Netflix recently unveiled the English-subtitled “final” trailer for the animated series adaptation of Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto manga. Alongside this release, a new visual for the anime was revealed, featuring the tagline “Somebody, stop this hatred.”
The Japanese premiere screening of the first episode is set to take place in Tokyo on October 20, with cast members like Shinshū Fuji, Toshihiko Seki, and others in attendance. Following this, the anime will be available for streaming on Netflix starting on October 26. The series will consist of eight episodes, each with a duration of 60 minutes.
The production staff for the anime includes Executive Producers Masao Maruyama, Taro Maki, and Yuji Yamano, with Toshio Kawaguchi serving as the director and Shigeru Fujita as the Character Design and Supervising Animation Director. Naoki Urasawa himself acts as a Creative Advisor, ensuring the faithful adaptation of his work. Additional key roles in the production team include Animation Directors Kazunori Aoki and Itaru Saito, CG & SFX Director Takahiro Miyata, Art Director Chikako Shibata, Cinematographer Mitsuhiro Sato, Sound Director Masafumi Mima, and Music Composer Yūgo Kanno. Studio M2 handles the animation production, and GENCO is in charge of the overall production.
The anime boasts a talented Japanese voice cast, with notable actors such as Shinshū Fuji, Yōko Hikasa, Minori Suzuki, Hiroki Yasumoto, Kōichi Yamadera, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Rikiya Koyama, Mamoru Miyano, Toshihiko Seki, Hideyuki Tanaka, Romi Park, Toshio Furukawa, Eizou Tsuda, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Michio Hazama, and Kenyuu Horiuchi taking on various roles.
Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto manga serves as a re-imagining of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy universe, presenting a dark and gripping story set in a future where humanoid robots are indistinguishable from humans. The narrative revolves around Europol’s top detective Gesicht, who is tasked with investigating a series of mysterious robot murders, even though he himself is one of the potential targets.
Notably, Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment secured the film rights for Pluto in 2010, with plans for a live-action/CG hybrid adaptation. This demonstrates the enduring appeal and potential of Urasawa’s compelling work in different media formats.
