| Title | : | PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 3 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1421519208 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781421519203 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 200 |
| Publication | : | First published March 24, 2006 |
When robots become so highly advanced in function, yet so similar in kind to humans, societal resistance is inevitable. In this backdrop of technophobic discrimination, Europol’s top robot detective Gesicht and Atom, the most advanced robot in the world continue their investigation into the serial murders of the great robots of the world. The leaves of this mystery masterfully unfold into a complex intersection of reactionary robot hate groups, global politics, and an exploration of robot identity.
Contains Chapters 16 to 23.
PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 3 Reviews
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Una historia intrigante que no pierde el hilo de la trama pero nos entrega pinceladas entre la relación de robots y humanos. Sobre la guerra, los derechos y por si fuera poco los prejuicios existentes contra la misma creación del ser humano.
Vale, me tiene enganchado. -
--Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 003
Postscript: Why is Pluto Interesting?, by Fusanosuke Natsume, Manga Columnist -
Murders, murders everywhere, and hardly a shred of evidence to be found.
I am really liking the world building in this series. In this installment we meet members of KR - think future day KKK - and they want to get rid of all robots. Of course all us liberals would have a knee jerk reaction to these characters, but the back story reveal of one of them is very sensitively done. The cast of characters increases with each installment, and just when I thought no-one could be cuter than Atom, enter Uran. She's a delight. This volume is very slow paced, and the pieces are getting set to be played out, but I'm buckled in for the ride. -
This volume is more of a commentary on 'how human are humans' when interacting with robots. The series has started exploring the nature of the dividing line between robots and humans, and the impact of high functioning AIs (like Gesicht) on human society, and the introduction of a group not unlike the Ku Klux Klan that's sole purpose is to destroy and eradicate robots' existense.
Vol. 03, unlike the first two volumes focuses on character development, and of the newly introduced sister of Atom, Uran. In this volume we get a clear picture certain people who are against the peaceful co-existence between man and robot.
Overall, it is another enjoyable volume that definitely is setting up for a major showdown between man and robot, or is it? Can Gesicht get to the bottom of things before something crazy happens? -
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.
POST SCRIPTUM:
Check out my reviews of the previous two volumes:
1)
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001;”
2)
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002.” -
This series is getting better and better. And this is only the third volume. Urasawa is deftly introducing his main characters and plot elements in a measured way, not dumping in front of the reader his narrative components all at once. We didn't see Atom until the tail end of the first volume, and Uran didn't appear until the very end of the second. And then in this third, not only were we more fully introduced to Uran, but Adolf Haas and the KR are added into the mix. Must read on!
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3.5 stars.
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The story of Uran and the homeless person is the real highlight of this third book. Though the book gets bogged down a little in the middle, with the further mystery of Gesicht, his past, and then the back story for the man out to kill him, it finishes on just the right note. The introduction of a new character in Epsilon opens the way for some more interesting story, and the last two or three chapters shed a little light on some things, but reveal just as much shadow underneath what's now been highlighted.
But then, with Urasawa Naoki at the helm, you should have seen that coming. -
Mhh j'ai moins aimé que les deux premiers tomes que j'ai trouvé super. Celui ci est vraiment pas subtil dans sa façon d'aborder le "racisme" anti robot.
Pleins de nouveaux perso détestables contrebalancé par la très mimi Uran !
Le moment avec tout les insectes dégueu par contre HELP T^T -
This one slows down a lot and tus making it the weakest chapter so far (but still pretty damn good)
So we get a little time with Atom's sister "Uran" and she's honestly the most boring of the bunch. I really did enjoy Atom's introduction and then our Detective is still great, but Uran comes across kind of boring. We'll see if that changes. Also we get the KR group which is basically the KKK group of Robot Haters. They want them completely gone, and this "smart" group is skillful at building up their brand, and crushing the robots. This all leads up to a reveal of what could be the main villain of the series.
Good: I love how the KR group is actually smart and not just rabid crazy "fuck robot" groups. They are slowly thinking of ways to turn the public against robots similar to how the KKK has evolved in the last few years. I also enjoyed Atom's level of fear growing and making him more human like. His moments were great and the mystery growing is getting scarier.
Bad: I didn't love the stuff with Uran, found it pretty dull. I also thought the big reveal of the enemy wasn't all that surprising but it can also be a red hearing. So guess we will see.
Overall this is still really solid, a 3.5 out of 5, but not as good as volume 1-2. But I feel this is the bridge before the big major events occur. -
Her kitapla seviyesini korumak şöyle dursun, giderek iyileşiyor. Hikayenin cevapladığı her soru için yarattığı yeni onlarca soru işareti, okurun zihnini sürekli aktif tutuyor. İlk bakışta alakasız görünen her hikaye örgüsü, sonradan öyle güzel bağlanıyor ki hikaye kurgusunu takdir etmemek elde değil. Urasawa hem esinlendiği yerlere hakkını vererek selam çakıyor hem de anlatısını modern eksende tutmayı başarıyor. Pluto, 3. kitabıyla birlikte hala okuduğum en iyi işlerden.
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4 1/5 Sterne!
Es geht stark weiter! Dieser Band ist ein wenig schwächer, aber immer noch genial. Hier spitzt es sich politisch zu und es wird einiges an Hintergrundinformationen aufgegriffen und erklärt. Mein Lieblingscharakter Gesicht kam hier leider zu kurz, aber diese Reihe beinhaltet viele wichtige Charaktere, deshalb bin ich frohen Mutes, dass noch einiges zu ihm kommen wird. -
things to appreciate in this book:
- the amazing art-panels.
- the tragic backstory. *forces you to sympathy even with the scums*
- Uran's cuteness.
- the mysterious tunnel old man and his concept.
- Epsilon's appearance. *sobbing*
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the modern kkk cult conspiracy along side the creepy professor Abdullah made me clench my fist in anger. -
¡Ay, ese final, mamita querida!
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A bit slow at stages but we learn more about certain robots and organisations.
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4.5 stars.
That ending... I'm so glad the series is complete so that I can binge the whole thing! -
bonitao achei o cara dos chifre hihihi, esse mangá só melhora a cada volume bora q bora
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El tomo más interesante que he leído hasta ahora. Aparecen nuevos personajes que enriquecen la trama y vemos lo que parece ser el villano principal por primera vez.
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Stuff I Read – Pluto Vol 3
Well Pluto keeps on rolling along, and with the third volume we are introduced a bit more to Atom’s sister, who has extreme senses, apparently, as she is able to sense fear in people or animals from very far away. In that side the story, we see her befriend a strange robot who likes art and who can make flowers grow, while in the rest of the manga we see the plot grow more complicated as other factions are added into the fray. With Gesicht we see the introduction of a group of anti-robot weirdos who have been made to resemble the KKK. Among them is one man, hilariously named Adolf, whose brother was killed and it seems like it might have been by a robot, and perhaps even by Gesicht. Whether that is true or not is still to be seen, but it is interesting. At the same time, Gesicht and the robot in Greece are visited by Epsilon, a very powerful robot who did not participate in the war that this manga seems to be about. If the war is the common element that binds these attacks, though, I wonder what Epsilon’s role will be, as he might then be left out because he was not present for the war.
In any event, this volume has dispelled my fears that this series might not be complicated enough to warrant twelve volumes. Because here is also when we see who will probably turn out to be the main villain of the series, a mostly robotic man from Persia, the nation that had been torn apart by the war all these robots seem to have been involved in. That he is mostly robot and yet human links back to a clue Gesicht got about the killings, and so it seems at least likely that this man is responsible for the deaths so far. I mean, it might also be Pluto himself, who is finally shown at the very end of the volume, but it seems more likely that it is this other character who is killing the humans while Pluto is taking out the robots. My theory, at least. But the new developments with that character seem like they are going to be the most telling, and as the story seems to be revolving around the war in Persia, it makes sense that a Persian would be the main villain, to complicate that role because he would have been on the side that was attacked and devastated without much cause. If he turns out to be fairly innocent, then how he is ultimately treated will impact what this series, ultimately, has to say.
But really the volume does a good job complicating all of the would-be villains, including Adolf and Pluto. While the organization that Adolf is a part of might be played as just bad people, racists and liars, Adolf himself is honestly conflicted, and has had reason for everything that he has done. It’s not that everything he has done has been forgivable, but rather that yes, he had a reason for it that we can understand. The conclusions he comes to as a result are where he runs into problems, and where the tragedy of his situation is most easily felt. This is an angry man whose life has been hard, in large part due to industrialization. But his turning that into blame of robots is unreasonable and wrong, as he should be angry at the system instead of the robots. It was capitalism that betrayed him, and he is projecting his hatred of a system where that can happen into hatred of robots for being the tools used hurt him.
How the volume complicates Pluto is a little less clear, as the entity seems to jump into an uninhabited body for a while. Meeting Atom’s sister, he becomes a bit on an artist, and learns that he has the power to make plants grow. For a while then it seems as though he wants his mission to be to make flowers grow, but this is set against the growing certainty that he is the odd robot who has been responsible for the attacks. It sets up that it might not be entirely Pluto’s idea to be doing what he is doing, that perhaps what he wants is just to make plants grow, but at the same time it seems like he has been responsible for a lot of death, and by the end he seems full of hatred for Atom, something that is not really explained. Assuming that it has something to do with the war in Persia, perhaps it will help to explain what Atom’s role there was.
In any event, this volume definitely gets the ball rolling on a number of plots, and I like that so much is going on here. The plot is going on at a rather meandering pace, but that works quite well, as we still have a lot to learn and see. The tension is slowly being ratcheted up, and more mysteries are being layered upon the old ones, so I’m really hoping that the payoff is going to be worth it. I am optimistic in that regard, as these opening volumes have been very good. As for this volume, I think that it does its job quite well, and I give it an 8.5/10. -
Bravo. This is the type of manga I like. Mature, intelligent, not fluffy.
In this volume, the author explores the dividing line between human and robot. We learn more about Atom's sister, Uran, that we were introduced to in the previous volume. We are also introduced to a Ku Klux Klan copycat that is all about hating robots. -
The third book in the series added a few interesting characters and wrinkles, and is starting to reveal the antagonists a bit more, while also building up the world a bit. Some of the motivations assigned to the characters are a bit flat, but the pace picked up a bit from the second volume. Here's hoping it keeps rolling along at this clip!
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I just barely like this. This is very moody and completely not my style. It continues to dump in more characters and events and I can not remember all of them. Most of the time reading this, I am just confused. I understand that it's a slowburn and it's building up but I don't feel like I like this. But it has a lot of acclaim so I'm still giving this a chance.
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We now know who Pluto is.
Interesting turn of Events. Moving on to Pluto Volume #4. -
Not my favorite volume so far, but they're setting a lot more pieces on the board...
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Chapter 22 is particularly great, and the arc with Uran and Atom is great. But the first 2/3 was slow and the introduction of a new character feels random. Next Volume is set up well
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Uran is a robot who looks like a little girl. She has the unique ability of being able to sense emotions, even from great distances. As she and Atom leave the police station, Atom notices an odd man heading into the station, but he can’t tell whether he is robot or human. Turns out he is Professor Abdullah. From Persia, he is considered to be Central Asia’s greatest intellect. The police requested he come in to discuss some of the people he met with on a recent visit, some of whom are now dead. As the Professor leaves the station, he requests directions to Central Park where something just happens to be emerging, something dark and sinister-looking.
In Dusseldorf, a family are enjoying their breakfast. The wife reminds her husband, Adolf, that it is the three year anniversary of his brother’s death, and he needs to claim the body. When he does, he requests to see the body and is shocked by what he sees. Later he attends a clandestine meeting of people wearing hoods who all espouse the cause of death to machines, and seek to eradicate all robots. It appears his brother was practically pulverized by a particular type of weapon which few robots can wield. He is determined to find out which robots are capable. He researches reported incidents involving such a weapon and learns the only one within the last few years since the war was reported just the previous night, and that one involved Inspector Gesicht.
With the help of a friend, Hercules has “borrowed” a military battle suit, knowing this is a serious offense, one that could end his career. As he is testing it out, suddenly a second sun appears in the sky. It turns out to be a robot named Epsilon, who says he had to stop Hercules before he got himself killed, like Brando and Mount Blanc. Back in Germany, Adolf takes his findings to his group, to request their help in locating and destroying Gesicht. They tell him not to take any action as this could reveal the awful things Adolf’s brother did, but let them handle the matter. Epsilon approaches Gesicht and tells him of the children he cares for since the war. One particular little boy, the sole survivor of his village, saw something terrible, and the only word he will utter now is the name Bora.
In Tokyo, Uran oddly wakes to find what seems to be a tear on her pillow. Since when do robots cry? Leaving her building, she says she senses someone in emotional distress, perhaps an animal, and goes off to find it. Going into a closed park which is forbidden for anyone to enter, she finds a man inside an abandoned building who is in apparent distress. Except he isn’t a man, he’s a robot. When she asks what sort of nutrient he requires, she tells him she can’t get that one but gets the closest thing to that she can find. She helps nurse him back to health and begins to piece together his story. In the meantime, Professor Abdullah has sent out a robot on a mission… and who is Pluto?
Maybe I’m late to realize this and am only stating the obvious, but it seems to me that Pluto can be seen as an allegory about the human condition, even though it involves robots. It has themes of prejudice and hate, which of course are reflected in our everyday lives with people who hate others based solely on the basis of their skin color, sexual identification, religions, etc. People fear what they don’t understand. They also fear people who know more than they do (whether they are willing to admit to it or not) So robots are a double threat in that regard. And these robots are eerily human as well, some of them. That hooded hate group looks remarkably like the KKK – imagine that. Now it seems that Gesicht has a target on his back, assuming he didn’t already just because of who he is. How many more robots have to die before this menace is stopped? Who or what is Pluto?
Another great volume, looking forward to the next one! -
(Zero spoiler review for books 1-3 as a whole) 2.75/5
The more manga I read (which still isn't a whole lot) the more I know this medium really isn't for me. I know this series has a massive cult following, and is reviewed very highly here, although for all it has going for it, it really comes across rather amateurish to me. I don't think I'll ever like reading small, black and white paperback comics. Although a great story has the ability to transcend the limitations of the medium, something inherent within comics is lost to me with this format. The art, is perfectly serviceable, especially the larger panels showing the various futuristic cities around the world. These were excellent, and really helped to sell the technological potential of the world. It's just a shame the writing didn't. This ultimately comes across as a science fiction narrative written by a child. A competent one, mind, but a child nonetheless. No credence is given whatsoever to consistency or the believability of the world. The lore and background of the robots are completely nonsensical. If you even stop for a second and question the logic of what you're reading, pretty quickly, about a thousand problems arise, without even a cursory nod towards an explanation.
I've continually lamented in just about every manga I've ever read (except for the outstanding Blade of the Immortal) that Eastern storytelling lacks the nuance, the poetry, the beauty present within western writing. Good western writing anyway. There is no real exposition in this, which would have given the author the ability to really open up and instil some beauty within the narrative. Instead we get bland bit of dialogue after bland bit of dialogue. If he was trying to really replicate the robotic nature of many of the protagonists, then I would say mission accomplished, because there was something incredibly cold and sterile about the writing here, and indeed in all manga, in my opinion. Urasawa clearly came up with an interesting premise for this story, although unfortunately executed it in a very average way. Most of the characters were quite flat and generic, and really didn't inspire anything above apathy in me. Little dialogue of interest, flat art, little logic or consistency in the world. All this is always going to add up to a big fat no from me. I'm glad in a way though. I now know that, given how many people love this manga, that the genre itself is just not my cup of tea, and I can stop trying to force it. I didn't dig this at all, but your mileage may vary. 2.75/5
OmniBen. -
The initially fun universe expands with some clutter that obviously wants to extend the plot gratuitously. We catch a glimpse of the killer and who controls him and also get new characters which don't seem to be vital to the story, at least not yet. To think that the series isn't even half done. What on Earth did they invent to slow the progression down? Named characters pulled out of nowhere, secondary plot points that hang by a thread, lackluster dialogue. They work together to turn this manga with great potential into run-of-the-mill, 'A-number-one' mediocrity. I still want to know what's going on, but I have lost a bit of interest.
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Sin prisas pero sin pausas el comic de Pluto sigue adelante. Un tercer tomo que sigue con la tónica de los anteriores, es decir, no se detiene en la presentación de personajes (entre ellos un tal Epsilon y Pluto, el que da nombre a la obra) a la par que se desarrollan múltiples tramas paralelas y se ahonda un poco más en los personajes ya conocidos.
La investigación sobre la autoría de las misteriosas muertes queda un poco en un segundo plano, siendo relevada por una trama sobre una organización anti robots y la presentación del asesino que está detrás de todo (junto con la de su creador). Y lo hace todo sin olvidar desarrollar personajes, como Uran (la hermana de Astroboy) que gana bastante carisma aquí.
Sigue siendo una obra que, sin un ritmo trepidante, consigue atrapar en todos y cada uno de los capítulos, un ejemplo condensado de lo que acostumbra a hacer el autor en sus obras más reconocidas y que tan bien se le da: construir thrillers.
Es una maravilla el sentido del ritmo y de la composición de viñetas que tiene Urasawa, cómo con una conversación o con algún pequeño detalle te va metiendo más y más en la obra, hasta el punto de que no te das cuenta y ya has llegado al final del tomo.
Totalmente recomendable. -
Uran has a chance to shine in this volume and Epsilon comes out to play his part.
Honestly it is sad to see some humans seem to need to hate in the world and that goes for this world where robots can be similar to us and yet be so much more. In this volume we can see a hate group donning the familiar wardrobe of the Ku Klux Klan but with KR on the hoods. With a chant of Death to Robots this cadre of robot haters has meetings and plot to try to spread fear so they can win others to their side. With Pluto (who also shows up in this volume in increasing but varied ways) already hunting down those robots that were involved in the Asian conflict this group is only adding to the chaos that is sure to follow.
One thing I really liked about this volume is when Uran meets a stranger (who happens to be a robot) who in a moment of near shut down ends up painting all over the wall. After she saves him she also gives him more colors and what started as a scribble becomes a full color splash across two pages among the normal black and white pages. Go ahead and check it out on pages 146-147 and to a lesser degree 148. I have reason to believe this is going to be an important part to the future of the manga. :)
