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Pluto [プルートウ] #7
PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 7
Who Killed Astro Boy? No Robots; Human vs. humanoid!
Pluto has destroyed six out of the seven great robots of the world, and the pacifist robot Epsilon is the only one that remains. Will Epsilon, who refused to participate in the 39th Central Asian War, leave behind his war-orphaned charges to step onto the battlefield? It just might be that kindly Epsilon, who wields the power of photon energy, will be Pluto's greatest opponent of all!
Contains Chapters 48 to 55.
Pluto has destroyed six out of the seven great robots of the world, and the pacifist robot Epsilon is the only one that remains. Will Epsilon, who refused to participate in the 39th Central Asian War, leave behind his war-orphaned charges to step onto the battlefield? It just might be that kindly Epsilon, who wields the power of photon energy, will be Pluto's greatest opponent of all!
Contains Chapters 48 to 55.
200 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2009
11 people are currently reading
666 people want to read
About the author
Naoki Urasawa
356 books2,798 followersUrasawa 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 excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing
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 excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
January 14, 2021
Quiero y no quiero terminar esta maravillosa historia.
Y aunque es una historia que tiene mensajes que ya han sido demasiado manoseados está hecho con mucha sensibilidad, algo que para mí es admirable.
Y aunque es una historia que tiene mensajes que ya han sido demasiado manoseados está hecho con mucha sensibilidad, algo que para mí es admirable.
April 1, 2023
5/5
EPSILON 😭😭
i said from my last review that volume 6 might be my favorite volume in this series, but this volume just surpassed that. i really cried. my heart is aching because of the raw emotions i've seen. hit me so hard, maybe as hard as north no. 2 arc or maybe even more. i've said that i loved atom because of his innocence and kindness, but epsilon is on another level. he's so compassionate and his love for the children he adopted is so genuine that i have real tears while looking at them. this is an epsilon volume and i personally think that this is the heaviest volume, emotionally. it left me empty and i just wished the author gave us more of this wonderful soul. this is so tragically beautiful and i love this so much! i declare that aside from atom, epsilon is my favorite character in this series.
EPSILON 😭😭
i said from my last review that volume 6 might be my favorite volume in this series, but this volume just surpassed that. i really cried. my heart is aching because of the raw emotions i've seen. hit me so hard, maybe as hard as north no. 2 arc or maybe even more. i've said that i loved atom because of his innocence and kindness, but epsilon is on another level. he's so compassionate and his love for the children he adopted is so genuine that i have real tears while looking at them. this is an epsilon volume and i personally think that this is the heaviest volume, emotionally. it left me empty and i just wished the author gave us more of this wonderful soul. this is so tragically beautiful and i love this so much! i declare that aside from atom, epsilon is my favorite character in this series.
October 10, 2020
--Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 007
Postscript, by Masao Maruyama, Chief Creative Officer of MAD HOUSE, Ltd.
Postscript, by Masao Maruyama, Chief Creative Officer of MAD HOUSE, Ltd.
July 13, 2018
EPSILON. 😭
December 18, 2015
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 007” by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the seventh 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 written by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.
Epsilon, a pacifist robot powered by photon energy, is the last one of the seven great robots of the world. Although Epsilon is extremely powerful, he refuses to fight. However, when his children, a group of war orphans, are in danger, Epsilon has no choice but to face the murderous villain, who, in fact, might not even be the main danger.
THUMBS UP:
1) Continuously good.
“Pluto, Volume 007,” just like the previous volumes, is action-packed, suspenseful, thrilling, thought-provoking and touching. However, this book feels like a slight step-down from the sixth volume, which is so far my favorite in the whole series.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Early wrap-up.
Although still good, the seventh volume is slower-paced and feels like a prolonged wrap-up rather than an adventure by itself. Also, there are so many revelations that some of them seem a little bit rushed and too convenient. Finally, the ending of “Pluto, Volume 007” is kind of depressing, but there is still one more volume to fix that.
2) Protagonist.
This volume centers around Epsilon, who, unfortunately, is not my favorite character. I love the idea of loving pacifist robot, but there is something about Epsilon that just doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe it is the fact that he is just too perfect, unnaturally heroic, annoyingly passive, rather boring and thus hard to relate to. Or maybe it is the fact that until the seventh volume I barely knew anything about this robot, and now suddenly he is the center of attention. Finally, it might also be the fact that up until this volume I thought that Epsilon is a female as he clearly looks and acts like one. In any case, I didn’t care enough about Epsilon, and it made the story less captivating.
3) Lack of color.
Urasawa’s artwork is very realistic, detailed and breathtakingly beautiful, but, except for the ten first pages, the illustrations are black and white.
VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5
Although still action-packed, suspenseful, thrilling, thought-provoking and touching, “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006” by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is slower-paced than the previous volume and is centered around Epsilon, who, unfortunately, is not my favorite character.
POST SCRIPTUM:
Check out my reviews of the previous six volumes:
1) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001;”
2) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002;”
3) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 003;”
4) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 004;”
5) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 005;”
6) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006.”
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 007” by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the seventh 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 written by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.
Epsilon, a pacifist robot powered by photon energy, is the last one of the seven great robots of the world. Although Epsilon is extremely powerful, he refuses to fight. However, when his children, a group of war orphans, are in danger, Epsilon has no choice but to face the murderous villain, who, in fact, might not even be the main danger.
THUMBS UP:
1) Continuously good.
“Pluto, Volume 007,” just like the previous volumes, is action-packed, suspenseful, thrilling, thought-provoking and touching. However, this book feels like a slight step-down from the sixth volume, which is so far my favorite in the whole series.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Early wrap-up.
Although still good, the seventh volume is slower-paced and feels like a prolonged wrap-up rather than an adventure by itself. Also, there are so many revelations that some of them seem a little bit rushed and too convenient. Finally, the ending of “Pluto, Volume 007” is kind of depressing, but there is still one more volume to fix that.
2) Protagonist.
This volume centers around Epsilon, who, unfortunately, is not my favorite character. I love the idea of loving pacifist robot, but there is something about Epsilon that just doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe it is the fact that he is just too perfect, unnaturally heroic, annoyingly passive, rather boring and thus hard to relate to. Or maybe it is the fact that until the seventh volume I barely knew anything about this robot, and now suddenly he is the center of attention. Finally, it might also be the fact that up until this volume I thought that Epsilon is a female as he clearly looks and acts like one. In any case, I didn’t care enough about Epsilon, and it made the story less captivating.
3) Lack of color.
Urasawa’s artwork is very realistic, detailed and breathtakingly beautiful, but, except for the ten first pages, the illustrations are black and white.
VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5
Although still action-packed, suspenseful, thrilling, thought-provoking and touching, “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006” by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is slower-paced than the previous volume and is centered around Epsilon, who, unfortunately, is not my favorite character.
POST SCRIPTUM:
Check out my reviews of the previous six volumes:
1) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001;”
2) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002;”
3) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 003;”
4) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 004;”
5) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 005;”
6) “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 006.”
June 6, 2013
Oh my gosh.
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. I can't put my finger on it, on exactly what about this book socked me in the gut. I think the end of the last issue was harder to bear in a lot of ways. But this one... it just left me sad. That sadness when you know all the right decisions were made and there's still something important and impossible to get back that was lost in making them.
This left me feeling empty, but also desperately wanting to get the final volume and read it.
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. I can't put my finger on it, on exactly what about this book socked me in the gut. I think the end of the last issue was harder to bear in a lot of ways. But this one... it just left me sad. That sadness when you know all the right decisions were made and there's still something important and impossible to get back that was lost in making them.
This left me feeling empty, but also desperately wanting to get the final volume and read it.
June 28, 2020
There's not much I can say without spoilers, but in some ways Epsilon's story arc is the most clear in this manga series.
August 21, 2025
Entiendo que sea la serie más valorada de Urasawa en general, por la sensación de buen cierre que empieza a tener cuando, a falta de 200 páginas, todo parece casar. Pero esto también se debe un poco en que ha matado al, a ojo, 75% del reparto, lo que, también, me lleva a una cierta distancia emocional porque apenas queda nadie por el cual me preocupe realmente. Pero el goce intelectual sobre cómo transforma la historia original de Tezuka en un drama contemporáneo que se siente perfectamente integrado en ese tempestuoso inicio de siglo XXI también tiene su disfrute.
August 20, 2015
Stuff is going DOWN in this volume.
I didn't know Epsilon was a guy. Did you? I thought he was a lady and a lady I really don't like very much. I suppose he's redeemed himself in the ending of this volume though.
I didn't know Epsilon was a guy. Did you? I thought he was a lady and a lady I really don't like very much. I suppose he's redeemed himself in the ending of this volume though.
April 14, 2020
Epsilon's story is so melancholy. Hit me just as hard as the North No. 2 arc. Can't wait to see where things go from here and how it will differ from the original story.
December 28, 2023
I have grown so attached to the characters in the series, that it aches to see them undergo their unfortunate fate. However, the tragedy, the characters and the suspense is what makes this series so spectacular.
October 24, 2024
An emotional volume. I liked getting to know Epsilon on a more personal level. His scenes with his adopted children warmed my heart!
This is a more slow-paced, character-heavy volume. Not a ton of action here, but I didn't mind that! Very curious how this series will end.
This is a more slow-paced, character-heavy volume. Not a ton of action here, but I didn't mind that! Very curious how this series will end.
October 11, 2019
Cant wait for the final volume
July 27, 2024
Conocemos un poco mas del pasado con flashbacks y por ahi algo que ya nos habian insinuado. Interesante
Y pues continuan la mision de Pluto
Buena historia
4 stars
Ahora yo tengo un problema, no tengo el tomo 8, que al parecer esta agotado.
SPOILERS
Y pues continuan la mision de Pluto
Buena historia
4 stars
Ahora yo tengo un problema, no tengo el tomo 8, que al parecer esta agotado.
SPOILERS
October 25, 2021
Wow, the brooding Epsilon sure is boring. Gesicht was far superior in every way. And what did the writer do? He killed Gesicht who was arguably the main character and the only thing worth reading about. Then he gave the plot to these second-tier characters. Suddenly the bad guy isn't strong any more and the pacifist takes up arms. Vows aren't what they're cranked up to be.
The end of this volume should have tied up all loose threads in the story. Hell, I should have stopped reading when they killed off Gesicht. I guess the publishers wanted one more volume, so the author delivered. I confess I'm curious what mess the last volume contains. How can the author continue a story that is pretty clearly over already?
The end of this volume should have tied up all loose threads in the story. Hell, I should have stopped reading when they killed off Gesicht. I guess the publishers wanted one more volume, so the author delivered. I confess I'm curious what mess the last volume contains. How can the author continue a story that is pretty clearly over already?
July 18, 2023
Epsilon representa todo lo que está bien, tratando de apuntar a lo moralmente correcto, y no a las decisiones que debemos acatar, aunque eso implique quedar al margen de la situación. El mensaje de Epsilon no es nuevo, el pacifismo en momentos de guerra ha sido trabajado en decena de obras, lo lindo está en las conclusiones que quiere llegar y como hace lo imposible para cuidar a sus niñas y niños. Muchas de las cosas que ocurren ya me lo imaginaba, como el despertar de Astroboy y el cómo lo hacen, pero no quita lo potente que es la escena y lo que nos quieren deparar para el final.
March 25, 2018
Another volume that had my undivided attention. No, on to the final installment!
August 7, 2020
FAM !!! this is now the favourite and most heart breaking volume ive shed tears. why does everyone die i don't appreciate it !
March 5, 2021
*Score: 9.0/10* (4.5/5)
Continues to impress me with its rich and broad scope and themes, this is how sci fi manga should be like.
Continues to impress me with its rich and broad scope and themes, this is how sci fi manga should be like.
January 22, 2025
On se concentre sur Epsilon et j’y ai cru, mon dieu que j’y ai cru….
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2025
WHAT THE HELL 💔
March 31, 2025
Épsilon y Astroboy encarnan todo lo que amo en un personaje de ficción. Ya está, todo dicho.
May 31, 2025
Final showdown in the next volume. Very dark series.
October 20, 2025
Para mí, el tomo más emotivo y donde se arman las piezas.
September 10, 2019
WHAAAAAAAAT? All the super robots dies? How do I unpack that for the final volume? It is incredible that Naoki Urasawa does take risks and I hope it pays off in the end! I do have to make a disclaimer that one robot gets resurrected, odds are you may easily connect the dots as to who but just know it is no longer the same robot. These robot deaths has such a melancholy overtone that Urasawa has truly hone the craft and causing the reader to feel empathy for these robots and raises the question about A.I. technology and the future that lies ahead in our world.
I do have to admit that I kept confusing Epsilon as a woman when in fact it is supposed to be designed as a Male. It definitely brought up queer readings for me especially the role that he plays as a nurturer to homeless children and seeks peace instead of war. It is for that sole reason that the interactions Epsilon has with Pluto enables the readers to get insight into the monster and a window of opportunity for our ultimate hero to penetrate the chaos that this monster is creating.
If I have not mentioned it before then I will now that the illustrations is marvelous and astounding. It is one of the reasons that if this compelling narrative story turns into garbage, the illustrations is one of the reasons why it saves it and the fact that they tease us with color in the beginning of each manga is a reason why I wish mangas could be colorized. I have no issues with black and white but color changes the impact of the story and the connection between the reader and creator. I cannot believe I am reaching the conclusion of this epic manga series and I have no clue how this is going to end!!
I do have to admit that I kept confusing Epsilon as a woman when in fact it is supposed to be designed as a Male. It definitely brought up queer readings for me especially the role that he plays as a nurturer to homeless children and seeks peace instead of war. It is for that sole reason that the interactions Epsilon has with Pluto enables the readers to get insight into the monster and a window of opportunity for our ultimate hero to penetrate the chaos that this monster is creating.
If I have not mentioned it before then I will now that the illustrations is marvelous and astounding. It is one of the reasons that if this compelling narrative story turns into garbage, the illustrations is one of the reasons why it saves it and the fact that they tease us with color in the beginning of each manga is a reason why I wish mangas could be colorized. I have no issues with black and white but color changes the impact of the story and the connection between the reader and creator. I cannot believe I am reaching the conclusion of this epic manga series and I have no clue how this is going to end!!
December 22, 2021
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[I’ve decided to post the reviews of the final three books at the same time]
Instead of telling you what happened in this volume of Urasawa’s ‘acclaimed’ manga series, I want to tell you about an experiment I did recently.
For the longest time, I was on a hunt for a good manga or anime. I grew up with them, but discovered, in my adult years, that most of them weren’t actually all that good. Every manga/anime series that I have ever read were based on tired, overused tropes, with endings that dive head first into a dumpster fire. Still, the allure was there, so the hunt never ceased.
Recently, Fullmetal Alchemist — both versions — became available on Netflix. It’s often been called the greatest anime of all time. So, with time on my hands, I watched all 64 episodes of this supposedly ‘greatest anime of all time’ over the course of a few weeks.
The verdict? Not great. It’s better than most, but it’s painfully average at best. Characters follow the same note from beginning to end, the oft praised ‘magic system’ is actually nonsensical if you spend just five seconds thinking about it and the writing/plotting is just lazy. Greatest anime of all time? This ain’t it, chief.
Pluto by Naoki Urasawa is like that.
Volume 7 is full of nonsensical, technobabble you know the author pulled out of his ass. A robot that can SENSE a grieving person halfway across the city? Sure. A catatonic robot programmed with billons of human personalities that can only be woken up by introducing ‘anger’ and ‘hate’ — sure, whatever. Each of the seven books thus far introduces a character, barely builds him up as one, only to kill him off at the very end in a flashy fight in the sky. Rinse and repeat. Meanwhile, we are none the wiser with regard to the central mystery.
Who is Pluto? Who is Bora? Who is Abdullah? What does he want?
Who cares.
[I’ve decided to post the reviews of the final three books at the same time]
Instead of telling you what happened in this volume of Urasawa’s ‘acclaimed’ manga series, I want to tell you about an experiment I did recently.
For the longest time, I was on a hunt for a good manga or anime. I grew up with them, but discovered, in my adult years, that most of them weren’t actually all that good. Every manga/anime series that I have ever read were based on tired, overused tropes, with endings that dive head first into a dumpster fire. Still, the allure was there, so the hunt never ceased.
Recently, Fullmetal Alchemist — both versions — became available on Netflix. It’s often been called the greatest anime of all time. So, with time on my hands, I watched all 64 episodes of this supposedly ‘greatest anime of all time’ over the course of a few weeks.
The verdict? Not great. It’s better than most, but it’s painfully average at best. Characters follow the same note from beginning to end, the oft praised ‘magic system’ is actually nonsensical if you spend just five seconds thinking about it and the writing/plotting is just lazy. Greatest anime of all time? This ain’t it, chief.
Pluto by Naoki Urasawa is like that.
Volume 7 is full of nonsensical, technobabble you know the author pulled out of his ass. A robot that can SENSE a grieving person halfway across the city? Sure. A catatonic robot programmed with billons of human personalities that can only be woken up by introducing ‘anger’ and ‘hate’ — sure, whatever. Each of the seven books thus far introduces a character, barely builds him up as one, only to kill him off at the very end in a flashy fight in the sky. Rinse and repeat. Meanwhile, we are none the wiser with regard to the central mystery.
Who is Pluto? Who is Bora? Who is Abdullah? What does he want?
Who cares.
October 26, 2021
Epsilon faces a great threat and a great sadness.
As the last of the seven great robots left in the world Epsilon, even though he does not want to fight, must defend himself. The entity known as Pluto is shown in all of its horned glory as Epsilon's light tries to reach out to him. However regardless of who is inside the nigh unstoppable mechanical horror which the conclusion of this volume a spark is ignited as the final pieces of a puzzle come together. Will Pluto be defeated and what is this other mammoth creature controlling the weather? Will the surprise hero at the end of this volume be able to defeat the strongest robot in the world or perhaps his only role is to help Pluto find salvation at last. Only time will tell as we move on to the final volume next issue. All the cards are on the table so lets see how they fall. :)
As the last of the seven great robots left in the world Epsilon, even though he does not want to fight, must defend himself. The entity known as Pluto is shown in all of its horned glory as Epsilon's light tries to reach out to him. However regardless of who is inside the nigh unstoppable mechanical horror which the conclusion of this volume a spark is ignited as the final pieces of a puzzle come together. Will Pluto be defeated and what is this other mammoth creature controlling the weather? Will the surprise hero at the end of this volume be able to defeat the strongest robot in the world or perhaps his only role is to help Pluto find salvation at last. Only time will tell as we move on to the final volume next issue. All the cards are on the table so lets see how they fall. :)
June 29, 2016
If the previous volume was sad, I don't know how to explain this volume. It's on a completely different level of melancholy. All those extreme emotions of sorrow and anger intertwining to make another re-birth of surprise. There has been quite a few twists in this volume. And hopefully the series will end on a high note in the next volume. I have really high hope of this series now. I am just glad that I stuck with it, despite the slow start.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews