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This week I read Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka. It’s a manga that I’ve been meaning to read for a while, mainly for the fact that I always see it everywhere. Anytime I go googling for what I should read next. Anytime I wander into a comic shop. It’s there as a must read.

If I’m being honest, the reason why it took me a while to give it a chance was because I saw “Tezuka” in the title. Now, I haven’t read any of Tezuka’s stuff, but because he was so famous for creating Astro Boy, I assumed this manga would be similar. I wasn’t interested in reading a vintage manga meant for children. I would soon find out that I was very wrong for making such an assumption.

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka is not by Tezuka at all. It is by Naoki Urasawa, the same man who wrote and illustrated 20th Century Boys. And it is because I had recently read 20th Century Boys did I decide to give Pluto a go.

Pluto is Naoki Urasawa’s interpretation of an Astro Boy story arc, “The Greatest Robot on Earth.” If Astro Boy was for kids, then Pluto is for those kids that have grown up. It’s darker. It explores all of the ethical dilemmas of a robotic future: should robots have rights? What does robot sentience look like? What does robot abuse look like? If robots are sentient, could they be murdered?

The story begins when one of the seven great robots is murdered, and the world’s greatest robot detective, Gesicht, has been assigned to solve the case. And from there we dive deep into this reimagined world of robot abuse, robot rights, robots murdering humans, and Anti-Robot Ku Klux Klans.

I was enthralled. It was a great read, well paced, and deep in its exploration of themes.

Reading Pluto even encouraged me to take a look at Tezuka and Astro Boy, and I have to say, I now understand why Tezuka is so revered in the manga world. Yes, the stories are a bit dated. Yes, some of the stories are written for younger audiences. But his visual storytelling was incredibly sharp, playful, and captivating.

Anyway, you should read Pluto, it’s great. And if you want, flick through some Astro Boy, Phoenix, and Buddha as well.