The final trailer of the highly anticipated upcoming anime series Pluto is finally out.
The new video from Netflix’s official YouTube account heralds the tone of the series and the broad departures it makes from the “original” source material. Based on the manga of the same name, Pluto is a darker, more mature reinterpretation of Osamu Tezuka’s classic Astro Boy. The trailer introduces protagonist Gesicht, a humanoid robot investigating Pluto. Also seen flying amidst multiple explosions and massive destruction is Atom, the chapter equivalent to Mighty Atom/Astro Boy. At the trailer’s climax, the film reveals its clear tagline: “Someone, please stop this hatred.”
Fittingly, the chapter’s themes explore the relationship between humans and robots, relationships like which are often tumultuous. The result is the destruction often seen in the trailer, much of it the result of man’s own actions. Pluto’s more positive relationships are also glimpsed in the trailer when Professor Ochanomizu embraces his robot “son” Atom (who was created to replace his deceased son is Tobio).
Other members of the franchise’s iconic cast include Uran and Dr. Tenma, the former of whom can be heard and seen briefly in the show’s final trailer. Many explosions and other action-packed elements are portrayed through CGI, though the results are more organic and dramatic than many other examples of CG in anime.
The original Pluto manga by Naoki Urosawa and Takashi Nagasaki ran from 2003 to 2009, with eight tankobon manga volumes released in English after the series ended. As mentioned, it reinterprets content from Osamu Tezuka’s classic Astro Boy manga. In particular, the “Greatest Robot on Earth” storyline is transformed into a darker mystery story. The character designs also feel more realistic and grounded, with Atom eschewing his usual cartoonish appearance for a more realistic and human-looking design.
As in the Pluto manga, the main character is actually not Astro Boy but Gesicht, who is investigating murders around the world linked to the titular murderer. The fact that Pluto is a robot raises a major social issue, which is that robots have not harmed humans in many years. The murders are also linked to a growing sense of social unrest between humans and robots, the latter of whom desire equal rights with humanity. This creates the dark atmosphere seen in the film’s trailer, promising a world much different than the one some may expect from the series.
Pluto premieres on Netflix on October 26, 2023.
Source: Netflix