Four reasons why Pluto could be the anime highlight of the year

Kevin Hofer

19.10.2023

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Pluto mixes Blade Runner, Monster, Seven and The Boys. The mix works perfectly as a manga. But that isn’t the only reason why the upcoming Netflix anime has the potential to be a hit.

If you’re an anime fan, mark 26 October in your calendar. That’s when Netflix releases Pluto, a sci-fi anime based on the manga of the same name. It was penned by Naoki Urasawa, the author of Monster, which I recently wrote about. But the author is only one reason for Pluto’s massive potential.

1. The template

For Pluto, Urasawa draws inspiration from a great, if not the greatest, work of manga: Astro Boy. It was released between 1952 and 1968 and written by Osamu Tezuka, otherwise known as «God of Manga». In Japan, the story was originally called Iron-Armed Atom.

Iron-Armed Atom is a nuclear-powered robot who learns more and more about humanity as his adventures unfold. He’s a hero, saving humanity again and again. The manga was also Tezuka’s reaction to the devastation left by World War II and the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With Atom, he counters the nuclear destructive force with something positive: hope and new beginnings. Atom becomes a legendary character the likes of Superman.

The starting point for Pluto is the Astro Boy story arc The Greatest Robot on Earth. In it, a sultan builds a robot named Pluto. He’s to become the king of all robots, so the Sultan sends him to destroy the seven strongest robots in the world. In addition to this outset, Urasawa also lifts most of the characters and many locations from the original.

The descendants of Tezuka are strict about his work. Tezuka’s son insisted that Urasawa wrote his own interpretation of the story in his style. He rejected a simple homage or copy. Urasawa had the idea of turning Astro Boy into a detective story. The main character would no longer be Atom, but an inspector. The idea was met with approval.

2. The Manga

In Pluto, a series of murders keeps the world on edge. All cases share the perpetrator’s calling card: horns on the victims’ skulls. A lack of forensic evidence leads to the assumption that it was a robot. However, this should be impossible as robots are programmed not to harm humans.

Europol investigator Gesicht from Düsseldorf is chosen for the investigation. Gesicht is one of the seven most advanced robots in the world. He reminds us of a typical film noir protagonist: tired of his work and with a tragic past.
During his investigation, it turns out that the seven strongest robots and certain scientists are murder targets. In the course of the story, Gesicht also meets Atom and the other seven great robots.

Three years before the main story, the 39th Central Asian War had ended. The United States of Thrace had invaded Persia under the pretext that the latter illicitly possessed weapons of mass destruction. Which wasn’t the case.

This prequel to Pluto has clear parallels with reality. Pluto was written between 2003 and 2009, another time the world was supposedly facing the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The manga bases its backstory on the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In Pluto, the alleged weapons of mass destruction are robots. They ultimately also decide the outcome of the war.

In one way or another, all seven great robots had an impact on the 39th Central Asian War. They either fought like Gesicht, having many of their robot comrades on their conscience. Or, like Atom, they were used as a propaganda tool. They suffer from the roles they played in the war. The seven great robots are revered by humanity as superheroes, but inside they’re deeply divided and flawed characters.

The sweet, highly polished Astro Boy protagonist appears in a different light in Pluto. In Tezuka’s narrative, Atom is supposed to give hope to people in the post-war period as an untouchable icon. Urusawa gives him more depth and makes him more relatable. I identify more with this vulnerable and flawed character than with Tezuka’s perfect Atom.

The horrors of war, xenophobia and racism are central themes. In addition, as in Monster, questions of identity are posed – and what it means to be human. State structures and the exploitation of power are viewed critically. But I don’t want to give away too much about the story. Because like all of Urasawa’s works, Pluto isn’t in-your-face, but gives you room for your own interpretations.

3. The Mangaka

Naoki Urasawa is one of the most renowned mangakas of our time. He has been awarded various prizes, such as the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. Urasawa is a master storyteller, venturing into various genres. While Monster is based on the real world, Pluto is set in the future. His latest work Asadora mixes Japanese telenovela with kaijū and alternative history.

Urasawa’s drawing style is characterised by clean, unadorned lines. His backgrounds are bursting with detail. He focuses on characters’ faces and facial expressions. You won’t find over-sexualised characters in Urasawa’s work. Despite the partly mystical and futuristic themes, his panels and stories are reserved and realistic.

4. The studio

A brilliant creator and a good template don’t guarantee a hit. One final point, however, points towards Pluto receiving the anime adaptation it deserves. The production studio.

None other than Masao Murayama is heading the project. Murayama began his career at Mushi Production, working for the creator of Astro Boy, Osamu Tezuka. He leaves the studio in 1972 and founds Madhouse with some friends, where he’s responsible for production. In this capacity, he produces some of the best anime ever made. Among them the legendary Satoshi Kon films Perfect Blue and Tokyo Godfathers. Series like Ninja Scroll or Monster are also made by Madhouse.

But from 2011, Murayama proves that he can produce more than just reserved films. He leaves Madhouse and founds another studio that shakes up the scene in the years to come: Mappa. The studio is at least partially responsible for the adaptations of Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga. As if that weren’t enough, Mappa also adapts the Dark Trio of Shonen Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen, Hell’s Paradise and Chainsaw Man.

Nowadays, Murayama is no longer president of Mappa. Not because he’s retired. No, in 2016 he founded another studio: M2, who are now adapting Pluto.

Murayama’s hand is clearly visible in the trailer for Pluto. At the same time, the anime also seems to stay true to the manga and Urasawa’s style. Certain panels are implemented one-to-one, as you can see in the following video. The story also seems to follow the original.

Pluto manages to combine widely diverse genres: cyberpunk and detective stories. Thrillers and superhero plots. Yet the heroes aren’t so much super as flawed – even Astro Boy, who inspired the whole thing.

I’m really looking forward to Pluto. I’m reading the manga for the second time right now, in preparation for the release on 26 October. Based on the four points I mentioned, I’m convinced that the anime will be a hit and maybe even the best of 2023.

Kevin Hofer

Senior Editor

kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.ch

From big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.

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