Pluto

I rarely give a 9/10 but this show deserves it. This is an adaptation of an arc in Astro Boy, with Naoki's twists and changes, it became one of the best told story of this year if not in all time. It follows Gesicht, a German robot detective attempting to wrestle his career and his personal life and when a murder case whose suspect is a robot, all hell breaks loose. (It's a bit cliché as cyber murder plots go, but it's nothing unforgivable). It also features Astro Boy/Atom and the other popular robots as they realize they have become more and more human and as they realize what emotions and feelings feel like. The second robot has the most emotional story among them and I loved it, without spoiling anything. Although Gesicht's, the titular Pluto's and the others come close as well.

Excellent adaptation and animation. As expected from Mr. Naoki. Hope more of his manga is animated in the near future. (Waiting for 20th Century Boys and Asadora!)

This show is slow paced, yes but it rewards your patience with a climax that hits harder emotionally than any of the anime punches we are used to.

I had high expectations of this since I loved Monster, another anime by the Pluto's author and just like Monster, this show truly embodies human kindness and empathy.

The world is messed up and this show draws parallel to some of the darkest events of the latest millennium but throughout those moments of bleak and violent incidents, there's a ray of hope that this show never loses sight of.

Seinen anime are few in number but the recent adaptation of Vinland Saga and now this gives me hope that there's an audience that wants to see more mature themes in anime.

In short, Pluto is a masterpiece if you're patient and willing to pay attention.

Thank you Netflix, for adapting this story and that too so perfectly. I've missed this feeling. There are only a few anime I was able to binge non-stop (like Steins Gate or AOT). Pluto is no different. It's right up there with some of the best mystery/suspense anime.

There are many reasons why Pluto might be one of the best anime we've gotten in years. Let me explore those reasons one by one.

The storytelling and pacing is just perfect. A mystery is told perfectly, when a viewer is curious, but never confused. That's what this anime did. The story is shown to be complex, but still doesn't seem that way. The pace is never too fast. I never struggled to keep track of the information given so far. It's also never too slow. I just don't know where those 8 hours went. I was so involved in the story. It gave brief amounts of information, at perfect intervals in the story in order to complete the puzzle in our brain.

This isn't just a thriller. It's a story about humanity, about emotions, hatred in particular. Because of how concise the story is, every plot point leads to this theme. Each character plays a huge role in communicating the story's message. And I cared for each of them. The second half brought me to tears. The conclusion is very emotionally satisfying too.

I love how this story used AI in order to explore humanity, and to enhance its emotions as well as its theme. It's just brilliant writing. Such a story, seems impactful now more than ever.

The character that stole the show, was Gesicht. A flawlessly written character, with a very emotional arc. He deserved being the protagonist of this wonderful story.

Another thing I loved was that this was sort of a mix of a futuristic sci-fi mystery, a dark psychological mystery, as well as a detective story.

There's just one tiny problem I had. During the final episodes, they introduced some new plot points, that felt a bit out of place to me.

But overall, this is an emotionally heavy story, memorable mystery and it's brilliantly told. Please, watch it on Netflix. We need more anime like these.

I am only writing this review to put shame on the guy who gave it 2. How could you possibly go into this anime thinking it was going to be straight action scenes and that's it. That isnt the authors style what so ever. This show is a masterpiece of storytelling and emotions. The first episode left me in tears and the build up to the finale was beautifully done along with the finale itself. Pluto and monster which are both written by the same author are not meant to be action animes but more a story that slowly unravels and tears at your heart strings. I believe if you give this anime anything under an 8 you have to be a young kid or someone with a short attention span just eager for fight loaded episodes.

Pluto takes place in a future where humans and AI robots live together. It starts off as a mystery when one of the world's seven greatest AI robots is murdered. Shortly after, a leading AI rights human advocate is murdered. An AI detective robot, one of the seven world's greatest AI robot called Gesicht investigates. Is the murderer human or AI robot? If the latter, then one of the cardinal robot laws may be violated, since robots are not supposed to harm humans.

What unfolds is a multilayered story.

• One layer explores a world of humans and AI robots: the discrimination, the rights of sentient beings...

• One layer explores the complexity of emotions that develop within AI... and that the more advanced the AI complex brain, the more human (hence emotionally imbalanced even) AI may become... even considering murder or even suicide.

• One layer parallels the unjust pre-emptive attack of the world on a country that didn't have the weapons of mass destruction it was accused of having.

• For many fans, Naoki Urasawa's tribute to Osamu Tezuka's Atom Boy as one of the seven greatest AI robots on the killer's murder list is exhilarating. Dr Tenma, Dr Ochanomizu and Uran all make worthwhile appearances.

Naoki Urasawa has another of my favorite stories... Monster and 20th Century Boys. All told with masterful suspense.

Finally, I have to note that there are some pacing problems in the anime version, especially to drive home the point at the end. And the AI robot emotions do not come across as poignant as in the comics. Still, it is a good ride, and a good think throughout this viewing journey.