Reviews - Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 1

As a first volume, it's clearly setting the stage for what's to come, so anything intensely gripping is yet to happen. Nevertheless, this is a deeply moving work that is not afraid to humanize even the most fleeting characters while unraveling its philosophical core. If you have enjoyed Urasawa's proyects, this one won't be any different.

michaelclorah's review against another edition

4.0

via NYPL - compelling and taut murder mystery, lots of atmosphere, lots of good character work. I look forward to reading more of this series.

nervousburrito's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

pris_asagiri's review against another edition

4.0

This is a fantastic graphic novel that is a must-read for sci-fi a.i. fans. I had read a lot of reviews saying this is a retelling of Astroboy, and as I have not read that series, I suppose it can be called that. He is in it and it does include him. However, what makes this story so interesting is that through most of it, it's told through the eyes of German Police Office (and robot), Geischt. On one level, this is a fast-paced, exciting whodunnit police drama. But on a deeper level, it deals with the philosophy of do non-human robots, who look and mimic humans, have rights? And how far do those rights go? And what happens if said robots become human? While set in a futuristic world, it also is a commentary on the Middle East conflict/war and the choices that the United States and the United Nations made in Iraq, and the consequences of those choices.

I really enjoyed the story telling and the translation was fantastic. The illustrations were fantastic. In a couple of issues, the drawing were more compelling then the story. I love that when that happens. Mostly told in black and white (which I thought was appropriate to the subject matter), the ocassional parts of color gave the story a nice lift.

If you're a sci-fi fan or a graphic novel fan, I highly recommend you pick this one up!