In the early ’40s, science fiction shifted into the discourse of positronic brains having human consciousness when Isaac Asimov introduced the three basic tenets of the robotic laws. The relevance of these laws makes them applicable to this day, not just in pop culture but also in future robotic advancements. But the notion of “thou shall not harm” a human becomes moot when sophisticated artificial intelligence evolves to process vulnerable emotions as it inherits the inherent flaws of its creators. Netflix’s latest anime series, Pluto, pushes that idea to its limits until the boundary between humanity and machines fades with one fundamental question hanging overhead: do robots have a soul?Adapted from Naoki Urasawa’s manga of the same name that reimagines “The Greatest Robot on Earth” story arc from Osamu Tezuka’s seminal work Astro Boy, Pluto is directed by Toshio Kawaguchi and produced by Netflix, with Shinshuu Fuji and Youko Hikasa voicing the protagonists Gesicht and Atom respectively. The show takes the audience to a world not unlike the one right now, ravaged by war borne out of imperialist ambitions and political agenda. When a mysterious robot named Pluto destroys the most advanced robots the world has ever created, one after the other, Interpol’s robot detective Gesicht takes charge of the case. As he unravels the mystery surrounding the deaths, his own checkered past starts to resurface while the world feels the shaking rage of a vengeful Pluto.Pluto unfolds the intricacies of its world ever so slowly. On the surface, it looks like a utopian society that has accepted robots as their neighbors and co-workers. Yet, the menial work and hazardous jobs in store for them display the power imbalance their human overlords enjoy over them. The show is big on showing events through the eyes of its characters rather than simply telling them to the audience. The first episode is a good example of this tactic. From the outpour of grief on Mont Blanc’s death to Gesicht hitting one wall after another in his investigation, the storytelling hinges on capturing the lives of everyone concerned to create an interconnected web of narratives. This also creates a unique pacing issue. Although both robots and their creators become the target, instead of going deep into the murder mystery, the story takes a step back and focuses on the emotional drive of each of the robots. It is all about the buildup to their inevitable fate. Their hopes and dreams stand as a testament to their humaneness. While it may seem like a red herring for some, the mounting evidence of the evolution of the most sophisticated AI to not only mimic but also understand human emotions becomes the central theme later in the plot.RELATED: REVIEW: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Remixes the Familiar Into Something New and Exciting
In the early ’40s, science fiction shifted into the discourse of positronic brains having human consciousness when Isaac Asimov introduced the three basic tenets of the robotic laws. The relevance of these laws makes them applicable to this day, not just in pop culture but also in future robotic advancements. But the notion of “thou shall not harm” a human becomes moot when sophisticated artificial intelligence evolves to process vulnerable emotions as it inherits the inherent flaws of its creators. Netflix’s latest anime series, Pluto, pushes that idea to its limits until the boundary between humanity and machines fades with one fundamental question hanging overhead: do robots have a soul?
Adapted from Naoki Urasawa’s manga of the same name that reimagines “The Greatest Robot on Earth” story arc from Osamu Tezuka’s seminal work Astro Boy, Pluto is directed by Toshio Kawaguchi and produced by Netflix, with Shinshuu Fuji and Youko Hikasa voicing the protagonists Gesicht and Atom respectively. The show takes the audience to a world not unlike the one right now, ravaged by war borne out of imperialist ambitions and political agenda. When a mysterious robot named Pluto destroys the most advanced robots the world has ever created, one after the other, Interpol’s robot detective Gesicht takes charge of the case. As he unravels the mystery surrounding the deaths, his own checkered past starts to resurface while the world feels the shaking rage of a vengeful Pluto.
Pluto unfolds the intricacies of its world ever so slowly. On the surface, it looks like a utopian society that has accepted robots as their neighbors and co-workers. Yet, the menial work and hazardous jobs in store for them display the power imbalance their human overlords enjoy over them. The show is big on showing events through the eyes of its characters rather than simply telling them to the audience. The first episode is a good example of this tactic. From the outpour of grief on Mont Blanc’s death to Gesicht hitting one wall after another in his investigation, the storytelling hinges on capturing the lives of everyone concerned to create an interconnected web of narratives. This also creates a unique pacing issue. Although both robots and their creators become the target, instead of going deep into the murder mystery, the story takes a step back and focuses on the emotional drive of each of the robots. It is all about the buildup to their inevitable fate. Their hopes and dreams stand as a testament to their humaneness. While it may seem like a red herring for some, the mounting evidence of the evolution of the most sophisticated AI to not only mimic but also understand human emotions becomes the central theme later in the plot.
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