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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
the absolute irony of finishing this volume b4 my therapy session
The man himself has done it once again. Wow, what a story.
It's impressive how Urasawa could take one of the oldest mangas like Astro Boy and make it his own story so naturally. When Urasawa initially got the idea for Pluto in 2004, he met with Tezuka's son, Makoto, to discuss things and possibly change Makoto's mind, because Makoto was initially opposed to Urasawa's plans. After some persistence (and some drinks), Urasawa impressed Tezuka's son and obtained the rights to go forward and work on the story--under one condition: Urasawa had to do the entire thing in his own style. And he did.
It's pretty cool to think about: one of the best mangakas of our current time paying homage to the granddad of manga and anime, which, like many other mediums, has mostly deteriorated into mediocrity, with only a handful of creators out there continuing to complete works that are of quality. At the end of Vol. 1 of Pluto in an included note, Makoto Tezuka had this to say: "But now, I believe that manga is attempting to hold back a period of excess. The world of manga is beginning to develop a shadow...However, the expressive potential of manga is infinite. And room for development is infinite. Please, Mr. Urasawa. Please continue to create the kind of great works that will lead the world of manga. For the people of the past and the future. I'm looking forward to it." Strong stuff, eh? I believe Makoto Tezuka was right, even moreso now than a decade+ ago. And out of manga's growing shadow, there are still those that carry the torch of their predecessors who sought to make good manga.
In any other hands, something like Pluto would've flopped. What I like about Urasawa is his consistent treatment of his stories' themes, and the scope of his artwork. He captures anguish, horror, mysteriousness, fear, loveliness, and human warmth so well that his drawings tend to evoke strong emotion in you. I particularly liked how huge the world felt in this manga--the skyscraping buildings, the futuristic landscapes; all of it was so awe-inspiring. There are times when you've just gotta stop and sit for a while and take it all in, it looks so good.
As always, Urasawa's characters were a great deal complex, and this sort of complexity was contrasted well by the cyberpunk, noir-ish society. Robots, cyborgs, and humans, all mixing together in Urasawa's world, made for a very explosive, fun, and tragic cast of characters that kept me on the edge of my seat. And I couldn't help but be reminded sometimes of Urasawa's Monster when reading Pluto--there are certain characters that remind me of the ones in Monster, and certain names are even shared between them (so he must've been influenced by Tezuka long ago). I'm not sure whether this is a good or bad thing, as it could become distracting or confusing to think about a character from a different story, but the characters in Pluto all have enough difference to them to stand on their own.
Going off of that, there were some definite flaws in this manga, such as certain events happening a bit too conveniently, or things becoming somewhat convoluted at times. And, perhaps it was the limitations of using Astro Boy as the backdrop, or the pressure of delivering something that would honor Osamu Tezuka's manga, but compared to Urasawa's more original stories, I couldn't help but get the feeling that Urasawa was holding himself back sometimes. But, in the end, what Urasawa made was still true to his style, and you wouldn't even need to have read Astro Boy to enjoy this. And, clocking in at only 65 chapters, Pluto looks to be the shortest of Urasawa's more ambitious works, yet it is the punchiest, most action-packed one I've read. Whether it be sci-fi or realism, this man sure knows how to do a thriller.
Well, I'm glad that I finally got around to reading this. I wish I did sooner, because it was very impressive, and a lot more intense than I thought it was going to be going in. Great stuff, Mr. Urasawa. Keep it up.
It's impressive how Urasawa could take one of the oldest mangas like Astro Boy and make it his own story so naturally. When Urasawa initially got the idea for Pluto in 2004, he met with Tezuka's son, Makoto, to discuss things and possibly change Makoto's mind, because Makoto was initially opposed to Urasawa's plans. After some persistence (and some drinks), Urasawa impressed Tezuka's son and obtained the rights to go forward and work on the story--under one condition: Urasawa had to do the entire thing in his own style. And he did.
It's pretty cool to think about: one of the best mangakas of our current time paying homage to the granddad of manga and anime, which, like many other mediums, has mostly deteriorated into mediocrity, with only a handful of creators out there continuing to complete works that are of quality. At the end of Vol. 1 of Pluto in an included note, Makoto Tezuka had this to say: "But now, I believe that manga is attempting to hold back a period of excess. The world of manga is beginning to develop a shadow...However, the expressive potential of manga is infinite. And room for development is infinite. Please, Mr. Urasawa. Please continue to create the kind of great works that will lead the world of manga. For the people of the past and the future. I'm looking forward to it." Strong stuff, eh? I believe Makoto Tezuka was right, even moreso now than a decade+ ago. And out of manga's growing shadow, there are still those that carry the torch of their predecessors who sought to make good manga.
In any other hands, something like Pluto would've flopped. What I like about Urasawa is his consistent treatment of his stories' themes, and the scope of his artwork. He captures anguish, horror, mysteriousness, fear, loveliness, and human warmth so well that his drawings tend to evoke strong emotion in you. I particularly liked how huge the world felt in this manga--the skyscraping buildings, the futuristic landscapes; all of it was so awe-inspiring. There are times when you've just gotta stop and sit for a while and take it all in, it looks so good.
As always, Urasawa's characters were a great deal complex, and this sort of complexity was contrasted well by the cyberpunk, noir-ish society. Robots, cyborgs, and humans, all mixing together in Urasawa's world, made for a very explosive, fun, and tragic cast of characters that kept me on the edge of my seat. And I couldn't help but be reminded sometimes of Urasawa's Monster when reading Pluto--there are certain characters that remind me of the ones in Monster, and certain names are even shared between them (so he must've been influenced by Tezuka long ago). I'm not sure whether this is a good or bad thing, as it could become distracting or confusing to think about a character from a different story, but the characters in Pluto all have enough difference to them to stand on their own.
Going off of that, there were some definite flaws in this manga, such as certain events happening a bit too conveniently, or things becoming somewhat convoluted at times. And, perhaps it was the limitations of using Astro Boy as the backdrop, or the pressure of delivering something that would honor Osamu Tezuka's manga, but compared to Urasawa's more original stories, I couldn't help but get the feeling that Urasawa was holding himself back sometimes. But, in the end, what Urasawa made was still true to his style, and you wouldn't even need to have read Astro Boy to enjoy this. And, clocking in at only 65 chapters, Pluto looks to be the shortest of Urasawa's more ambitious works, yet it is the punchiest, most action-packed one I've read. Whether it be sci-fi or realism, this man sure knows how to do a thriller.
Well, I'm glad that I finally got around to reading this. I wish I did sooner, because it was very impressive, and a lot more intense than I thought it was going to be going in. Great stuff, Mr. Urasawa. Keep it up.
A great start to a whodunit in a sci-fi setting, close to the uncanny valley.
4.5 Stars (Rounded to 4)
4.5 Stars (Rounded to 4)
adventurous
emotional
tense
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Urasawa non ne sbaglia una
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This contains three chapters of one of my favorite stories in manga overall, the story of North No. 2.
This is my favorite Urasawa. Naoki Urasawa is famous for his mystery and thriller stories, but what I remember or remains of them is the humane side of them. Here he showed a lot in a story that is about robots.
The series started while the Iraq War was going on, so the invasion and the robots of mass destruction are too familiar for the readers.
While writing this review, I was at Pluto's wiki page and noticed that they finally made a TV series for it.
This is my favorite Urasawa. Naoki Urasawa is famous for his mystery and thriller stories, but what I remember or remains of them is the humane side of them. Here he showed a lot in a story that is about robots.
The series started while the Iraq War was going on, so the invasion and the robots of mass destruction are too familiar for the readers.
While writing this review, I was at Pluto's wiki page and noticed that they finally made a TV series for it.
medium-paced