In the last few days, an ONA anime series from the Fall 2023 Anime Season has been known to skyrocket on rating charts everywhere.
And this series is none other than the anime adaptation of “Pluto.” It is adapted from a manga series that takes reference from the first manga series “Astro Boy”.
More specifically, it adapts Astro Boy’s “The Greatest Robot on Earth” arc with a dark psychology.-Twisted thriller. The film has eight episodes, each adapted from an original documentary.
What most people don’t know about Pluto is that it was supposed to be written by a different author than its original author, Urasawa Naoki.
This was revealed in an interview by the eldest son of Osamu Tezuka (godfather of the manga and creator of Astro Boy), Macoto Tezuka.
The interview is at the end of Pluto’s first volume so only dedicated comic collectors will have access to it. So let’s see what this interview has to offer.
Pluto Summary
“Pluto” takes place in a futuristic world where robots have become a part of society and there are government agencies that protect Android rights.
In this world there is Gesicht, an android robot who works for Europol as a detective. He is assigned a case involving the murder of a government official, a human being.
The strange thing about this murder case is that it resembles the murder of Mont Blanc, a famous robot, as both cases involved two parallel objects being pushed into the head area.
So Gesicht consults another robot killer, thinking that a robot is behind this. The robot told Gesicht that the person who did this was named “Pluto”.
He also reveals that this murderer is after the lives of the seven most powerful robots created and that Gesicht is one of them.
So now, it’s a race against time for Gesicht as he must save his life while also catching Pluto in the act.
The Interview
For those who are still unfamiliar with the phenomenon known as “Pluto,” it was written by Urasawa Naoki and supervised by Osamu Tezuka’s eldest son, Macoto Tezuka.
Macoto Tezuka owns shares in Tezuka Production (animation studio), which also collaborated on the creation of this manga.
Urasawa and Macoto were interviewed when the manga project “Pluto” was approved by industry officials (in September 2003), and both gave their views on the future of the manga series. The detailed interview is presented at the end of the first volume of the comic series “Pluto”.
To start, the interview asked both of them about their perception of the legendary manga “Astro Boy”.
Urasawa replied that he was exposed to Osamu Tezuka’s “Astro Boy” when he was 4 to 5 years old. He even tried to copy Tezuka’s art style and signature, which he was quite good at.
On the other hand, Macoto said that he was lucky that “Astro Boy” was written and composed entirely in front of him, and that he was one of the first people in this world to read it.
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A Challenge to the Original “Astro Boy”
The interview then turned his attention to Macoto, asking what his feelings were when Urasawa contacted him about giving his father his most famous work, an adaptation completely different from the original.
Macoto began by praising Urasawa’s courage, as this project would be a direct challenge to his father, manga legend Osamu Tezuka. He knew Urasawa was a famous mangaka, so he decided to at least listen to him.
Urasawa later described the first time he thought of using Atom (the main character of “Astro Boy”) as his main character. But then he changed because he had second thoughts. After all, he didn’t want to change his personality too much. Therefore, he chose the supporting character, Gesicht, as the main character.
Pluto is said to have been written by a family member of Osamu
Macoto continued the conversation by saying that Osamu Tezuka’s work in the past could have been challenged because there were so many talented mangaka present. He then explained that he never thought he would participate in this challenge because he is not a mangaka.
So he expected someone from Osamu Tezuka’s family to take on the challenge, but Urasawa suddenly appeared and volunteered to take the challenge first.
He also complimented Urasawa’s confidence. He changed the entire plot, changed the names of some of the characters, and even changed the main character, knowing that this manga is not only part of Osamu’s legacy but also Japan’s legacy .
They continued the conversation by discussing the profession of Macoto (Japanese) film and anime director). They also urged young fans to read “Astro Boy” because that is how “Pluto” came to be.
Final thoughts
Urasawa Naoki is a mangaka who needs no introduction in the modern era. He is famous for his writing talent. He is also a mastermind because he knows how to create the perfect villain.
Examples include “Johan Liebert” from Monster and “Friend” from 20th Century Boys. And Pluto (the villain of “Pluto”) is also an addition to this list.
All eight episodes of “Pluto” are available on Amazon in English. So if you like, add this masterpiece to your collection.