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The evening of Tuesday, February 14, 2023, saw Netflix release a “sneak peek” preview teaser for the upcoming Pluto anime series. The series is based on Naoki Urasawa's manga of the same name, which adapts the story arc "The Greatest Robot on Earth" from Osamu Tezuka's original Astro Boy series.
Whereas the original Astro Boy manga is an action-adventure/battle shonen series, Pluto reimagines the specific story arc from a seinen drama approach. The reimagining also leans heavily into the murder-mystery aspect of the arc’s events, which sees protagonist Gesicht chasing down a serial robot murderer.
The release of the sneak peek preview video has seemingly only gotten fans more excited for the series' exclusive premiere on Netflix sometime this year.
Follow along as this article fully breaks down the latest Pluto anime news and more.
Pluto anime boasts breathtaking animation in a 4-minute-long sneak-peek video
The Pluto anime preview teaser opens with a breathtaking perspective that takes viewers through the futuristic city, before honing in on Gesicht driving a car. Gesicht is then seen conversing with a person who is likely his superior before emerging from a tunnel into a significantly less futuristic and largely undeveloped area. The entire sequence takes place without any audible dialogue.
After traversing a field of flowers and standing in a barren area, several images of Gesicht's apparent past flash briefly. Then, he enters a building with his hand transformed into a rocket launcher and floats down using thrusters in his feet. He then confronts what appears to be a human, but turns out to be an insect-based robot controlling a swarm of smaller robotic insects.
This begins a truly captivating action sequence between the two, with incredibly smooth, vibrant, and vivid animation throughout.
Gesicht then runs through the sewers of the building while speaking to someone via his communicator, eventually noticing a cable moving beside him. He looks up and sees a massive horned robot staring down at him before the scene cuts to black.
Fans are then introduced to Pluto’s versions of Atom, also known as Astro Boy, and Uran, his sister. The preview ends shortly thereafter with various production information and a reconfirmation that the series will be premiering in 2023. The teaser has made fans extremely excited, and they cannot wait for the release of the series.
Pluto follows the sojourns of Gesicht, Europol’s top detective, as he investigates the serial murders of the seven great robots of the world. However, Gesicht is one of the seven, turning his investigation into a cat-and-mouse game in which his own life is at stake.
The series is generally produced by GENCO in collaboration with Tezuka Productions. Its anime production is being handled by M2 Studios. It was announced that the series would be getting an anime adaptation at GENCO's booth at the MIFA film market at the 2017 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, but the project has been stuck in production hell ever since. Until now.
Follow along for more Pluto anime news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
