PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002 (Pluto, #2)

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PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002 (Pluto #2)

by Naoki Urasawa, 浦沢直樹, Takashi Nagasaki, 長崎尚志, Osamu Tezuka (Creator), 手塚治虫, Makoto Tezuka (Supervised), 手塚眞

4.43 of 5 stars 4.43 · rating details · 1,049 ratings · 42 reviews

A new vision based on Astro Boy - "The Greatest Robot On Earth" R to L (Japanese Style). Pluto… Sahad… Goji… Abullah… Mysterious figures somehow involved with the serial murders of the great robots of the world. Europol's top robot detective Gesicht has been put on the case, and he's mere steps away from discovering the horrifying truth behind the killer and his motives… L

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Paperback, 208 pages

Published March 17th 2009 by VIZ Media (first published April 26th 2005)

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Nov 06, 2011 R. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bien après la lecture du premier tome de la série qui m'avait laissé une impression mitigée, j'ai décidé de donner une deuxième chance à ce manga. Bien m’en a pris car ce second tome change la donne. J'avais été un peu déçu par le personnage principal du récit qui avait, selon moi, un charisme proche de celui de l'inspecteur Derrick. C'est encore un peu vrai mais, en le découvrant un peu mieux, on parvient à s'y attacher et même à ressentir de l'empathie. Au dela de ce personnage, la série s'éto...more Bien après la lecture du premier tome de la série qui m'avait laissé une impression mitigée, j'ai décidé de donner une deuxième chance à ce manga. Bien m’en a pris car ce second tome change la donne. J'avais été un peu déçu par le personnage principal du récit qui avait, selon moi, un charisme proche de celui de l'inspecteur Derrick. C'est encore un peu vrai mais, en le découvrant un peu mieux, on parvient à s'y attacher et même à ressentir de l'empathie. Au dela de ce personnage, la série s'étoffe et intègre, en marge de l'enquête sur les assassinats des robots et de leurs sympathisants, d'autres éléments.
Comme souvent dans ce type d'histoire, le passé des personnages est peu à peu révélé et a des répercutions importantes sur les évènements se déroulant à l'époque du récit. Les personnages de Pluto ont participé à une grande guerre ressemblant très fortement à la guerre menée par les américains en Irak.
Deuxièmement, le thème majeur de l'histoire, la condition des robots par rapport aux humains, devient prégnant. Au fil du temps, les robots sont devenus tellement perfectionnés qu'il est difficile de faire la différence entre un humain et un robot — ils passeraient sans problème le test de Turing. Certains commencent même à apprécier les plaisirs de la vie et à ressentir des émotions. Pourtant, ils ne peuvent oublier qu'ils ont été créés par l'homme et pour l'homme, pour le servir. La ségrégation entre les hommes et les robots est un sujet brulant dans cette société qui nous renvoie à l'esclavage et à l'apartheid. Enfin, il ne faut pas oublier la grande peur de l'homme, le danger que représentent les robots. Sont-il capables de transgresser l'une des lois fondamentales de la robotique:

Un robot ne peut porter atteinte à un être humain, ni, restant passif, permettre qu'un être humain soit exposé au danger.

Ces éléments apportent de la consistance à l'histoire et sont bien intégrés au récit qui les explore tour à tour. Tout ceci est servi par un excellent dessin aux accents sombres et réalistes, prenant clairement ses distances par rapport à l'oeuvre originale de Tezuka et renforçant ainsi la crédibilité de l'ensemble. J'avais donc failli passer à côté d'une des toutes meilleures séries de ces dernières années. http://www.aubonroman.com/2011/11/plu...(less)

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Apr 23, 2013 Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali rated it 5 of 5 stars

This story has gotten better. Volume 2 allows us to get to know Atom a bit. He is far more than he appears, which is to say, he appears to be a little boy. He is also a robot, but he is so realistic that he often fools/confuses other robots. He has many of the same natural longings as any other kid. There is such a seem less, if not disconcerting blending of robot and human vharacternistics in this tale it is difficult for me to keep it straight, to remember who is real and who is not a real hum...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Unicornorgy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

Atom is such a perfectly believable character. He owned every scene he was in- it's a bit weird to have a celebrity in a manga, but even the scenes when he and Gesicht (my fav cahracter by a wide margin) were talking I found it hard to focus on anything other than Atom.

I found the bit with Brando heavy-handed, but, I always dismiss family scenes so no one is surprised ever.

The one thing that they didn't quite pull off was when Brando announced that he had defeated the mysterious enemy. In the As...more

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May 28, 2012 Sean rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, graphic-novel

I am really loving this series. The art is simply fantastic and the story is so far masterful. As the second volume concludes, I found myself sad at the overall despair for most of the characters. I love the fact that the robots have emotional weight. It echoes something along the lines of gender and race issues. You don't see them as being morally different from humans. In fact, they seem to have the most humanity out of any of the characters in the series thus far. I am sold on this series and...more

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May 29, 2012 Charles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga-graphic-novels, mystery, science-fiction, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Stuff I Read – Pluto Vol 2

So the second volume picks up right where the first one ended, with Gesicht meeting Atom, the Astro Boy character of this series based on an Astro Boy story. And the volume does an all right job of introducing the character but maintaining the darker tone that has dominated the story thus far. Instead of making this about Atom, the focus stays on Gesicht, and on the other robots that are being targeted by this Pluto. At the same time, Atom is starting to play a larger r...more Stuff I Read – Pluto Vol 2

So the second volume picks up right where the first one ended, with Gesicht meeting Atom, the Astro Boy character of this series based on an Astro Boy story. And the volume does an all right job of introducing the character but maintaining the darker tone that has dominated the story thus far. Instead of making this about Atom, the focus stays on Gesicht, and on the other robots that are being targeted by this Pluto. At the same time, Atom is starting to play a larger role now, and he makes for an interesting character, because while he has the appearance of a small boy he gives off an air of someone much more complicated. Though he acts a lot like a human child, to the point that it is surprising to other robots, to the point he actually experiences certain emotions, there is also a lot of guilt and sadness in Atom. In many ways he is tragic, because he is confined to a body that will not age, and despite being the most advanced robot around, he is still limited by how other people see him.

The story progresses a bit more as the wrestling robot introduced in the last volume, the one who has a family and all that, decides to take on Pluto. The battle again takes place completely off panel, and to this point the reader still hasn’t gotten to see one of these battles. But apparently the battles are surrounded in violent winds, and so the mystery of what Pluto is remains intact. We also get to see a bit more of what happened during the Asian War that all of these robots were involved in, and how they all destroyed huge amounts of robots basically so they could free robots from oppression. The parallels that are drawn between that conflict and the war in Iraq are rather obvious. I mean, the inspectors that were looking for robots of mass destruction, that found nothing, that led to forces going into the nation anyway. That these robots of mass destruction were never used during the war, and details even down to the appearance of the ruler of the nation match up with the conflict in Iraq, so it seems fairly obvious that the writer is trying to draw connections and perhaps say something about that conflict while telling this story.

In any event, though, the story progresses as the wrestling robot takes on Pluto and is destroyed. Odd at this point is that robot’s claim that he did it, that he won. That doesn’t make much sense yet, as it doesn’t seem like Pluto was injured at all from the battle. So that remains a little mystery while the larger mystery inches along. It is now clear that the inspectors that failed to find the robots of mass destruction and the robots involved in the war are being targeted, but nothing really as to what this Pluto is. It is also unclear at this point what role Atom played in the war beyond a sort of goodwill ambassador. I have to assume that it was more than that, as all the other robots sent there were killers. So it will be interesting to see what Atom did while over there, and if his experiences there changed him in any way. All of the other robots have carried deep scars from that time, and it would be odd if Atom was free of all of that.

My main problem so far is that I’d like to see more of a lot of these characters before they die. I mean, this is a fairly long series, and yet three out of the seven robots are already dead. The way this is going, the other wrestler robot will be dead next volume, and then the female robot will be introduced (at least I think it’s female based on the fuzzy picture of it shown in this volume) and then Gesicht and her will probably die as well. I also am kept in the dark about a lot of things, and the one that is bugging me is with the robot that killed a human. It is a good character, a bit like Hannibal Lector for Gesicht, but at this point I really don’t get why it is significant. In this volume Gesicht trades chips with it, to see what it knows, but that experience really doesn’t tell him or the reader much. I want to know what happened then, and I feel like the writer is withholding that a bit cruelly at this point. As a mystery we are supposed to be able to see the clues, and I feel that might be a big one. Of course, it might not be important at all. I would still like to know. At the end of the volume, though, those rather minor problems are outweighed by all that this volume has going for it. It is still a good mystery, and has something to say, which is nice. It is also not a battle manga, though battles happen throughout the story. That is kind of nice, too, because it retains the mystery better. So I give this volume a 7.75/10.
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Feb 19, 2012 Anthony Chavez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel-manga

Atom, or "Astroboy" as the West knows him, makes his first appearance at the end of volume one and propels this volume forward. Atom is given by Naoki Urasawa the appearance of a real boy who gets excited seeing the latest new, cool toy and likes ice cream like any other boy, but doesn't know why and shrugs it off like any other, to the amazement of Gesicht who knows Atom is the most advanced robot out there.

Urasawa even takes Atom a little further, adding an underlying maturity and understandin...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Hengtee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Continues to further deepen mystery of Pluto in pretty much every way imaginable without giving you more than the briefest of hints as to what everyone is wrapped up in. Still, the deepening mystery to do with Gesicht and his potentially altered memory are very well handled, as is the introduction of Astroboy in the main story. My only real complaint is that I wish Brando got a little more character development, because I feel there was potential there for more.

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May 08, 2013 Lissibith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective, manga, sci-fi

This story continues to be incredible, engaging and driving with some fantastic characters. I think this manga has so far gotten to me emotionally more than almost any other I've read. The mystery is gripping - you really WANT things to be worked out, you want these characters to have a chance to go back to the peace they've found in their lives, but the attacker hangs over the story like a thundercloud. Just wonderful.

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Jul 27, 2011 Ubalstecha added it

This series gets better as it goes along. Telling the story of the world's greatest robots, their advocates and creators, who are being hunted by a serial killer. Urasawe gets us invested in the characters as he takes us into their past and introduces us to more of them. Borrowing from the Astro Boy mythos, Urasawa has created a tight, engaging murder mystery that also explores what it means to be human.

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Feb 24, 2011 Ubalstecha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, graphic-novels-you-need-to-read

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Feb 02, 2012 Roberta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, science-fiction, pluto

In this volume the investigation continues and the readers meet the other robots that participated at the peace mission. And we learn more on the mission itself.
Interesting but a volume dedicated more at explaining things than at make the story progress.
I liked this volume a little less than the first.

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May 16, 2010 Yuval rated it 4 of 5 stars

wonderful comics, special and thrilling...
i love the way and the temp the information is given and i enjoyed the art.
int this volume, geseicht meets atom- "astro boy", and the detective shares information with him that changes his attitude. they talk about things like the difference between robots and humans, and what makes them speciel in spite of the other robots. i dont remember exactly every thing but i recommend this manga so much, it just draws you and you can't stop reading it, every thi...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Radek rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of good story, sci-fi, manga and Urasawa Naoki.

Shelves: manga, sci-fi, seinen

As I have written in the short-review of first volume. Pluto has a really solid plot. You get no feelings like: "The author just keeps pulling my leg, right?"

Otherwise there are likeable characters, Gesicht in particular. Drawings are pleasure to watch.

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Jan 18, 2013 Raúl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Impresionante el nivel que tiene este manga con sólo dos tomos. Es un poquito más flojo que el primero, pero la historia de Brand es desoladora en todos los sentidos. Va camino de convertirse en una obra maestra.

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May 09, 2009 Steven rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, crime-mystery, fantasy, fiction, horror, psychology, sci-fi, science

The mystery of the robot killer widens in this second volume from Urasawa. We are introduced to Atom, otherwise known as Astro Boy, who joins Gesicht in his investigation of the murders of the great robots of the world. We also meet Hercules and Brando, the remaining living targets of Pluto.

Urasawa does a wonderful job of representing and interpreting Osamu Tezuka's world. He draws us in with subplots and shows the uneasy balance between humans and robots and the internal conflicts that robots t...more

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Aug 29, 2009 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21c, manga, seinen-manga, chromatic

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 02, 2010 Jacobi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: trades-read-in-2010

This volume didn't have anything as neat in it as the North No.2 story from volume one, but this is still a really solid series. I'm on board for the duration.

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Aug 03, 2010 Eric Orchard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, science-fiction

This series just gets better and better!

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Mar 25, 2010 Korynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

This volume introduces Atom, a extraordinarily advanced robot who looks like a little boy, who meets with Gesicht, our detective protagonist in a discussion of who is destroying the world's most advanced and potentially destructive robots. It's genuinely intriguing to conceive of a future in which robots endeavor to understand human reactions and emotions, and so mimic or genuinely develop human traits. Although that is the question so far - is there a distinct line that prevents artificial inte...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Ahmed Rachid rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

براندو مسكين...
زعلت عليه :(

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Feb 29, 2012 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

Love the work of Tezuka and Urasawa. This I like twice as much!

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Jan 05, 2010 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic

One of the best series I've read in a while. This book was written for me.

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Mar 30, 2009 Scott Radtke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, comics, sci-fi

So far this is one of my favorite titles and I can't imagine Urasawa will stumble in upcoming volumes. It's refreshing to see him take on the legendary Tezuka with a comic that remains faithful to the general plot and spirit of Astro Boy: The Greatest Robot in the World, but gives it a darkness and a truly adult heft. Urasawa again plots a tight and very disturbing mystery that involves truly sympathetic characters encountering a misguided force of evil.

Brilliant.

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Feb 26, 2009 Tyas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

I just read this yesterday, and oh my how astonished was I. Building a story based on the late Osamu Tezuka's characters from Tetsuwan Atom, Urasawa Naoki in the second book extends the mystery of the murders further. The people and robot murdered was involved in a war some years ago - a war that, everyone must realise from a glance, is based on a war everyone here must be familiar with. Ho hum.

Brando's final moment brought tears to my eyes.

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Nov 25, 2012 Mikael Kuoppala rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

The mystery continues to unravel with "Pluto," the plot and characterization remaining every bit as- if not more- excellent as in the opening volume. The main focus is on character, but the plot reaches some kick-ass moments along the way. It's wonderful how this series manages to be so riveting and urgent while maintaining a quiet, melancholic beauty in its tone.

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Feb 27, 2013 Charliesabers rated it 5 of 5 stars

A great series. Read the whole book, in a couple of days. It is a reworking of the core concepts of Astro Boy, but with darker, grittier and more philosophical. It questions what it means to be human, and what it means for robots to be "perfect". The pacing is great, the characters likeable, and the art amazing. A great read.

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Jun 18, 2011 Hugo Resendiz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, manga, graphic-novels

Continua el spin off de Astroboy, donde Atom y Gesicht se conocen y comparten informacion sobre el caso. Los personajes de Astroboy aparecen con los dibujos tradicionales de Urasawa. Aqui tambien se conocen a Brando y a Heracles, otros dos robots en peligro por el demonio que intenta destriur a los robots mas fuertes.

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Jun 09, 2011 sweet pea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, science-fiction, graphic-content

i officially love this series. this volume continues the intrigue by giving us a little more information. there's a hilarious part about a commission seeking Robots of Mass Destruction in Persia. Atom is a very unique character and much more reserved than Astro Boy. i'm ready for more.

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Oct 09, 2011 John Schneider rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

The plot thickens as we get a clearer idea of the conspiracy and its vast reach. I must admit that I am quite pleased with how this manga is shaping up. Truly a thinking's man's manga (or thinking's woman's for that matter, but that lacks alliteration).

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Aug 14, 2010 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, graphicnovels

I'm so glad I'm reading this series, Urasawa really delves right into the robot/human rights genre by retrofitting a classic series but in a distinctly different way. No further explanation needed, read this today.

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About Naoki Urasawa

Urasawa Naoki ( 浦沢直樹) is a Japanese mangaka. He is perhaps best known for Monster (which drew praise from Junot Díaz, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner) and 20th Century Boys.

Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival ex...more

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Books by Naoki Urasawa

Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Volume 1: Herr Dr. Tenma (Naoki Urasawa's Monster, #1)

PLUTO: Naoki Urasawa x Ozamu Tezuka, Band 001 (Pluto, #1)

20th Century Boys, Band 1 (20th Century Boys, #1)

PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 003 (Pluto, #3)

Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Volume 2: Surprise Party (Naoki Urasawa's Monster, #2)

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PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002 (Pluto #2)

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