpful

Can robots make mistakes even though they are not programmed too.
Thats one of many questions pluto goes in too.

This Story simply said: Pluto is about the mystery behind the deaths of the most highly intelligent robots and their creators.

Story: 10
The mystery in Pluto is great. As we get more revealed about the crimes, the more questions arise. its not like everything gets revealed and thats it. No the Mystery remains untiil the very end. How Urasawa present his story is very unique and everything is somehow woven together. there is nothing wasted in pluto. One of my favorite parts is the whole part with North read more

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Apr 7, 2017

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

Dietrologia (All reviews)

1 people found this review helpful

Naoki Urasawa is frequently considered one of the greatest authors in modern manga. His plotting is incredibly tight and densely packed, his characters feel grounded and have complexities not afforded to most characters in manga and anime, and overall his stories since Monster have felt very adult in their themes and ideas without falling into the pitfalls common of seinen manga, who abuse the narrative freedom afforded to them by packing their stories with an excess of gore and sexual content to make their stories "edgy". For many anime and manga fans who want to show the best the medium has to offer, many will frequently point to his works.

So years back, after being blown away by Monster, when I found out he had actually penned this story, a retelling of an arc from Astro Boy, I was pretty damn excited to see what he had come up with. I was familiar with the franchise and some of Tezuka's other work, having watched several episodes of the 2003 Astro Boy anime and played the Omega Factor videogame years back, so there was an actual investment here that went beyond just reading another Urasawa story.

Needless to say, I was completely blown away by what I read.

Pluto is, at its core, a work of science fiction in the tradition of Ghost In the Shell and Blade Runner, i.e it is primarily concerned with the question of makes someone "human", and what point the line between a sufficiently advanced machine and a human actually is. Like Ghost in the Shell, the world that the story takes has had robots integrated into society for quite a while, so the story is not about them as an emerging force but rather what kind of society would exist where these beings who are becoming increasingly indistinguishable from humans, and how that grey area creates a lot of problems and interesting implications.

What makes Pluto not only work, but work very well, is two things.

The first is that it is actually reasonably intelligent. When it comes to a work like this, it can be hard to have new or interesting insights into what is essentially a very speculative future at best where many ideas have already been shown and articulated in a smart fashion in other works.

As with basically any story that deals with this "what makes a human?" theme there is some ground that is retread, but Pluto has some pretty great compelling ideas of its own to offer. It has an understanding of what it is like to live as a minority and a second-class citizen, and shows how simply because that group might be protected by the laws doesn't automatically mean everyone will accept them, because hatred simply doesn't work that way. Even when hatred is not present, contempt and indifference can be just as harmful, with many of the human characters displaying a casual disregard for any robots' well-being despite them having rights and being ostensibly their own people.

Hatred is in fact one of the central themes of the story, and it shows itself again and again as a force that cannot create anything positive or meaningful. Some people in the story hate robots so thoroughly and hold them in such contempt that they have formed explicit hate groups dedicated to maintaining human supremacy (in one of the more on-the-nose parallels they are basically the KKK for robots). But ultimately, hatred is one of the main things that define humanity and we can't simply not feel it; the point is made that any succifiently advanced robot will someday have to come to terms with experiencing it. That is one of the story's more laudable accomplishments, portraying crimes of passion, something we condemn in our regular society, as one of the spiritual rites of passage that makes a robot truly enlightened.

Secondly, Pluto has amazing narrative economy and is able to provide compelling characterization and development for characters who honestly aren't around for all that long. The mystery of the story and the way it unfolds is extremely captivating, making for a great page turner as things become more and more tangled in past political and social events. Urasawa employs a very "Steven Spielberg"-esque sentimentality to the writing, where it could have very easily felt mawkish and banal if not the compelling sincerity with which it is delivered and the general intelligence and imagination that went into the setting and ideas of the story. When the characters suffer, you will really feel for them, these Pinocchios who play at being human so well that you can't help but cry with them. The manga's cast is immensely likable and interesting, with the standout being Gesicht who is probably one of the best main characters of manga to date. They embody by far one of the most interesting aspects of the work, which is the dichotomy that comes from humans who have shut themselves away emotionally and become much more machine-like as time goes on, versus the advanced robots whose kindness, sincerity and empathy make for a fascinating contrast.

While the manga ends up losing some steam and its ending comes across as a bit anticlimactic, it ties up pretty much all its loose ends and is generally an engrossing read. While it can be easily argued that it is overly optimistic and sentimental, it has enough substance to be able to get away with most of it, similar to a smart person whose opinions you disagree with. The story can be a bit on-the-nose sometimes (it actualy references Pinocchio itself once, which I found unnecessary), but its heart is in the right place.

A final note is whether familiarity with Astro Boy or Tezuka's other work is necessary, since the series does have shout-outs and references to other works in his canon.

I think that the story is strong and does enough of a good job of explaining itself to stand on its own, but I do think that yes, you will get more out of it if you are familiar with Astro Boy in some way, whether it be the manga or one of the anime adaptations. Seeing Urasawa's take on these characters is one of the main pleasures of the series, for sure, and not one you'll be able to appreciate if you weren't already introduced to them beforehand.

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Nov 26, 2020

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

Sukamii (All reviews)

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"Even if the world ends, I won't let you go."

At first when I started reading this manga I assumed it was going to take a generic Blade Runner theme of "What does it mean to be Human? Are the robots any different than us?" and while it did incorporate some elements of those themes those are more so a side point to some bigger and more important themes; that being what is born from hatred, why do we hate, and from such unspeakable malice are we able to forgive?

I will be alluding to some spoilers involving characters later on in this review so I will read more

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Jan 29, 2021

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

ilovebishie (All reviews)

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Naoki Urasa is a genius. His story is always complicated that I had to read it twice to grasp everything.

The plot is undoubtedly amazing and not cliche. As a fan of Astroboy who is pretty familiar with Pluto arc, I found myself surprised at how amazing the author executed the story

I admit, I did cry everytime a robot died!!!

*spoiler alert*

When the main character died, I didn't cry. But when his wife cried, I did CRIED!

I can see that Naoki Urasawa really ia fan of Astroboy, especially with Pluto arc. He did some modifications here and there

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Oct 1, 2020

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 6

Shellshock123 (All reviews)

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Pluto Review. Originally disappointed after finishing Monster I expected this series to not live up to Naoki Ursawa's hype but amazingly...

I was right.

Pluto is a sci fi series set in about 200 years in the future give or take. Everyone is driving cool cars, lives in cool buildings and have holograms and robots at there service. The series kicks off with a murder. Someone murdered a robot and our main character needs to find out who is doing and exactly who is capable of pulling this off.

As you'd except from a series with robots they ask the questions like what is a robot what is a human. Whats the difference between a robot and a human. What differentiates them. Where do you draw line. What do you do when someone crosses it. Its something done a million times before but I do believe it works here much better as they author actually tries to dig deep into this specific scenario and honestly executing it well.

If you couldn't tell i hated it monster. Calling it a bad series is me being nice about it. So imagine my surprise when i was somewhat enthralled by the first 2 volumes of this. Like the series does an excellent job in making the robots feel alive and blurring the lines of who gets to choose what has a heart or not. The reason for this is mainly due to the charisma of the main character. He is incredibly engaging. I really liked the dynamic between him and the humans and robots he surrounded himself with. The series isn't some masterpiece but it is interesting and exciting to make want to keep reading, the story is coherent and no one spends an entire fucking episode getting gas. However most of this feeling begun to dissipate when volume 3 starts or more specifically these KKK clan wannabe's join the story.

For a story thats able to convey emotion of the robots the author is ironically incapable of making the human characters convey the same emotion. Everything beyond volume 3 just begins to dissipate. The feeling of being engaged gets removed as the main characters takes a back seat for other less interesting characters to take the stage. Its worse too as there are more human characters that shows up that no one gives a fuck about. It also starts introducing weak subplots that pull the series down.

The later half takes more of gets even worse as the main characters takes even more of a backseat. The story starts slipping and my enjoyment lessens to much more significant degree. The villain was already weak and unmemorable but when the whole story gets unraveled the twist begun to show you start noticing cracks and inconsistencies. One of the main villains the titular character Pluto just doesn't make sense. His entire story is just weak. There wasn't a single villain that really was able to stand out besides being the general bad guy.

The ending is fine but if this is Naoki's best ending im gonna be incredibly disappointed for the rest of his series. He can make great premises but his execution are just horrifyingly poor. though the epilogue ending was just... eh.

TLDR: Overall i was happy at first and then disappointed but im iffy on how to score. A part of me wants to rate it poorly but I feel like that would be unfair as it would be my bias in play. Which im trying hard not to put in. But at the same time i feel im being too nice. But considering how good the first 2 volumes of the series was.... i guess i'll barely give this one a 6/10

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Aug 8, 2019

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

Crushervice (All reviews)

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Again, Urasawa has triumphed with a job full of mystery and much suspense. A short but decisive manga, although in my opinion it is too short, I am used to the mangaka giving us a slightly longer job. Despite not being the best I have read about him so far, he far exceeds many others and deserves a reading.

In addition, Pluto pays tribute to one of the most famous stories of one of Osamu Tezuka's most famous comics.

This manga deserves a reading. If you have never read any work by the author whom, luckily or unfortunately, I have so magnified, you should start with this read more

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Jun 21, 2017

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

Tora141 (All reviews)

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Remaking Tezuka is a tall order. Urasawa's execution was flawless.

Dr. Tezuka himself introduced "The Greatest Robot on Earth" as being one of the more popular chapters from the Tetsuwan Atom series. The robot Pluto was a more complex character. Tezuka went on to say how upset readers were when it was all said and done; they wanted more - and fortunately Urasawa gave us more and then some.

The characters in the original work, the seven strongest robots in the world, had very simple substance and short existences within the original 180 page story (aside from Atom of course). Urasawa takes the blinks of life they read more

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Feb 3, 2021

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

MazinIndian (All reviews)

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My god, where do i start, i mean its surely not monster by any length but boy oh boy this manga surprised me, i discovered it while i was reading about naoki urasawa and pluto striked me as i read and watched astro boy when i was a kid and i was like meh how pluto from that manga got his own manga, i just dropped it as a joke but i picked it back after a year casually and god i was surprised as i didn't knew it would be this good. You know it's hard for any manga to topple monster but only read more

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Aug 6, 2020

65 of 65 chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

wolfang135 (All reviews)

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Quick story summary: There is a robot(?) that is killing the 7 strongest robots in the world, as well as select human robot experts. Gesicht, a renowned detective, is in charge of finding out who, or what, is causing all the murders.

Naoki Urasawa is often called one of the best storytellers to ever exist, throughout any medium. His most notable works include Monster, 20th Century Boys, and Pluto, which are all seen as some of the best stories ever to be created in manga if not in any medium, including cinema or literature.

But personally, having read all of the aftermentioned three series, I have to admit that although I didn't really enjoy Monster or 20th Century Boys as much as everyone else seems to, I believe that Pluto deserves all of the hype it gets.

I have a lot of problems with Monster and 20th Century Boys. They both seem to share similar faults: while the beginning is great, the middle starts to get drawn out far too long and the ending, for some reason, gets rushed and doesn't feel satisfying. (Huge spoilers for 20th Century Boys: How the HELL did Kenji survive? It literally makes no sense, and it also the makes no sense for him to just be fucking around for years after magically surviving Bloody New Year's Eve)

That isn't to say that I can't understand why Urasawa's works are so often praised, however. He is very good at making every chapter suspenseful, and also keeping crucial details hidden from you until the last minute. All of his manga that I have consumed so far (Pluto, Monster, and 20th Century), are prime examples of manga that you physically can't put down. In Pluto, I think this aspect of his storytelling really shines through. It is 60 chapters, but it'll be over before you know it.

I believe the biggest asset of this manga is it's length. Pluto is only 60 chapters long, which is good because unlike his other series, Pluto doesn't feel stretched out at all, and the ending actually makes sense and is satisfying. It is also a remake of another existing series, so the world makes more sense because many things already feel established. (Spoilers for 20th Century Boys: unlike, for example, in 20th Century where the dream world thing is randomly added, and never properly explained).

Another reason why Urasawa is praised so often is because of the attention to detail. I can't give too many examples out because of spoilers, but I'll say that this is a series definitely worth re-reading, if not just because of all the details you'll notice.

If you love suspenseful, mystery-driven stories that will be impossible to put down, then Pluto is definitely a great choice. If you want to check out Urasawa, then Pluto is a great choice. If you just want a masterpiece of a manga to read, then Pluto is a great choice. If you really love this, then it might be worth to also go read Monster and 20th Century Boys, although, in my humble opinion, I do think that they are overrated. (Only slightly in Monster's case, but very very overrated in 20th Century's case.)

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