This is my second time starting this manga series. Four years ago, I got through 8 out of 12 volumes.
Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom is dark, morally compThis is my second time starting this manga series. Four years ago, I got through 8 out of 12 volumes.
Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom is dark, morally complex, fast-paced, and suspenseful. However, I remember enjoying it more the first time around. Perhaps I still remember too much to be surprised.
3.5 out of 5 I just LOVED the first half of this volume (would be the full 5 stars, honestly), and the "big twist" was executed perfectly; however, aft3.5 out of 5 I just LOVED the first half of this volume (would be the full 5 stars, honestly), and the "big twist" was executed perfectly; however, after that the events were not as captivating....more
3.5 out of 5 There is a big twist in the beginning of this volume. I didn't like it that much, but I can see why it was necessary for the story to cont3.5 out of 5 There is a big twist in the beginning of this volume. I didn't like it that much, but I can see why it was necessary for the story to continue. Also, it took me a while to get used to the aftermath of this big twist: the personality change just doesn't seem too believable (view spoiler)[and I like Light Yagami better when he is a murderous psychopath, haha (hide spoiler)]. Thus, the first half of the volume was a bit slow for me, but when I finally did get used to the new direction the story took, I was sucked into it once again :)...more
First of all, you have to know that I haven't watched the Black Butler anime series and thus don't know anything about the storyline beyond this firstFirst of all, you have to know that I haven't watched the Black Butler anime series and thus don't know anything about the storyline beyond this first manga volume. So maybe it gets better later (and I assume it does because I know plenty of people who LOVE this series), but Black Butler I seems kind of plotless and pointless to me.
In general, Black Butler I is pretty boring: not much is going on. Also, some of the events don't make much sense (view spoiler)[for example, the conversation over a game of pool (hide spoiler)]. As a result, after reading this volume, I still feel like I know close to nothing about what's going on in the series, which is kind of frustrating and doesn't make me want to pick up the second volume.
What is more, the characters are super flat and I don't like or care about them AT ALL.
To make matters worse, the humor in Black Butler I doesn't work for me. Maybe there is a better word for it, but I think of it as a melodramatic comedy. Whatever you call it, it's kind of lame.
Finally, although the artwork is beautiful (one thing I really liked about this book), it can be quite cluttered and confusing at times. Also, it contains a lot of manga-specific visual stereotypes and conventions, which might be unfamiliar and thus rather confusing for manga newbies (me included).
“Astro Boy, Vol. 3� by Osamu Tezuka, a legendary manga master, is the third volume in a twenty-three-volume manga series Astro Boy. TWHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Astro Boy, Vol. 3� by Osamu Tezuka, a legendary manga master, is the third volume in a twenty-three-volume manga series Astro Boy. The Astro Boy series, a three-decade project that became a worldwide phenomenon and an inspiration for countless manga artists, features an extremely advanced android named Astro Boy that fights villains and their destructive creations to protect his friends, save the Earth and preserve the peace.
This volume contains two stories: “The Greatest Robot on Earth� (1964) and “Mad Machine� (1958). In “The Greatest Robot on Earth,� the most popular story arc in the whole Astro Boy series, a villainous sultan creates a giant robot that is programmed to destroy the seven great robots of the world, including Astro Boy, and to become the king of all robots. In a much shorter story, “Mad Machine,� Dr. Foola invents a device that causes all other machines to go crazy.
THUMBS UP:
1) Entertaining, thought-provoking and skillfully drawn. Just like in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2,� the stories in the third volume, especially “The Greatest Robot on Earth,� are action-packed, entertaining and funny in a silly-cute way but at the same time quite touching and thought-provoking as they raise quite a few philosophical and moral questions about technology and our shared humanity. Plus, the illustrations, which are strongly influenced by the works of Walt Disney, are very dynamic, detailed, entertaining and simply endearing.
2) Likable villain. Although most of the characters in the Astro Boy series are rather two-dimensional, Pluto, the destructive robot in “The Greatest Robot on Earth,� is a powerful exception; he is complex, relatable and, above all, extremely likable.
3) Inspiration for the Pluto series. “The Greatest Robot on Earth� is the base for Naomi Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s science fiction manga series Pluto. Although the Pluto series is much more thrilling and suspenseful, way more thought-provoking and emotionally powerful, and the characters are much more complex, realistic and relatable, it is definitely worth reading this original version as it makes you appreciate Urasawa’s story even more. However, I do recommend reading “The Greatest Robot on Earth� first as it might seem a little bit disappointing otherwise.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Two-dimensional characters. To avoid spoilers, I read “The Greatest Robot on Earth� after I finished the Pluto series. As a result, I was slightly disappointed as the original story is quite childish, and most of the characters are rather two-dimensional. For example, I absolutely hated Tezuka’s version of Astro Boy’s little sister Uran - such a spoiled brat! She is definitely not the same cute, lovable and smart girl I’ve met in the Pluto series.
2) Overly simplistic and too goofy. Although “The Greatest Robot on Earth� is more compelling and thought-provoking than the other Astro Boy stories I’ve read, “Mad Machine� reminded me why I gave the previous volumes only two stars: it’s overly simplistic and way too goofy for my liking.
VERDICT: 3 out of 5
Just like the previous volumes, “Astro Boy, Vol. 3� by Osamu Tezuka is entertaining, quite thought-provoking and skillfully drawn but also overly simplistic and too goofy. Plus, the characters are rather two-dimensional. However, this volume contains the most popular story arc in the whole Astro Boy series, “The Greatest Robot on Earth,� that inspired Urasawa’s manga series Pluto, and therefore, it is a must-read for the fans of the latter....more
“Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2� by Osamu Tezuka, a legendary manga master, is a collection of the first two volumes in a twenty-three-volumeWHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2� by Osamu Tezuka, a legendary manga master, is a collection of the first two volumes in a twenty-three-volume manga series Astro Boy. The Astro Boy series, a three-decade project that became a worldwide phenomenon and an inspiration for countless manga artists, features an extremely advanced android named Astro Boy that fights villains and their destructive creations to protect his friends, save the Earth and preserve the peace.
Five of the six stories in this book - “The Hot Dog Corps,� “Plant People,� “His Highness Deadcross,� “The Third Magician� and “White Planet� - were written in the early 1960’s, and the prequel to the whole series, “The Birth of Astro Boy,� was written in 1975. “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2� also includes a very informative introduction to the Astro Boy series and Tezuka’s work in general.
THUMBS UP:
1) Entertaining. The stories in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2� are action-packed, entertaining and funny in a silly-cute way.
2) Appealing artwork. Strongly influenced by the works of Walt Disney, Tezuka’s art is very dynamic, detailed, entertaining and endearing. It is interesting to note that even though the Astro Boy series is Japanese manga, “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2� is read from left to write because the English version is printed as a mirror image of the original.
3) Thought-provoking. Although goofy, stories in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2� are also touching and quite thought-provoking as they raise quite a few philosophical and moral questions about technology and our shared humanity.
4) Informative introductions. The background information on Tezuka and the Astro Boy series helps to grasp the importance of Tezuka’s work and to better understand and appreciate the Astro Boy series. In addition, most of the stories begin with a prelude in which Tezuka, the character, discusses certain aspects of that particular story or the series as a whole.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Repetitive and predictable. Although entertaining and action-packed, the stories in “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2� soon get kind of repetitive and easily predictable. Plus, the resolutions are often overly simplistic and the characters are rather two-dimensional.
2) Childish. “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2� is perfect for its targeted audience, ten-year-old boys, but a little bit too childish for adults or even older teens. It is PACKED with robot fights, and the humor is sometimes overdone, as if the author’s sole purpose is not to make the story too serious, at any cost.
VERDICT: 2 out of 5
Osamu Tezuka’s “Astro Boy, Vols. 1 & 2� is an entertaining and historically important science fiction manga for pre-teen boys. However, although skillfully drawn and occasionally thought-provoking, it is kind of repetitive, easily predictable and a little bit too goofy for my liking....more
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 005� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the fifth book in an eight-book science fiction manga WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 005� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the fifth 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 by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.
In “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 005,� a new assignment helps detective Gesicht to unlock a harrowing memory, the source of his unsettling nightmares, and to discover what he is truly capable of. Meanwhile, Hercules, one of the seven great robots of the world, challenges the powerful, mysterious villain that so far has been unstoppable.
THUMBS UP:
1) My favorite volume so far. Pluto series just keeps getting better and better. The fifth volume has it all: it is action packed, thrilling and suspenseful with plot twists and revelations, but at the same time it is thought-provoking and emotionally powerful with complex and realistic characters. The story kept me on my toes throughout the whole book and I understood and truly cared about the main characters (well, maybe except for Epsilon). Oh, and the artwork is very realistic and simply gorgeous.
2) Things make sense! As the authors continue to tie loose ends together, the events and characters� motives make more and more sense. This volume also offers a very sound explanation behind the “perfect robot� idea and why such a robot might be disastrous, making the story more logically explainable and thus much more realistic.
3) Postscripts. Although each volume has a postscript written by a different person, I especially liked the commentary at the end of the fifth book, in which Tomohiko Murakami, a manga critic and lecturer, describes Pluto series as “Naoki Urasawa’s dissertation on Osamu Tezuka.� This and the previous postscripts are interesting and informative, helping the reader to understand and appreciate Pluto series as well as Urasawa’s work in general.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Lack of color. I mentioned this in all my previous Pluto reviews, but I really prefer the colored first few pages over the rest of the book, which is in black and white. I think I would be fine with the colorless illustrations as well, but the colored pages always remind me that the book can be even better.
VERDICT: 4 out of 5
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 005� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is my favorite volume so far. Here you can find everything: action, suspense, depth, multidimensional characters� Plus, the story keeps getting more logical and realistic. Finally, a very interesting and informative postscript at the end of the book helps to understand and appreciate the series even more.
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the first book in an eight-book science fiction manga WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the first 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 by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.
In “Pluto, Volume 001,� detective Gesicht tries to figure out who - or what - destroyed the world’s most beloved robot Mont Blanc, killed a robot rights activist and left both victims with “horns� stuck in their heads. Whoever or whatever the killer is, he seems to be after the seven great robots of the world, which means that Gesicht himself is the target as well.
THUMBS UP:
1) Don’t be afraid of manga! “Pluto, Volume 001� is the first manga I’ve ever read, and although I was kind of intimidated by the format at first (it’s not everyday I read a book from right to left), it’s actually not that different from usual comic books.
2) I am intrigued. “Pluto, Volume 001� is a quick and engaging read. I kind of went into the story blindly but was pleasantly surprised: although I rarely read books about robots or even science fiction in general, I actually enjoyed the story and was touched by it. Admittedly, the first book feels more of a set up than a story by itself, but I am definitely intrigued to continue with the series.
3) Tribute to Astro Boy. Since I knew absolutely nothing about Astro Boy, the inspiration of Pluto series, I found the interview with the creators of Pluto and some background information at the end of the book quite interesting, and I am even tempted to read the original story. However, you don’t really need to know the original Astro Boy story to fully enjoy Pluto series. In fact, reading “The Greatest Robot on Earth� beforehand would actually reveal some plot twist in Pluto, so I might wait until I am done with this series first.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Not very realistic. I don’t read science fiction often, but when I do, I prefer a realistic or at least logically explainable story. That being said, there is a lot of direct and indirect “robots are people, too� advocacy in the book, and even though the idea of future world in which humans and robots coexist is cool, the facts that robots can have family and children, eat food, feel, dream and even have nightmares seem a little bit far-fetched and beg for an explanation, which the author doesn’t bother to provide but rather expects the reader to just go with it.
2) Passive protagonist. It might be too early to judge the story or the characters, but the protagonist, detective Gesicht, so far is quite boring. It’s true that we barely know anything about him, but it doesn’t look like there is much to know, and in general Gesicht seems more of an observer rather than a doer.
3) Static and colorless illustrations. Don’t get me wrong, the artwork in Pluto is stunning, but it’s too static for a comic book. For example, although the entire story is written in dialogues, characters� mouths most of the time are shut and the range of facial expressions and body movements is quite limited (though it might partially be explained by the fact that a lot of the characters are human-looking robots which, unlike humans, don’t make a lot of unnecessary movements). Also, I was very surprised that only ten first pages are colored and the rest of the illustrations are black and white. The colored pages look SO MUCH better�
VERDICT: 3 out of 5
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is more of a set up than a story by itself, thus I have a feeling that I need to read more than just the first volume to really understand and appreciate the series. Although I am not overly impressed by the protagonist and still have to wrap my head around the premise of humanlike robots, the story so far is engaging and touching, and I am eager to pick up the second volume....more
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 008� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the last book in an eight-book science fiction manga sWHAT 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.
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 007� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the seventh book in an eight-book science fiction mangWHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 007� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the seventh 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.
Epsilon, a pacifist robot powered by photon energy, is the last one of the seven great robots of the world. Although Epsilon is extremely powerful, he refuses to fight. However, when his children, a group of war orphans, are in danger, Epsilon has no choice but to face the murderous villain, who, in fact, might not even be the main danger.
THUMBS UP:
1) Continuously good. “Pluto, Volume 007,� just like the previous volumes, is action-packed, suspenseful, thrilling, thought-provoking and touching. However, this book feels like a slight step-down from the sixth volume, which is so far my favorite in the whole series.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Early wrap-up. Although still good, the seventh volume is slower-paced and feels like a prolonged wrap-up rather than an adventure by itself. Also, there are so many revelations that some of them seem a little bit rushed and too convenient. Finally, the ending of “Pluto, Volume 007� is kind of depressing, but there is still one more volume to fix that.
2) Protagonist. This volume centers around Epsilon, who, unfortunately, is not my favorite character. I love the idea of loving pacifist robot, but there is something about Epsilon that just doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe it is the fact that he is just too perfect, unnaturally heroic, annoyingly passive, rather boring and thus hard to relate to. Or maybe it is the fact that until the seventh volume I barely knew anything about this robot, and now suddenly he is the center of attention. Finally, it might also be the fact that up until this volume I thought that Epsilon is a female as he clearly looks and acts like one. In any case, I didn’t care enough about Epsilon, and it made the story less captivating.
3) Lack of color. Urasawa’s artwork is very realistic, detailed and breathtakingly beautiful, but, except for the ten first pages, the illustrations are black and white.
VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5
Although still action-packed, suspenseful, thrilling, thought-provoking and touching, “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is slower-paced than the previous volume and is centered around Epsilon, who, unfortunately, is not my favorite character.
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the sixth book in an eight-book science fiction manga WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the sixth 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.
Five out of the seven great robots of the world are destroyed, but the mysterious villain and his motive are still unknown. Despite his compromised physical condition and shaken mental state, detective Gesicht is determined to get to the bottom of this case and to face the powerful villain.
THUMBS UP:
1) Story in full swing. In my previous review, I crowned the fifth volume as my favorite. Well, I think I have a new winner. The story in “Pluto, Volume 006� unfolds in neck-breaking speed but still manages to remain as suspenseful and insightful as ever. This book contains more revelations than any of the previous volumes, but there are still quite a few mysteries left unsolved, and I am dying to know what’s going to happen next.
2) Emotional. I know I am repeating myself a little, but it never seizes to amaze me how such an action-packed and trilling science fiction manga full of explosions and robot fights can also be so thought-provoking and emotionally powerful with complex and realistic characters. What is more, to call the sixth volume touching would be a huge understatement. In fact, I got so invested in certain characters and their stories that quite a few episodes in this volume were straight down heartbreaking.
3) Realistic artwork. Urasawa’s illustrations are another consistently good feature of Pluto series. They are realistic, very detailed and simply beautiful to look at. In other words, they are ALMOST perfect (see the following section).
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Lack of color. I am kind of tired of writing the same thing over and over, but I really wish the illustrations would be colored, just like in the first few pages of each volume. Honestly, the lack of color is the only thing that is preventing me from giving this volume a five-star rating.
VERDICT: 4 out of 5
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is action-packed, suspenseful and more than ever emotionally powerful. The storylines unfold and merge at neck-breaking speed, and the artwork is close to perfect.
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 004� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the fourth book in an eight-book science fiction mangaWHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 004� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the fourth 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 by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.
A mysterious force disguised as a tornado is after the four remaining great robots of the world, while the former members of Bora Survey Group are being killed one after another� And it seems that both Atom, a.k.a. Astro Boy, and Professor Ochanomizu are next on the list. Meanwhile, detective Gesicht is searching for clues about the killer’s identity and the motive, but he himself is in danger, and not only because he is one of the seven great robots of the world.
THUMBS UP:
1) Perfectly paced and surprising. As I mentioned in my previous review, the story building in Pluto series is excellent. The plot is full of twists and turns, but despite the fact that A LOT of thing are happening all at once, it is surprisingly easy to keep all the storylines straight. I admit though that “Pluto, Volume 004� didn’t provide all the answers I really hoped for at the end of the third book, but I cannot really complain - I still have four volumes to go. By the way, I am still in denial over a couple of events in this volume: I really didn’t see it coming and still can’t believe it really happened!
2) Depth. In addition to being thrilling and suspenseful, Pluto series is also moving and thought-provoking. For example, the first act in this volume is very simple yet very powerful emotionally. Although “Pluto, Volume 004� does not offer nearly as much social commentary as the previous volume, it still raises a couple of interesting questions, such as what makes a robot perfect.
3) Beautiful artwork. It’s time for me to finally acknowledge how gorgeous Urasawa’s artwork is. Although I previously complained that the adult characters most of the time are drawn with their mouths shut while talking and have a limited range of facial expressions, it doesn’t really bother me anymore (or maybe the illustrations DID get a little bit more dynamic). In either case, the artwork is very realistic and simply stunning.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Ruined surprise. Towards the end of the book the authors introduce a new character and put some effort into hiding his face up until the last page. Such a maneuver is supposed to build tension but it clearly fails to do so because a) we’ve never seen this character before, so finally seeing his face doesn’t have much of an effect, and, more importantly, b) his face is plastered on the cover of the volume and you can easily recognize him just by seeing his hair, beard or glasses. FAIL!
2) Lack of color. Yet again only the six first pages are colored and the remainder of the book is black and white. Why the teasing, I ask?
VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 004� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is perfectly paced, surprising, moving and thought provoking. It is as good as the previous two volumes, so if you liked the story so far, don’t stop.
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 003� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the third book in an eight-book science fiction manga WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 003� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the third 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 by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.
The mysterious villain, who is targeting the seven great robots of the world and might be responsible for the related homicides, is still unknown. Meanwhile, members of KR, a far-right group aiming to eliminate robot civil rights laws, come up with a sinister plan. Finally, Atom’s little sister Uran, a robot girl with ultra sensitive receptors, befriends an odd robot.
THUMBS UP:
1) Excellent story building. The story unfolds slowly, but I wouldn’t dare call it slow-paced as it is thrilling and completely engrossing. New background details and answers to the previous questions introduce new mysteries, moving the story along as well as keeping the suspense at its highest. The final three acts in “Pluto, Volume 003� are especially absorbing, and although quite a few puzzle pieces are revealed, I feel like I have even more questions than I had before and thus cannot wait to read the next volume to find out what’s going on.
2) Multidimensional characters. The more I get to know the characters in Pluto, the more I like and care about them. Also, background details and side stories not only make the story line more complicated, more relatable and more engaging but also add some layers to the main characters, making them multidimensional, realistic and more interesting.
3) Social commentary. This volume brings up a lot of interesting issues such as human and robot identity and human-robot conflict. A social commentary not only adds depth and complexity to the plot but also hints at a few universal topics such as humanity and compassion. For example, KR, a robot hater organization in Pluto, strongly resembles the Ku Klux Klan and its ideology.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) The last of the seven. I didn’t really enjoy the act in which the last of the seven great robots of the world was introduced. The episode was rather uneventful and the character itself didn’t strike me as likable or particularly interesting. Hopefully, my mind will change in later volumes.
2) Static and colorless illustrations. I know I talked enough about this issue in my previous reviews, but I still cannot get used to the artwork, which is truly stunning but too static for a comic book. The illustrations in the third volume seem more dynamic though, but only the ones picturing kids. The portrayal of adult characters is still too static (limited range of facial expressions and closed mouths when talking). What is more, in “Pluto, Volume 003,� only six first pages are colored and the rest of the illustrations are black and white, EXCEPT for two random panels towards the end of the book. Those few colored illustrations are SO MUCH better and just feel like a tease.
VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 003� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki exemplifies an excellent story building and character development and contains an intriguing social commentary, but the illustrations portraying adults are still too static for a comic book.
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the second book in an eight-book science fiction mangaWHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the second 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 by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.
After realizing that the mysterious killer is after the seven great robots of the world, detective Gesicht sets on a mission to warn each of the targets personally. When Gesicht meets Atom, a.k.a. Astro Boy, Atom reads through Gesicht’s memory chip in order to help move the case forward. Meanwhile, another one of the seven great robots of the world, Brando, decides to face the villain on his own.
THUMBS UP:
1) It’s getting interesting� “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002� is as quick and entertaining as the first book in the series; plus, the speed of the story is picking up as the puzzle pieces slowly start coming together.
2) Background information. In my review of “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001,� I complained that the protagonist, detective Gesicht, is rather boring. Although in the second volume he is still quite passive, it looks like there is more to his story than it seems at the beginning. In “Pluto, Volume 002� the authors also reveal some background details about the political climate in Pluto world, making the story more plausible and much more engaging.
3) More realistic. While reading the first volume, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the premise of humanlike robots. Well, I might have gotten used to the idea, but I also think that in the second book it is presented more realistically, and the authors even offer some explanation (robots mimic people in hopes of becoming more humanlike, and in most successful cases the line between man and robot starts to blur).
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Static and colorless illustrations. No matter how gorgeous Urasawa’s artwork is, I still find it too static for a comic book (see my previous review for a more detailed comment). Plus, the ten first pages with colored illustrations look SO MUCH better than the rest of book, which is in black and white�
VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002� by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is more realistic and even more engaging than the first volume, though I really wish the illustrations were colorful and more dynamic. Anyways, on to the next volume, woot woot!...more
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