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Pluto [¥×¥ë©`¥È¥¦] #8
PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 8
A new vision based on Astroboy - "The greatest robot on earth". Final Volume!
Contains Chapters 56 to 65.
Contains Chapters 56 to 65.
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2009
12 people are currently reading
651 people want to read
About the author
Naoki Urasawa
347?books2,625?followersUrasawa Naoki (ÆÖ›gÖ±Ê÷) is a Japanese mangaka. He is perhaps best known for Monster (which drew praise from Junot D¨ªaz, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner) and 20th Century Boys.
Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (¥Ñ¥¤¥Ê¥Ã¥×¥ëARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTER¥©`¥È¥ó) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20ÊÀ¼oÉÙÄê) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21ÊÀ¼oÉÙÄê) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTER¥©`¥È¥ó Re¥Þ¥¹¥¿©`) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (‰ôÓ¡-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Mus¨¦e du Louvre
- Asadora! (ßB¾AÂþ»Ð¡Õh ¤¢¤µ¥É¥é!) 2018-ongoing
Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (¥Ñ¥¤¥Ê¥Ã¥×¥ëARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTER¥©`¥È¥ó) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20ÊÀ¼oÉÙÄê) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21ÊÀ¼oÉÙÄê) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTER¥©`¥È¥ó Re¥Þ¥¹¥¿©`) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (‰ôÓ¡-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Mus¨¦e du Louvre
- Asadora! (ßB¾AÂþ»Ð¡Õh ¤¢¤µ¥É¥é!) 2018-ongoing
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October 8, 2023
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???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???????. ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ???????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?? ????? ? ????? ??? 2000 ?? ????? ??? ?? ????????? ??? ??????? ? ???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ? ?????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ????? ???? ????? ???? ????????? ?????? ?????. ????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???.
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???? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ?? ???? ??? ????. ???? ????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ? ????????? ???????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????????? ????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????. ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ?????? ? ????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ??????. ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ??????.
?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????????? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??????. ??????? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ???????? ? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ? ????? ?? ??? ???. ??? ????? ???? ???????.
??????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???????? (? ???? ????? ???????) ???? ????? ?? ?? ??????. ?????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???. ?? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?????. ?? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???. ????? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ???????? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ? ???????????? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ?????. ?? ??? ???? ???? ????? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ???????? ??? ? ?? ????? ????.
???????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?????????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ??? ??????? ? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??? ?????????. ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ?????? ???????.
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??? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ? ??????? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ? ?????????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?????. ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?????????. ?? ?????? ????? ? ??????? ???????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?????
???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ????? ???? ????? ????? ????. ??????? ?? ????? ??? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?????. ??? ???????? ???? ???? ? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???????...???? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???.
???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???????. ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ???????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?? ????? ? ????? ??? 2000 ?? ????? ??? ?? ????????? ??? ??????? ? ???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ? ?????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ????? ???? ????? ???? ????????? ?????? ?????. ????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???.
?? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?? ????????? ????? ? ???????? ????? ??? ??? ? ????? ?? ???? ??? ????????? ????? ? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ???.
???? ?? ?? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ??????? ???? ???. ?????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ????????? ???????? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ?????????? ?? ???? ??? ??????? ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ???. ????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??????????? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ??? ??????. ????????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ? ????? ???? ???????.
??? ??????? ????? ???? ???????? ?? ??????????? ?????????? ????? ?? ?? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ? ?? ???????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???. ??? ?? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ?????. ??? ?????? ????????? ?? ?? ????? ???? (?????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????) ?????. ?? ???? ????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ???.
??? ????? ??????? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ??????? ??????. ?????????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ?? ??? ????????? ????????? ???? ? ???? ??????? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ????? ???.
???? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ?? ???? ??? ????. ???? ????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ? ????????? ???????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????????? ????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????. ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ?????? ? ????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ??????. ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ??????.
?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????????? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??????. ??????? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ???????? ? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ? ????? ?? ??? ???. ??? ????? ???? ???????.
??????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???????? (? ???? ????? ???????) ???? ????? ?? ?? ??????. ?????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???. ?? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?????. ?? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???. ????? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ???????? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ? ???????????? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ?????. ?? ??? ???? ???? ????? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ???????? ??? ? ?? ????? ????.
???????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?????????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ??? ??????? ? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??? ?????????. ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ?????? ???????.
?.?: ??? ??? ???? ??????? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ???????? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ???. ??? ???????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?????.
January 14, 2021
Pluto es un manga que me ha sorprendido para bien y me ha calado hondo, mereci¨¦ndose todas las estrellas que le he dado.
Empecemos por mencionar lo obvio: Pluto es una reinvenci¨®n de Astroboy (personaje que seguro casi todos conocen). Espec¨ªficamente recrea un arco de la historia de este llamado "El robot m¨¢s grande de la Tierra". Aunque yo considero que no es necesario leer o conocer algo de Astroboy para sumergirte en lo que Naoki Urasawa nos muestra.
Ahora s¨ª, vamos por lo que Pluto nos propone, y es la historia de un robot detective de la Europol llamado Gesith, que tendr¨¢ que descubrir qui¨¦n est¨¢ detr¨¢s de las muertes de robots y humanos que est¨¢n muy relacionadas entre s¨ª.
Pero, a ver, no nos dejemos enga?ar. S¨ª, esa es la premisa que nos plantea el manga y la sigue al pie de la letra, pero es ni de lejos lo m¨¢s importante, ese solo es el anzuelo. Pluto busca entretener al lector con una trama llena de misterio, sus dosis de intriga y suspenso pero tambi¨¦n busca dar un mensaje en medio de todo el curso de la historia. Y mejor a¨²n, no se centra en un solo personaje sino que recorre diferentes perspectivas dando riqueza a la historia.
Pluto nos muestra c¨®mo es la relaci¨®n entre los humanos y robots. Su coexistencia. Los prejuicios latentes, los derechos que se han ganado y tambi¨¦n lo que se ha perdido gracias a el odio y la muerte. Es una historia sensible que muestra los estragos de la guerra a trav¨¦s de los participantes en esta y todo el dolor que deja en ellos. Con personajes variados y muy emotivos.
Durante todo el manga se debate si los robots pueden sentir algo o no. Si solo son simples chatarras al servicio humano con las que pueden hacer y deshacer a su gusto, meros robots al servicio humano. Pero, ?de verdad los humanos son m¨¢s sensibles que los robots? O mejor a¨²n, ?Hay m¨¢s humanidad dentro de ellos que en los robots mismos?
Es una historia sobre emociones, donde las relaciones y los pensamientos son la clave para entender a los humanos y m¨¢s a¨²n, a los robots. Simplemente una genialidad que merece una gran oportunidad.
Empecemos por mencionar lo obvio: Pluto es una reinvenci¨®n de Astroboy (personaje que seguro casi todos conocen). Espec¨ªficamente recrea un arco de la historia de este llamado "El robot m¨¢s grande de la Tierra". Aunque yo considero que no es necesario leer o conocer algo de Astroboy para sumergirte en lo que Naoki Urasawa nos muestra.
Ahora s¨ª, vamos por lo que Pluto nos propone, y es la historia de un robot detective de la Europol llamado Gesith, que tendr¨¢ que descubrir qui¨¦n est¨¢ detr¨¢s de las muertes de robots y humanos que est¨¢n muy relacionadas entre s¨ª.
Pero, a ver, no nos dejemos enga?ar. S¨ª, esa es la premisa que nos plantea el manga y la sigue al pie de la letra, pero es ni de lejos lo m¨¢s importante, ese solo es el anzuelo. Pluto busca entretener al lector con una trama llena de misterio, sus dosis de intriga y suspenso pero tambi¨¦n busca dar un mensaje en medio de todo el curso de la historia. Y mejor a¨²n, no se centra en un solo personaje sino que recorre diferentes perspectivas dando riqueza a la historia.
Pluto nos muestra c¨®mo es la relaci¨®n entre los humanos y robots. Su coexistencia. Los prejuicios latentes, los derechos que se han ganado y tambi¨¦n lo que se ha perdido gracias a el odio y la muerte. Es una historia sensible que muestra los estragos de la guerra a trav¨¦s de los participantes en esta y todo el dolor que deja en ellos. Con personajes variados y muy emotivos.
Durante todo el manga se debate si los robots pueden sentir algo o no. Si solo son simples chatarras al servicio humano con las que pueden hacer y deshacer a su gusto, meros robots al servicio humano. Pero, ?de verdad los humanos son m¨¢s sensibles que los robots? O mejor a¨²n, ?Hay m¨¢s humanidad dentro de ellos que en los robots mismos?
Es una historia sobre emociones, donde las relaciones y los pensamientos son la clave para entender a los humanos y m¨¢s a¨²n, a los robots. Simplemente una genialidad que merece una gran oportunidad.
March 14, 2019
Series review. Spoiler free! (For Pluto anyway, original Astro Boy spoilers allowed, you've had 50+ years, the spoiler statute of limitations has expired.)
As far as I'm concerned, this is Urasawa and Nagasaki's masterpiece. It's a reimagining of "The Greatest Robot on Earth" (µØÉÏ×î´ó¤Î¥í¥Ü¥Ã¥È) a story arc from the 1952-1968 manga Astro Boy (âŸÍ󥢥ȥà [Tetsuwan Atom in Japanese]) by legendary manga creator Osamu Tezuka, formally known as a "god of manga". Urusawa and Nagasaki's version takes place in the aftermath of an obvious parallel of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It's a mystery, and a war story, and absolutely magnificent.
I'm not sure how this might read to someone unfamiliar with Astro Boy. Personally, I can only ever see this story through Astro Boy colored glasses, which I assume is expected. Atom is one of the two children's characters to be more significant to me as an adult than they were as children. (The other being Winnie-the-Pooh.) So if you'll indulge me I'm going to talk a bit about Astro Boy before moving on to Pluto.
I have no memory of watching Astro Boy as a child. I'm honestly not sure if I ever saw any or not. By the late 80s, early 90s when the whole "anime" thing started to be a thing in the US, the character was familiar, with his cute but sort of creepy child robot body, but I think the stories were considered too dated and childish to be popular with American anime fans, and Tezuka's art style was not particularly appealing to me. But it has always been considered a classic, and I was living in Japan in 2003 when a TV reboot started airing, and the show simply floored me.
Astro Boy is very clearly aimed at children. This fact is obvious not only in its characters, but in the sincere, surreal goodness it espouses. It's comically wholesome. The sort of world where enemies almost invariably become the best of friends once defeated. The sort of naive worldview that I, quite honestly, sneer at. But I wasn't sneering.
I don't know if the series managed to thread some invisibly tiny needle, or deployed some classified superweapon, like Inspector Gesicht's Zeronium shells to pierce my cynical armor, but somehow it got through, and I adored it.
But while the tone of the series is predominantly one of childishly sincere, pure optimism, it's not entirely free of darkness. There are glimpses of loss, and grief. [Slight Astro Boy spoiler] Atom's original creator Dr. Tenma, is perhaps the character who most represents the darker view in the series. Atom was originally created by a deeply grieving Dr. Tenma to replace his biological son Tobio, who died in a car crash. Atom himself was abandoned when Tenma realized Atom could never take Tobio's place.
In Volume 4 of Pluto a visitor to Dr. Ochanomizu mentions the word seizensetsu, the idea that mankind is inherently good. I had never heard the Japanese term before, but it fits the 2003 series to a T. I don't have enough familiarity with Tezuka's original versions to hazard a guess as to whether or not he had that concept in mind when writing Tetsuwan Atom. Urasawa and Nagasaki, however, definitely seem to be toying with the inverse of the concept.
Pluto doesn't focus overly much on Atom. It's an ensemble cast, and at least early on it is played more like a police procedural, with Inspector Gesicht of Europol acting as our main character, though POV moves around. Gesicht is one of the seven "super robots", one of the five instrumental in defeating the Kingdom of Persia during the war, and incidentally, considered a potential weapon of mass destruction himself. As various connections are made, it soon becomes clear that someone is targeting both the seven super robots and the members of the "Bora Survey Group", a team of robot scientists who were sent in before the war to investigate rumors that that Kingdom of Persia was building an robot army.
As might be expected for a war story, there is grief to go around.
I won't say any more about the plot, but it's awesome. Don't let the fact that it's a manga series dissuade you, few novels even dream of being this good.
This gets my highest recommendation.
As far as I'm concerned, this is Urasawa and Nagasaki's masterpiece. It's a reimagining of "The Greatest Robot on Earth" (µØÉÏ×î´ó¤Î¥í¥Ü¥Ã¥È) a story arc from the 1952-1968 manga Astro Boy (âŸÍ󥢥ȥà [Tetsuwan Atom in Japanese]) by legendary manga creator Osamu Tezuka, formally known as a "god of manga". Urusawa and Nagasaki's version takes place in the aftermath of an obvious parallel of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It's a mystery, and a war story, and absolutely magnificent.
I'm not sure how this might read to someone unfamiliar with Astro Boy. Personally, I can only ever see this story through Astro Boy colored glasses, which I assume is expected. Atom is one of the two children's characters to be more significant to me as an adult than they were as children. (The other being Winnie-the-Pooh.) So if you'll indulge me I'm going to talk a bit about Astro Boy before moving on to Pluto.
I have no memory of watching Astro Boy as a child. I'm honestly not sure if I ever saw any or not. By the late 80s, early 90s when the whole "anime" thing started to be a thing in the US, the character was familiar, with his cute but sort of creepy child robot body, but I think the stories were considered too dated and childish to be popular with American anime fans, and Tezuka's art style was not particularly appealing to me. But it has always been considered a classic, and I was living in Japan in 2003 when a TV reboot started airing, and the show simply floored me.
Astro Boy is very clearly aimed at children. This fact is obvious not only in its characters, but in the sincere, surreal goodness it espouses. It's comically wholesome. The sort of world where enemies almost invariably become the best of friends once defeated. The sort of naive worldview that I, quite honestly, sneer at. But I wasn't sneering.
I don't know if the series managed to thread some invisibly tiny needle, or deployed some classified superweapon, like Inspector Gesicht's Zeronium shells to pierce my cynical armor, but somehow it got through, and I adored it.
But while the tone of the series is predominantly one of childishly sincere, pure optimism, it's not entirely free of darkness. There are glimpses of loss, and grief. [Slight Astro Boy spoiler] Atom's original creator Dr. Tenma, is perhaps the character who most represents the darker view in the series. Atom was originally created by a deeply grieving Dr. Tenma to replace his biological son Tobio, who died in a car crash. Atom himself was abandoned when Tenma realized Atom could never take Tobio's place.
In Volume 4 of Pluto a visitor to Dr. Ochanomizu mentions the word seizensetsu, the idea that mankind is inherently good. I had never heard the Japanese term before, but it fits the 2003 series to a T. I don't have enough familiarity with Tezuka's original versions to hazard a guess as to whether or not he had that concept in mind when writing Tetsuwan Atom. Urasawa and Nagasaki, however, definitely seem to be toying with the inverse of the concept.
Pluto doesn't focus overly much on Atom. It's an ensemble cast, and at least early on it is played more like a police procedural, with Inspector Gesicht of Europol acting as our main character, though POV moves around. Gesicht is one of the seven "super robots", one of the five instrumental in defeating the Kingdom of Persia during the war, and incidentally, considered a potential weapon of mass destruction himself. As various connections are made, it soon becomes clear that someone is targeting both the seven super robots and the members of the "Bora Survey Group", a team of robot scientists who were sent in before the war to investigate rumors that that Kingdom of Persia was building an robot army.
As might be expected for a war story, there is grief to go around.
I won't say any more about the plot, but it's awesome. Don't let the fact that it's a manga series dissuade you, few novels even dream of being this good.
This gets my highest recommendation.
April 1, 2023
5/5
this manga series is just so good! SO GOOD! i just loved every part of this. the little bit of plot twist at the end is something i didn't expect but it made sense. the plot itself is not very long but it's deep and complex and the emotions this series brought just hit so hard. the characters' personalities are realistic. either humans and robots, they perfectly represented the diiferent human emotions in reality. the ending is very straight to the point, with no unnecessary scenes. i do think that 8 volumes are just enough for the plot, not too long and not too short either. i never expected to cry when i first picked this up but i did and the impact on me is huge. i really had a wonderful reading experience. this has a really solid beginning and an equally solid ending, which you could not see in every stories and i'm glad i was able to read this.
i very much understand why this manga series is so highly acclaimed. a masterpiece, indeed! i can confidently say that this series is now included in my top manga series i've ever read. and since i'm researching things about this manga, i just discovered that netflix will soon release an anime adaptation of this series! i'm so freaking excited to see the story and the characters come to life!
i highly recommend this manga! this is such a short read but you will received more than you expected.
this manga series is just so good! SO GOOD! i just loved every part of this. the little bit of plot twist at the end is something i didn't expect but it made sense. the plot itself is not very long but it's deep and complex and the emotions this series brought just hit so hard. the characters' personalities are realistic. either humans and robots, they perfectly represented the diiferent human emotions in reality. the ending is very straight to the point, with no unnecessary scenes. i do think that 8 volumes are just enough for the plot, not too long and not too short either. i never expected to cry when i first picked this up but i did and the impact on me is huge. i really had a wonderful reading experience. this has a really solid beginning and an equally solid ending, which you could not see in every stories and i'm glad i was able to read this.
i very much understand why this manga series is so highly acclaimed. a masterpiece, indeed! i can confidently say that this series is now included in my top manga series i've ever read. and since i'm researching things about this manga, i just discovered that netflix will soon release an anime adaptation of this series! i'm so freaking excited to see the story and the characters come to life!
i highly recommend this manga! this is such a short read but you will received more than you expected.
October 10, 2020
--Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 008
Postscript, by Takashi Nagasaki, Manga Writer and Editor
Postscript, by Takashi Nagasaki, Manga Writer and Editor
March 24, 2024
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?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ???????? ?????.
?? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ? ??? ???? ??????.
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???? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?????????. ??? ?????? ?????? ??????? ? ??? ???? ???????? ??? ? ???? ??? ????.
?? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????. ??? ????? ?? ???????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ????? ???? ????. ? ????? ????? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?????. ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ? ?? ? ??? ?????? ??? ????.
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?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ???????? ?????.
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December 18, 2015
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 008¡± by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the last book in an eight-book science fiction manga series Pluto. The whole series is based on ¡°The Greatest Robot on Earth,¡± the most popular story arc in Astro Boy series written by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.
Thanks to Gesicht¡¯s memory chip, Atom, a.k.a. Astro Boy, wakes up. However, he is different: provided with the memories and emotions of the other six great robots of the world, Atom has learned to hate. Bu will his hatred and anger be enough to finally stop Pluto, the murderous robot controlled by his villainous creator, and to save the Earth from the impending apocalypse?
THUMBS UP:
1) Great ending to a great story.
The last volume, just like the whole series, is action-packed, thrilling and suspenseful but at the same time extremely thought-provoking and touching with complex and relatable characters. As before, the illustrations are very detailed, realistic and simply gorgeous. However, ¡°Pluto, Volume 006¡± still remains my absolute favorite with the fifth book as a close runner-up (check out my previous reviews to see why). Moreover, detective Gesicht is BY FAR my favorite character. I still cannot believe that, after reading the very first volume, I dared to call this robot passive and boring. Ha!
2) Important takeaway.
Although every single volume is thought-provoking and touching in its own way, the main message - ¡°nothing comes of hatred¡± - and its gravity become clear just at the very end. As a bonus feature, in the eight volume¡¯s postscript, co-author Takashi Nagasaki beautifully summarizes the takeaway of Pluto series and also builds a very convincing case speculating on what Osamu Tezuka meant by his famous story¡¯s title ¡°The Greatest Robot on Earth.¡±
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Rushed wrap-up.
Comparing to the excellent story building in the earlier volumes, the last two volumes seem a little bit rushed as some revelations are way too convenient, not very logical and thus less realistic. Also, it feels like the authors were just too eager to wrap things up and did¡¯t bother to tie some loose ends. For example, I might be missing something, but how exactly is the evil teddy bear involved in the assassinations of the seven great robots of the world?
2) Lack of color.
Throughout the whole series, my only constant complaint is the black and white illustrations. Don¡¯t get me wrong, they don¡¯t look bad at all, but at the beginning of every single volume there are six to ten colorful pages which just look SO MUCH better. I understand that it might be too expensive to color the whole book, but even the black and white illustrations with additional shades (like the first eight pages in Act 63) are so much more appealing than the rest of the artwork.
VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5
Although a little bit rushed, ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 008¡± by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is a great ending to a great story with a powerful takeaway. However, just as I predicted in the very beginning, you really need to read ALL eight volumes to truly understand and appreciate Pluto series.
POST SCRIPTUM:
Check out my reviews of the previous seven volumes:
1) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001;¡±
2) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002;¡±
3) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 003;¡±
4) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 004;¡±
5) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 005;¡±
6) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006;¡±
7) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 007.¡±
¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 008¡± by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the last book in an eight-book science fiction manga series Pluto. The whole series is based on ¡°The Greatest Robot on Earth,¡± the most popular story arc in Astro Boy series written by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.
Thanks to Gesicht¡¯s memory chip, Atom, a.k.a. Astro Boy, wakes up. However, he is different: provided with the memories and emotions of the other six great robots of the world, Atom has learned to hate. Bu will his hatred and anger be enough to finally stop Pluto, the murderous robot controlled by his villainous creator, and to save the Earth from the impending apocalypse?
THUMBS UP:
1) Great ending to a great story.
The last volume, just like the whole series, is action-packed, thrilling and suspenseful but at the same time extremely thought-provoking and touching with complex and relatable characters. As before, the illustrations are very detailed, realistic and simply gorgeous. However, ¡°Pluto, Volume 006¡± still remains my absolute favorite with the fifth book as a close runner-up (check out my previous reviews to see why). Moreover, detective Gesicht is BY FAR my favorite character. I still cannot believe that, after reading the very first volume, I dared to call this robot passive and boring. Ha!
2) Important takeaway.
Although every single volume is thought-provoking and touching in its own way, the main message - ¡°nothing comes of hatred¡± - and its gravity become clear just at the very end. As a bonus feature, in the eight volume¡¯s postscript, co-author Takashi Nagasaki beautifully summarizes the takeaway of Pluto series and also builds a very convincing case speculating on what Osamu Tezuka meant by his famous story¡¯s title ¡°The Greatest Robot on Earth.¡±
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Rushed wrap-up.
Comparing to the excellent story building in the earlier volumes, the last two volumes seem a little bit rushed as some revelations are way too convenient, not very logical and thus less realistic. Also, it feels like the authors were just too eager to wrap things up and did¡¯t bother to tie some loose ends. For example, I might be missing something, but how exactly is the evil teddy bear involved in the assassinations of the seven great robots of the world?
2) Lack of color.
Throughout the whole series, my only constant complaint is the black and white illustrations. Don¡¯t get me wrong, they don¡¯t look bad at all, but at the beginning of every single volume there are six to ten colorful pages which just look SO MUCH better. I understand that it might be too expensive to color the whole book, but even the black and white illustrations with additional shades (like the first eight pages in Act 63) are so much more appealing than the rest of the artwork.
VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5
Although a little bit rushed, ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 008¡± by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is a great ending to a great story with a powerful takeaway. However, just as I predicted in the very beginning, you really need to read ALL eight volumes to truly understand and appreciate Pluto series.
POST SCRIPTUM:
Check out my reviews of the previous seven volumes:
1) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001;¡±
2) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002;¡±
3) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 003;¡±
4) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 004;¡±
5) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 005;¡±
6) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006;¡±
7) ¡°Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 007.¡±
April 2, 2013
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June 14, 2022
8 volumes of perfect manga. Mind is blown.
November 13, 2019
Pluto ends as strong as it started.
Atom is back, that much we knew. However, what is his answer to the growing danger that is Pluto? Will he strike out in anger? He now has emotions that he has never felt before after being reborn. However, if he goes after Pluto can he win? The two dish it out while something under the earth is rumbling and every human is worried that the end of days is here.
This hits some great emotional bits. Saying goodbye to various characters and seeing their secrets and last moments is super sad but very effective. The art is great as always and some epic action shots really elevate this volume. The ending is touching yet meaningful and the only way it could end really. The villain and some side plots seem to get lost a bit or rushed though.
Overall, fantastic. What a great series. One good volume and 7 great-fantastic volumes. You don't see that every day. A 4.5 out of 5.
Atom is back, that much we knew. However, what is his answer to the growing danger that is Pluto? Will he strike out in anger? He now has emotions that he has never felt before after being reborn. However, if he goes after Pluto can he win? The two dish it out while something under the earth is rumbling and every human is worried that the end of days is here.
This hits some great emotional bits. Saying goodbye to various characters and seeing their secrets and last moments is super sad but very effective. The art is great as always and some epic action shots really elevate this volume. The ending is touching yet meaningful and the only way it could end really. The villain and some side plots seem to get lost a bit or rushed though.
Overall, fantastic. What a great series. One good volume and 7 great-fantastic volumes. You don't see that every day. A 4.5 out of 5.
August 4, 2012
So in the end Pluto was a great series, but it didn't run as deep as Monster or 20th Century Boys did unfortunately. I really enjoyed the books but felt that after Gesicht made his exit that the series started rolling down the hill rather than racing towards a climactic ending. Speaking of which, I also felt that the ending was wrapped up entirely too swift and neatly.
The artwork was strong throughout the series. I really enjoy Urasawa's character designs and I definitely saw several that were reminiscent of his previous works. I would definitely recommend the series for a swift read if you're not feeling like getting into something incredibly complicated and involved.
The artwork was strong throughout the series. I really enjoy Urasawa's character designs and I definitely saw several that were reminiscent of his previous works. I would definitely recommend the series for a swift read if you're not feeling like getting into something incredibly complicated and involved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2022
Amazing! I'm not very interested in sci-fi but after watching Mr. Urasawa drawing Gesicht in his Youtube channel I felt intrigued and decided to give it a try. It was a nice surprise. I don't want to talk about anything to not spoil this for anyone, but I absolutely loved it. It even made me want to read Tezuka's original work, Astro Boy.
Run and go for it, you won't be dissapointed.
Run and go for it, you won't be dissapointed.
June 28, 2020
Not much can be said without spoilers, but the final installment of this manga series does not disappoint. I still have questions, but that was a very satisfying conclusion.
August 7, 2020
Cette histoire m'a bris¨¦ le c?ur, et la r¨¦flexion sur l'intelligence artificielle est une des plus int¨¦ressante que j'ai lu depuis Asimov.
Je ne me lasse pas du style d'Urasawa: la fa?on dont il fait ressortir les ¨¦motions (ou l'absence totale d'¨¦motion) sur ses personnages me bluff ¨¤ chaque fois.
Pluto est plus court que Monster ou 20th century boys mais ?a m'a moins d¨¦rang¨¦ que ce que je pensais. J'ai plus ¨¦tait captiv¨¦e par la galerie de personnages et le monde que par l'histoire, mais c'¨¦tait encore une lecture g¨¦niale!
Je ne me lasse pas du style d'Urasawa: la fa?on dont il fait ressortir les ¨¦motions (ou l'absence totale d'¨¦motion) sur ses personnages me bluff ¨¤ chaque fois.
Pluto est plus court que Monster ou 20th century boys mais ?a m'a moins d¨¦rang¨¦ que ce que je pensais. J'ai plus ¨¦tait captiv¨¦e par la galerie de personnages et le monde que par l'histoire, mais c'¨¦tait encore une lecture g¨¦niale!
July 8, 2018
Tremenda historia, tengo que decirlo. Es un manga que envuelve muchos temas para discutir y que sabe atrapar desde el inicio.
April 27, 2023
Parto gi¨¤ col dire che ¨¨ uno dei migliori manga che abbia mai letto e allo stesso modo uno dei migliori racconti di fantascienza che abbia mai letto, ma non penso di esagerare nel dire che in entrambi i campi ci troviamo di fronte ad una storia che non teme rivali, siano classici o no, l'incontro tra i due mangaka pi¨´ influenti della storia non pu¨° che generare uno dei racconti pi¨´ emozionanti e profondi del secolo.
Questa operazione, penso sia un retelling, ¨¨ cosa rara nel fumetto. Il tocco di Urasawa si sente fin da subito, la passione e il rispetto non mancano.
Emozionante e profonda ¨¨ una storia che consiglio a chiunque, ma davvero a chiunque, anche a chi di fumetto non se ne intende.
Questa operazione, penso sia un retelling, ¨¨ cosa rara nel fumetto. Il tocco di Urasawa si sente fin da subito, la passione e il rispetto non mancano.
Emozionante e profonda ¨¨ una storia che consiglio a chiunque, ma davvero a chiunque, anche a chi di fumetto non se ne intende.
March 28, 2018
This volume, and the entire series, ended in a slightly ambiguous way (and I was wanting to learn more about the teddy bear robot). And I like that. Overall, I really enjoyed this series. It was a solid story that wasn't drawn out longer than it should have been, and with a discernible narrative trajectory. I do feel, though, that I would have appreciated it more had I been more knowledgeable regarding the Astro Boy world. That's one of the things that is clearly apparent in about all of the essays that conclude each volume, Urasawa's referencing of Tezuka's seminal figure. However, one of the strengths of Pluto is that it can stand on its own without the larger context of Tezuka. At the same time, a familiarity with Astro Boy would add additional levels of narrative appreciation.
August 15, 2023
Bardzo podoba?a mi si? ca?a seria :3
January 6, 2025
Series review: Great sci-fi manga that packs a lot into it's succinct package. Don't be deceived by the covers and premise but there's a lot of deep sci-fi themes being explored as well as a lot of emotional and dark moments. Very cool exploration on what it means to be human and memory to name a few. It takes Astroboy and makes it a serious adult story. Urasawa is one of the best at this medium, great stuff.
October 26, 2021
Ten more chapters. Dear God, the horror! They managed this blasphemous creation by including long goodbyes and robot interactions will little to no emotion. The humans are ever so useless in these series, just wide-eyed robotphobes.?The Darius character is the XIIIth again, not XIVth - come on, make up your minds. There is an impressive information dump riddled with translation errors and some exaggerations. And a character believed dead fights the bad guy. Again. I shudder to mention the confusion over who the bad guy is.?The volume is too damn long and often confusing. It could have been finished in 1-2 chapters. Again, I should have stopped reading when Gesicht died.
August 29, 2024
this is a damn good series. again, to have a better understanding of the Iraq war really gives this story more context. very thankful for the postscripts at the end of each volume, cluing me in to Astro Boy details im definitely missing. in the last postscript, the co-author shares this quote about Astro Boy "Osamu Tezuka wasn't saying anything about Atom being the strongest robot in history. On the contrary, I think he was trying to say that, having experienced battle, Atom was the first robot in history to understand the meaninglessness of war. That's what he was trying to say." and to quote the story itself, "Nothing good comes of hate."
June 30, 2016
There couldn't have been a better end to the story. It was kind of predictable in the end, still there were quite a few twists and turns in the way. The ending message is really powerful. "Will there ever be a day hatred will disappear from earth?" Once that day comes, earth will bloom with the flower of peace. I am sure nobody can suppress their tear after the finale of this series.
April 16, 2020
Incredible finale. If I had one complaint about this series, it's that it's almost a little too perfect, in the sense that Urasawa is so overly technical that this story is almost a bit too tight. Silly criticism, and it's barely criticism at that, but take it as you will.
March 5, 2021
*Score: 9.0/10* (4.5/5)
Loved this series. So many memorable moments, this will definitely stay with me.
Here is my view on summary of pros and cons:
Pros:
- Many themes including discrimination, political agendas, existentialism, family, memory, grief, and social commentary on humanity.
- Diverse and relatable cast of characters, with a lot of grey areas in many
- Gives the vibe of old school classical sci fi
- Pacing is consistent and always moving the plot forward while never forgetting the small moments to inject the right emotions
- Beautiful and distinctive artstyle that is not only asthetically pleasing, but is also used to tell what should not be told subtley through very rich character expressions
- Really engaging and is a page turner across all 8 volumes.
Cons:
- Part of the story is a mystery, and in general that part was kind of predictable
- Ending was satisfying, but was hoping for "volume 6" level of impact
- Few loose threads not fully resolved (though hinted at), but not too major and doesnt impact the main storyline
Loved this series. So many memorable moments, this will definitely stay with me.
Here is my view on summary of pros and cons:
Pros:
- Many themes including discrimination, political agendas, existentialism, family, memory, grief, and social commentary on humanity.
- Diverse and relatable cast of characters, with a lot of grey areas in many
- Gives the vibe of old school classical sci fi
- Pacing is consistent and always moving the plot forward while never forgetting the small moments to inject the right emotions
- Beautiful and distinctive artstyle that is not only asthetically pleasing, but is also used to tell what should not be told subtley through very rich character expressions
- Really engaging and is a page turner across all 8 volumes.
Cons:
- Part of the story is a mystery, and in general that part was kind of predictable
- Ending was satisfying, but was hoping for "volume 6" level of impact
- Few loose threads not fully resolved (though hinted at), but not too major and doesnt impact the main storyline
January 11, 2024
Senza dubbio un altro ottimo prodotto di Naoki Urasawa. In questo caso sicuramente si pu¨° affermare che il nome sia una garanzia!
La storia ¨¨ perfettamente raccontata con il giusto ritmo in questi 8 volumi, dove man mano vengono introdotte domande, misteri ma anche risposte e colpi di scena.
In un mondo futuristico dove umani e robot convivono, il focus di Urasawa si ¨¨ posato pi¨´ sui robot, in particolare sui famosi 7 robot a cui ruotano attorno gli avvenimenti della storia. Pi¨´ importanti sicuramente fra tutti il detective Gesischt e il bambino-eroe Atom. Ci¨° che ¨¨ bello di questa storia, ¨¨ il fatto che questi robot mostrino nel corso della storia grande empatia e sensibilit¨¤, pur essendo delle macchine che non possono tecnicamente provare emozioni, il loro desiderio di essere pi¨´ umani li rendi pi¨´ umani delle persone reali, e questo ¨¨ meraviglioso.
Ho solamente qualche dubbio sul finale, soprattutto sulla "battaglia finale", che dopo una lunga attesa si ¨¨ svolta e conclusa troppo in fretta. Il finale in s¨¦ per s¨¦ comunque pi¨´ che discreto.
La storia ¨¨ perfettamente raccontata con il giusto ritmo in questi 8 volumi, dove man mano vengono introdotte domande, misteri ma anche risposte e colpi di scena.
In un mondo futuristico dove umani e robot convivono, il focus di Urasawa si ¨¨ posato pi¨´ sui robot, in particolare sui famosi 7 robot a cui ruotano attorno gli avvenimenti della storia. Pi¨´ importanti sicuramente fra tutti il detective Gesischt e il bambino-eroe Atom. Ci¨° che ¨¨ bello di questa storia, ¨¨ il fatto che questi robot mostrino nel corso della storia grande empatia e sensibilit¨¤, pur essendo delle macchine che non possono tecnicamente provare emozioni, il loro desiderio di essere pi¨´ umani li rendi pi¨´ umani delle persone reali, e questo ¨¨ meraviglioso.
Ho solamente qualche dubbio sul finale, soprattutto sulla "battaglia finale", che dopo una lunga attesa si ¨¨ svolta e conclusa troppo in fretta. Il finale in s¨¦ per s¨¦ comunque pi¨´ che discreto.
September 15, 2021
Il reciproco del nobel della letteratura nel fumetto non esiste? Se s¨¬ bisogna assolutamente assegnarlo a Naoki Urasawa e tutto il suo team
December 30, 2023
It has been a beautiful journey, reading this series, with moments that ranged from being thought-provoking to moments that were heart-breaking. What a fitting end to an extremely captivating series.
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