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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
This is the rare update of a masterpiece that is a masterpiece in its own right. "Pluto" is technically an "Astro Boy" story but focuses on a side character from the original "The world's greatest robot" story. Urasawa opens with an environmental disaster and the death of one of the seven great robots of the world, Mont Blanc.
The story establishes that robots in this world live like humans, and some like Mont Blanc are even treated with high regard. However, the human/robot relationship is heavily explored in the series, and it becomes apparent that, outside of a select few, humans don't think of robots in a mortal sense. When the protagonist, Gesicht, investigates a human death, he finds out that a patrol robot died as collateral.
Interestingly, many human characters have mixed or gray feelings about their relationships with robots, with some witnesses ignoring the fact completely. One notable worker recalls the robot as Robby before quickly correcting himself to call it Patrol-Bot PRC Model 1332. This is the first notable moment that calls this theme into play, and Urasawa does it so subtly and quickly but with enough weight to the words and pictures that readers can't help but dwell on that little speech mistake.
The scene gains poignancy when Gesicht has to tell "Robby's" robot wife (looking like the maid robot in the Jetsons) that her husband has died. These moments exemplify the core strength of Pluto - examining the relationship between humans and robots and the subtle differences between how robots process grief, loneliness, and joy. Pluto provides incredible poignancy and insight into human capacity for love, giving, greed, and violence, while spinning a fast-paced tale of techno-noir, environmental disaster, and shadowy corporate and government greed.
The artwork perfectly matches the story- simple most of the time, pausing on a subtle gesture or look. But he can play on the exaggerated game of manga that is common today when needed.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Since there is an anime adaptation now and this series has on my TBR for a while now i decided to read it and watch the anime after and so far I am really enjoying it…I really like Urasawa’s art work and the story is entertaining..I can’t wait for things to really pick up.
Probably the best start of the three Urasawa mangas I've read... while Monster and 20th Century Boys are slow-burn openers, Pluto jumps right into the action, in a futuristic world where robots are common, and someone is murdering them. It starts with the murder of a beloved environmental protection robot in Switzerland and moves on from there, and a robot detective (who is quite reminiscent of the inspector from Monster) is on the case.
It's all based on a classic Astro Boy story, of course, but Urasawa swerves the point-of-view, basing it on the detective (a supporting character in the original) and expanding it greatly into a murder mystery, rather than mostly an excuse to throw Astro Boy up against a more powerful robot that he requires an update to defeat. The original is good, arguably one of the best Astro Boy stories, and it's balls-y of Urasawa to tackle it, but based on volume one, it looks like his ambition will pay off.
It's all based on a classic Astro Boy story, of course, but Urasawa swerves the point-of-view, basing it on the detective (a supporting character in the original) and expanding it greatly into a murder mystery, rather than mostly an excuse to throw Astro Boy up against a more powerful robot that he requires an update to defeat. The original is good, arguably one of the best Astro Boy stories, and it's balls-y of Urasawa to tackle it, but based on volume one, it looks like his ambition will pay off.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The show is such a perfect adaptation, this I'd just like watching it again, but the writing and art are so good, I don't mind at all.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder
Minor: Death of parent
I mean on the one hand, it's a little weird, because main characters look (intentionally) different, and the plotting / context is different, but it's the classic Astro story in a new guise. A lot of onomatopoeias keep it pretty vivid.
So I found out there was an anime about this series this year and just wanted to check it out, it’s not bad but I just thought it was meh like it was draggy for me unfortunately…