With anime fans already comfortably settling into the Summer season of newly released series, a recent trailer has left thousands on the edges of their seats. Netflix appears to be making a slow comeback with the first full trailer of the 2023 Fall anime series entitled Pluto. The trailer itself is entrancing to watch for a number of reasons, building immense hype in viewers. A deep dive into the original content reveals there why this series should be on everyone's watch list.
With Osamu Tesuka's name attached, it's no wonder why there's an audience for Pluto already. Netflix released the first trailer on July 2, 2023, but the video already has nearly 500,000 views, 16,000 likes, and nearly 1,000 comments. Thousands of anime fans are hyping up this series for its incredible story and captivating animation. Those who are hyping it up the most have already read the original manga and understand the history behind it. With so many details to unfold of this action crime thriller, it may become the next big icon in modern anime history.
The Plot And Netflix Trailer for Pluto
Based on the original collaborative manga from Osamu Tezuka and Naoki Urasawa, the anime takes place in a world where robotics are far more advanced, and humanity coexists with hyper-intelligent and lethal robots. Despite the universal laws that state robots cannot kill humans, one detective follows a string of heinous murders that complicates everything society knows about them. The first victim is the Swiss robot veteran Mont Blanc, who is beloved and famous for his contributions to the 39th Asian War and his earnest efforts toward conservation and compassion toward mankind. A Military veteran himself, detective Gesicht is pulled in to arrest the brutal killer with only hints of the murderer's calling card of leaving victims with horns in their heads. The fact that only a robot could be strong enough to cause so much damage is enough to lead Gesicht to suspect a robot is behind these serial killings. If Gesicht hopes to unveil the scheme behind this fiend's rampage, he must dig deep into the connection between the victims, both human and robot alike, before any more lives are lost.
The trailer, released on July 2, 2023, depicts gritty imagery of Mont Blanc's murder in Switzerland followed by the murder of a human in Germany, both with the same calling card of horns in their heads. The trailer fully cements Gesicht as the protagonist as he leads the investigation with his impressive deducting skills and his versatile combat abilities, which begs the question; is Gesicht a robot or a human? Alongside Gesicht, there's already a cast of characters building around this case, many of them robots. One of the characters that stand out most is the young boy Atom, who hardcore fans will recognize as a redesigned Astro Boy. As the lead detective Gesicht discerns between friends and foes, the leading characters are set on a dangerous path that is sure to gradually spiral into a bombastic battle with the villain of the series.
On top of the thrilling crime mystery showcased in Pluto's trailer, the animation also leaves viewers hyped for this upcoming Fall series. Similar to the art from the original manga, the realism of the character designs and gritty backgrounds certainly prep viewers for a more mature story. Taking full advantage of the art of animation, the creators have certainly outdone themselves. Just from the trailer, one can see that a great deal of care was put into every minute of this series. The balance of light and dark colors helpes to balance out the heavy tone of the story. With minimal 3-D that isn't overbearing to watch, there's a fast-paced action that comes with a smooth feel, thanks to higher frame rates, along with detailed attention to perspective, shape, and even color. The blurring of characters doesn't take much away from the vision of the viewer, creating a crisp yet exciting image of what appears to be incredibly animated fight scenes. With the combination of an already award-winning narrative, the animation makes Pluto an already highly-anticipated series that is sure to find immense success.
More To Know
The plot of the Netflix anime is based on the manga Pluto, which was created in honor of the 50th anniversary of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy. While Tezuka certainly needs no further introduction, Naoki Urasawa may be, unfortunately, a lesser-known name in the industry. He's the manga creator of the critically acclaimed series Monster. Tezuka agreed to collaborate with Urasawa in the early 2000s on a darker version of his Astro Boy universe. Specifically, Pluto is based on "The Greatest Robot on Earth" arc from the Astro Boy comics. After the comic's publishing ended in 2009, it wound up winning the Intergeneration Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2011, among other awards.
The Netflix adaptation hasn't been given much press attention, so viewers who are already hyped for this series may be excited to know that this is a series that was years in the making. News of the comic's adaptation began all the way back in 2017 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Since then, Studio M2, which was established only in 2016, has been working diligently to do this series the justice it deserves. So far, it already appears to be putting the rather unknown animation team on the map, and it's not the only organization that could use the extra boost. Netflix has been in hot water since its announcement to go after password-sharing customers, and without much content to excuse this action, many have cancelled their monthly subscriptions. With the announcement of Pluto, as well as a few other titles, the streaming company may have a rise in paid viewership come this Fall.
Pluto's Release Date
There's already the highest expectations from this animated series. The popularity of Astro Boy and the acclaim from the original Pluto manga already brings a large audience to Netflix and Studio M2, but the recently released trailer reveals that what they have already appears to be something exciting and special. The story will be told across eight episodes starting October 26, 2023. Viewers are hyped for this intense action-packed crime thriller that already delivers with its first full trailer.