| | |  | SHONEN JUMP ADVANCED | Home » » » » Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 1 | | | | | | | Description: | | R to L (Japanese Style)In a distant future where sentient humanoid robots pass for human, someone or some thing is out to destroy the seven great robots of the world. Europol’s top detective Gesicht is assigned to investigate these mysterious robot serial murders—the only catch is that he himself is one of the seven targets. In a distant future where sentient humanoid robots pass for human, someone or some thing is out to destroy the seven great robots of the world. Europol’s top detective Gesicht is assigned to investigate these mysterious robot serial murders—the only catch is that he himself is one of the seven targets. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Naoki Urasawa | | Paperback:
| 200 pages | | Publisher:
| VIZ Media LLC | | Publication Date:
| February 17, 2009 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1421519186 | | Product Length:
| 8.1 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.7 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.8 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.6 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.7 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.7 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.55 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 7 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 7 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 A wonderful reimagining of Atom Boy and an Urasawa series that is captivating! Can't wait for volume 2!Apr 07, 2009
By Dennis A. Amith (kndy)
In a world where robots and humans work together and robots are treated (by most) like sentient beings comes a world where the planet has robotic heroes and even police squadrons of human and robot partners.
Of course, it's not an all perfect world as there are humans who rather not co-exist with the robots. And someone makes their agenda known when someone has decided to disrupt that peaceful coexistence by destroying the great robots and possibly murdering those who protect the rights for robots.
With only several of the great robots left, one of the great robots from Interpol must protect the other living great robots from destruction from a mysterious murderer/destroyer who may be human or robot.
This is the basis of the story "PLUTO", a reimagining of "Astro Boy - The Greatest Robot on Earth" written by manga great Naoki Urasawa ("Yawara", "Monster", "20th Century Boys" and many more titles) and co-authored by Takashi Nagasaki. The Astro Boy or Tetsuwan Atom stories are based on the popular works of Osamu Tezuka and with cooperation from Tezuka Productions, this manga project is managed by Makoto Tezuka.
The ongoing award winning manga series debuted in Japan back in 2003 and has captivated readers but now the popular manga arrives in the US courtesy of VIZ Media.
The first volume of "PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka" features the first seven acts and ends with a several-page discussion between Naoki Urasawa and Makoto Tezuka plus a postscript by Takayuki Matsutani, Presiden of Tezuka Productions, Inc.
"PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka" vol. 01 was definitely an enjoyable first volume. One of the biggest differences from Osamu Tezuka's artwork and Urasawa's is the fact that Urasawa tends to go for a more realistic approach and also adding quite a bit of detail from surrounding objects or shadows.
There is a side of darkness that Urasawa has with his work. From "Monster" to "20th Century Boys", you get a good balance of innocence and purity but also a side of darkness which makes his works so appealing.
In this case, for "PLUTO", the storyline is so unique. Sure, we have seen robots become problems for humanity in anime and manga series such as "AD Police" but to find a storyline where robots are revered for helping humanity and living lives like humans and almost be treated like equals was quite intriguing.
So, far the pacing of the series in the first seven acts were well done and captivating.
With great storytelling by Urasawa and Nagasaki, it makes you wonder what will happen with the remaining five great robots. I'm definitely hooked and I know you will be hooked once you finish the first volume. "PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka" is highly recommended!
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Reminds me of the books "iRobot" and "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"Jul 01, 2009
By lovelyduckie
This manga heavily reminds me of the books "iRobot" and "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" but in a good way. I love tales where technology has advanced to the point where there is a fine line between between cyborgs and humans in terms of their abilities to feel emotions. This manga has a few interesting small stories in just the first volume and I LOVE manga series that string along a lot of relevant smaller stories to make one grand story. I have no idea if this series will continue at this pace but I'm already hooked, volumes 2 and 3 arrived on my doorstep yesterday and I plan on reading them as soon as I can!
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
excellent!Apr 05, 2009
By Aaron R. Reed
Pluto is one of the best sci-fi comics produced in a long time, good enough qualitywise to be adapted into live action. It'd certainly make a great TV series for Syfy. Who'd imagine Tezuka's material, including an appearance by Astroboy at the end of volume 1, could be reimagined and drawn with such seriousness? :)
Best manga I've ever readJan 01, 2012
By J. Seipel
Isaac Asimov invented the three laws of robotics, which have come to be accepted as a given in most stories that deal with robots. The first and most important law being that a robot may not cause harm to a human through action or inaction. This is often an important point in robot stories, including Pluto.
Based upon Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy, Pluto reinterprets the story "The Greatest Robot on Earth," expanding it into a futuristic murder-mystery. The action centers around Gesicht, a humanoid detective robot in a future world where robots live alongside humans and some are even national heroes. At the beginning of volume one, we learn that the Swiss mountain guide, forest protector, and war veteran robot, Mont Blanc, has been completely destroyed while battling a forest fire. The next day a robot rights defender is found dead in his apartment, and his body has been set up so that he appears to have huge horns on his head. Confusingly, only another robot could have killed the extremely powerful Mont Blanc, but a robot could not have killed the human (because of the first law). Gesicht is assigned to the case by Interpol and he tries to make sense of the strangely connected murders. A pattern emerges as more robot deaths occur: someone is killing the seven greatest robots in the world, of which Gesicht is one.
Pluto is award winning for a reason: it's an excellent comic series even without it's connection to Astro Boy (also awesome!). Naoki Urasawa's art is complex but not confusing. It's also much more realistic than most Japanese comics, making it a perfect introduction to manga. I love his style - the big noses especially (no idea why, I guess because so often people in comics are too perfectly proportioned). I loved this entire series, and I'm sad that it's ended, but very happy that it introduced me to Urasawa.
 Robot DetectiveNov 01, 2009
By Ian E. Mcgonigal
"MaunderingCabal"
Apparently to honor Astro Boy and his creator, Tezuka, a up and coming artist, Urasawa, wrote a manga title Pluto. The official title is Pluto - Tezuka X Urasawa. It a murder mystery/action manga about a high tech android police agent, seems similar to robot FBI. This manga is based around the investigation of the recent death of the world renowned robot Mont-Blanc, that might be by foul play.
The art reminds me of Full metal alchemist. It was well drawn and very detailed. It is seriously drawn during story progression, cartoony during comic relief, and sketchy/artsy during high emotion. I think this is a perfect flow of artwork.
The manga veers off to a side story for a couple of chapters about a combat robot turned butler named North #2 that is a tad dry and predictable, but it holds strong to the end with the final frame being the re-introduction of Atom, "Astro Boy". My favorite part of the manga was the short side story about the death of a normal police robot and how the main character, Gesicht, has to tell the robot wife of the police robot's dead. It was like a robot version of the cliche "police drama doorstep death confession to the wife scene".
It's a great read for anyone that likes robot manga, murder mystery manga, Astro boy, anyone that liked the artwork of Full metal alchemist, or anyone that read classical manga.
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