PLUTO by Naoki Urasawa & Osamu Tezuka part 4

As an emotional experience, PLUTO falls flat.  Naoki Urasawa set up a science fiction universe within which the murder mystery of the seven most advanced robots on Earth takes place.  It’s a fast-paced thriller that propels its audience along masterfully, setting up a finale that promises to be breathtaking and awesome. 

And Urasawa circumvents readers’ expectations by having Atom (aka Astro Boy) defeat Pluto with love.  Intellectually, it’s a joy to experience.  But emotionally, it is a complete let-down.

I imagine, for many, this resolution seems to come out of nowhere.  On first glance, it feels as if we have been cheated.  Like Perry Mason, where the audience was never able to solve the mystery, because there was always a key bit of evidence they were never privy to, and so it always felt like a cheat when Mason revealed why his client was innocent.  But, if one is able to get past that initial shock and, for some, that feeling of anger, in order to examine the story as a whole, it becomes obvious this is where Urasawa was leading us all along. 

Although I was disappointed when the big battle turned on a dime with Pluto’s emotional reaction, I wasn’t all that surprised with how Urasawa resolved this story.  I knew love was going to play a big part in this because of one major plot point – Professor Tenma remarks on at least three occasions of how one can awaken a robot whose AI is overwhelmed: 

“I knew there was a way to make it wake up though . . . By destroying the balance . . . anger . . . sadness . . . hatred . . . it just required throwing things off balance.”

And every time Tenma brings this up, he always uses the same, or similar, emotions to describe how to destroy the balance of the robot’s AI.  And these emotions are all NEGATIVE emotions.  But love is also a strong emotion, and the fact that Tenma never uses it as an example foreshadowed heavily that love as an “imbalancer” would be utilized.

Readers are also aware of Pluto’s dichotomous psyche – a result of his initial creation as part of a greenification project for Persia, which became subverted by Abullah’s when he decided to make Pluto this almost unstoppable weapon.  His rampage against the advanced robots of the world is one part of his psych.  But he also paints lush fields of flowers.  This, we discover, when Uran, unknowingly – for us and for her – runs into Pluto in his “other” form.  Having this dichotomy means there is “still good” in him (if I may be allowed a call-back to Star Wars) and means Atom’s overwhelming sense of love would have an effect on him.

We also learn that, when Atom is awoken from his coma at the end of volume 7, he “began emitting strange brain waves . . .”   We are also told that “When a robot as sophisticated as Atom awakens, it triggers a reaction in the AI of every advanced robot in the world.”  So, the fact that Pluto has such an emotional reaction when he comes close to Atom in battle makes sense.  Again, it was laid out by Urasawa, setting up the climax nicely.

Lastly, the big question would be:  where did this strong sense of love come from?  Tenma had to awaken Atom by introducing a strong emotional imbalance.  He took the memory chip of Gesicht, which he got from Gesicht’s wife Helena, and implanted that into Atom’s AI.  Tenma believed that Gesicht’s final emotion, as he was killed, would be the stimulus to awaken Atom, and he was right. 

Where Tenma was mistaken, was in the belief that the final emotion of Gesicht would be anger or hatred at dying.  But, as we have come to learn through the story – and particularly in the flashback to when Gesicht and his wife adopted a robot that was going to the scrap heap – Gesicht wanted nothing more than to be a family man.  He embodied love.  And, as Atom relates to Helena when he visits her just before going to find Pluto (in a scene where Helena, before turning around to see Atom, believes that her husband has returned, because Gesicht has now become part of Atom), Gesicht was always thinking of his wife, and was thinking of her and the love he had for her just as he was dying.  This was the sentiment introduced into Atom to create the emotional imbalance necessary to awaken him. 

Urasawa set everything up for the climax to PLUTO from the beginning. Like any good storyteller, he seeded things throughout the narrative that appeared to be minor points but would come to bear as the final pages approached.  Naoki Urasawa crafted an impressive story that holds together very well, and I appreciate very much his willingness to circumvent reader expectations and not take the easy way out. 

But, at this point, I don’t know if it succeeds on a purely emotional level – which isn’t as important to me as whether its structure holds up under scrutiny.  I guess I will have to read it again and see how it stands the test of time.

-chris      

To read more of Chris’s thoughts or to check out his short prose and comic work, go to www.warrior27.com, the online home for the comics/prose anthology, Warrior27, created by Chris and by Dan Fleming – with contributions from Matthew J. Constantine (half of In the Mouth of Dorkness), among others.

PLUTO by Naoki Urasawa & Osamu Tezuka, part 3

So,

It seems a lot of people were disappointed with the ending of PLUTO by Naoki Urasawa.  And I can understand why.

Urasawa crafted these 8 volumes as a murder mystery – who is killing the seven most advanced robots in the world? – wrapped in the patina of a classic science fiction narrative, complete with futuristic cityscapes, artificial intelligence, robots that look and act like humans, and some retro-bots that hearken back to Isaac Asimov’s robot cycle of stories.  It was well-suited to my tastes.

Despite the fact that PLUTO is a relatively “quiet” story – there are far more conversations than confrontations – that does not mean the story is lacking in tension.  On the contrary, Urasawa deftly drives the narrative forward, running through the first few advanced robots rather quickly, in order to set up the premise and showcase how powerful the antagonist, Pluto, is.  It seems we are no sooner introduced to the robot North No. 2 than he becomes the next victim of the rampaging force that is Pluto. 

It’s this constant forward motion – moving from one robot victim to the next, while affording readers some space within which they can get to know these characters – that compels Urasawa’s audience (if I am to be considered a typical reader) to keep reading “one more chapter,” until one finds that within a single sitting, the latest volume has been devoured.  PLUTO is a quick read, but a more than satisfying one.  Urasawa’s skill, combined with the tendency in manga of using the imagery more than the words to tell the story, are what help to propel his narrative along.  And it is aptly applied to this particular tale.

I should also note that Urasawa’s artistic skills are exemplary.  His figure work and body language are well-honed, and I believe the fact that his style does not fall into the “typical” manga style, but has a more western feel to it, would appeal to a broader fan base, particularly here in America.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The first 7 volumes feel as if they are leading to a great confrontation, a final climactic battle worthy of Superman and Mongul in Alan Moore’s & Dave Gibbons’s “…For the Man Who Has Everything.”  And even as we begin the final volume, we can see that Atom (Astro Boy) and Pluto are heading for a helluva battle. 

At the end of volume 7, the enemy believes it has won, with Pluto defeating Epsilon, the final of the seven advanced robots.  But we, the readers, see Atom (Astro Boy) reawaken in a stupor that leaves the audience wondering if Atom will be able to do anything to stop Pluto’s rampage. 

For all intents and purposes, Atom has been in a “coma” the entirety of volume 7.  But Professor Tenma, Atom’s creator, as well as the creator of Pluto, introduces “a biased emotion … a program to simplify the chaos in [Atom’s] mind.”   Tenma uses Gesicht’s A.I. to revive Atom, believing that Gesicht’s final emotions as he was killed will spur Atom to wakefulness, which it does.  And with the opening of volume 8, we realize that Tenma’s two greatest creations are on a collision course.

This introduction of an emotional bias is something Tenma had done previously.  Contracted by Abullah, a great Persian scientist, to invent an even more advanced robot than Atom, the professor conceived of utilizing all 6 billion human personalities for that robot’s psyche to make it as human as possible.  But, when put into action, Tenma discovered that the A.I. of this robot was unable to cycle through all these personalities fast enough and could not achieve consciousness.  So, he had introduced an emotional bias then, the anger that Abullah felt when he died.  This rage caused an imbalance in the robot’s psyche (the robot that we discover is Abullah, whom we have seen throughout this story and who believes himself to be a cyborg rather than a full robot) and led to the creation of Pluto. 

If that sounds convoluted, I would recommend picking up and reading the 8 volumes of PLUTO, as my quick summary does not do the story justice. 

All the momentum that Urasawa builds through the first seven volumes continues to roar ahead, driving toward the ultimate battle between these two advanced robots.  Urasawa deftly draws this out, subverting our expectations of this “new” Atom while injecting an emotional resonance as he prepares for his final battle.  It’s wonderful storytelling, and, like previous volumes, I found myself unwilling to stop reading before the end.

Finally, with chapter 61, Pluto and Atom face off.  It’s big and brash and fairly typical, but the scene is elevated by the beautiful artwork on display.  This is a battle for the ages.

And then, Gesicht’s legacy (as chapter 62 is titled) comes to bear on this situation.  The battle ends as Atom and Pluto start to cry uncontrollably.  For this was Gesicht’s final emotional response – he was not angry at the world for his death; he loved his wife and was saddened at the loss of the future he might have had with her. 

Love defeats Pluto.

Like any good video game, there is still a “boss” for Atom and Pluto to defeat, buried deep beneath the surface of the United States of Thracia.  But, as the audience has been awaiting the conflict between these two robots, that battle is really more denouement than climax. 

And, on a purely emotional level for many reading this story, it falls flat.  All of the emotional tension that Urasawa has built up over the course of the 8 volumes and 60+ chapters is washed away when we “stop short” in the middle of the melee.  It’s as if the air goes out of the balloon that is Pluto, when we hit that point in the narrative, and I can understand why it misfires for so many. 

But, is it a well done story?  I’ll discuss that in the final installment.


-Chris

Pluto by Naoki Urasawa & Osamu Tezuka – Part 2: a Brief Synopsis

SPOILERS AHEAD

In writing up this piece on the ending of Naoki Urasawa’s PLUTO, a retelling of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy: The Greatest Robot on Earth for a modern audience, and discussing whether it works or not, I realized that I was taking a very important piece of the puzzle for granted.  I was assuming anyone that might be reading this would have already ready Urasawa’s PLUTO. 

That would be an erroneous assumption to make. 

So, here, as best as I am able, I give you a quick synopsis of the 8 volumes of PLUTO.

Europol has sent its prime investigator, Gesicht, to look into the death of the world-renowned robot from Switzerland, Mont Blanc.  Gesicht is one of the seven most advanced robots in the world, which is why he is given this case.  He is also a humanoid robot, passing for human in every way imaginable, which is helpful in his line of work.  Mont Blanc, until his untimely demise, was also a member of these elite seven robots, and his death is felt by people all over Switzerland. 

During his investigation, Gesicht discovers a pattern – it appears that these seven advanced robots are being targeted, along those humans involved with the Bora Project during the 39th Middle East War in Persia; a war in which all of these seven advanced robots were involved one way or another.  Even if it was to protest the war and remain out of it, as Epsilon did.  Gesicht is unable to reach the second victim, North No. 2, before he too succumbs to Pluto’s devastating attacks. 

The person behind these attacks appears to be the President of the United States of Thracia – the antagonist in the 39th Middle East War when they invaded Persia behind the claims that Persia was working to create robots that would act as Weapons of Mass Destruction – but we see that he is being manipulated by a teddy bear, which is actually a sentient supercomputer working to decimate the planet and leave the robots in charge of a cinder almost completely lacking in humankind. 

But that explanation comes much later in the story.

As Gesicht works the case, we are introduced to all of the other super robots – including two wrestlers, Brando and Heracles, Atom (better known to Americans as Astro Boy), and Epsilon, the pacifist who now runs an orphanage for the orphans of the 39th Middle East War.  We also learn about the scientists behind the creation of these robots, specifically Dr. Tenma, who created Atom as a replacement for his son who died, and Dr. Abullah, who was the head of the Persian Ministry of Science and is working to bring back the beauty of his country after the devastation of the war.  He was also a victim of the war, losing his family and most of his body and, like Darth Vader, becoming more machine than man. 

Not surprisingly, Dr. Abullah is working with the President of the United States of Thracia because they, along with Dr. Tenma (see below), were the scientists who created Pluto.  Dr. Abullah is seeking revenge for what these robots did to his country during the 39th Middle East War and will stop at nothing to achieve his ends.

We follow Gesicht, who vainly tries to stop the killing at two, and experience the humanity he and his robot wife have, as well as the humanity found in so many of these advanced robots.  The mystery of who or what Pluto is continues to deepen over the course of the 8 volumes, twisting and turning as we learn that Pluto is not only a destructive force, but also wishes to paint beautifully colorful landscapes.  His A.I. is a strange dichotomy that strains his psyche and eventually leads to his final salvation. 

Eventually, the President of the United States of Thracia succeeds in killing all seven of these most advanced robots in the world, paving the way for the ascension of the U.S.T. as the most powerful nation in the world.  But he hadn’t counted on Dr. Tenma using his genius to provoke Atom’s resurrection. 

Which we will discuss in the next installment.


-Chris

PLUTO by NAOKI URASAWA & OSAMU TEZUKA

Back when Warren Ellis’s THE ENGINE website was running, I remember a number of people on there praising Naoki Urasawa’s PLUTO and lamenting the fact that, at the time, it was only available as a “scanlation” for American audiences to read.  Thankfully, Viz Media got the rights to publish a translated version here in America in 8 volumes.  Given the number of people praising this book, including Tim Callahan at CBR, I picked up the first volume. 

And I was hooked.

I’ve always been a science fiction fan – that sense of wonder and new and exciting ideas has always appealed to me, whether it be in the form of hard science fiction or more fantastical sci-fi – and this was right up my alley.  A re-imagining of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy series, and specifically the storyline “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” PLUTO is a wonderfully exciting story – with robots clashing, a mystery surrounding who or what is responsible for the attacks on the most advanced robots on earth, and political undertones that added a very sinister layer to the mix – and this first volume was one of the best things I had read in a long, long time.

I managed to get the next three volumes after Christmas, and found them just as enjoyable.  I was anxious to get the final four volumes to see how this story ended.  It had been a while since I’d looked forward to a comic story. Despite my enjoyment of Jonathan Hickman’s recent work at Marvel, neither his FF nor his SHIELD had excited my imagination like PLUTO. 

BUT . . .

Then I read some remarks online, which I cannot find now, from someone whose opinion I trust, of how disappointing she had found the ending of PLUTO.  And I was justifiably worried.  The hardest thing to do with a story is “stick the ending.”  As an example, I love Stephen King’s works (it’s a bylaw up here in Maine), but I have felt that some of his books might have been served better if he’d only lopped off those final 100 pages or so. 

Another prime example, for me, is James Cameron’s True Lies, which, when it first came out, was one of the best Bond movies to hit theaters in a long time.  But that final “plot twist” used up all my suspension of disbelief for that film.  It should have ended when Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis came together with the other agents after the “bridge scene.”  But when they discovered their daughter was kidnapped and they had to continue chasing Aziz, I was done.  But up to that point, I had enjoyed the hell out of that movie. 

I didn’t let this discourage me, though, and purchased the final four volumes of PLUTO when the opportunity arose.  And when they arrived, I read them within a couple weeks. 

So, did Urasawa stick the landing, or did he fall flat on his face? 

I’ll discuss that next time.

-chris