Pluto On Netflix Setting High Standard For Streaming Anime

The film functions as an intriguing fusion of AI metaphors and anti-war sentiment; it also offers a gripping murder mystery, making it a stand out in the otherwise crowded streaming landscape. There’s a reason it’s catching on with a bigger crowd. And it could end up being one of the biggest names in the space.

The anime descends from a revered and interesting lineage. While some anime fans might know Pluto originated in Urasawa’s manga, many might be surprised to learn the manga is itself a loose adaptation of the episode “The Greatest Robot On Earth” from Osamu Tezuka’s iconic Astro Boy series. 

Pluto certainly owes some of its popularity on Netflix to the fact that its source material is steeped in acclaim. Plus, the series is being produced by Masao Maruyama’s studio M2—an anime powerhouse co-founded by the creator of MAPPA and Madhouse—lending the series additional pedigree.

The anime begins its story in a future where humans and robots coexist, a future threatened by a mysterious assailant targeting both influential robots and human advocates for AI rights.

Central to the narrative: three novel and intriguing twists on main character archetypes–a robot detective uncovering a deeper conspiracy, a superhero Atom, and said superhero’s caretaker.

But what truly makes Pluto a riveting Netflix hit?

Its exploration of human-centric themes, all through the lens of robots, amounting to a meditation that ventures into the essence of existence, empathy, and ethics.

Another one of the anime’s strengths is its deep, layered storytelling. The streaming sensation provides many interesting perspectives and ideas through encounters and conversations between robots and human companions. These include the authentic, touching relationship between a decommissioned military robot, now serving as a butler, and a former composer, underscoring the themes of companionship, overcoming prejudices, and pursuing artistic creation.

All of which is to say that Pluto extends to Netflix, a sci-fi anima thankfully shorn of sci-fi tropes. The series skillfully examines profound questions surrounding identity, exploitation, and the treatment of the societal “other.”

Plus, the show piles on layers of historical and political allegory to its science fiction backdrop, such as one prominent storyline harkening to and paralleling the 2003 invasion of Iraq. 

Visually, the anime series also succeeds, especially the character design; its bold lines capture Urasawa’s distinct style and expressive faces. Many enjoy the structural ambition of Pluto; the Netflix series consists of eight one-hour-long episodes, each of which adapts, more or less, a single volume of the manga.

Quite an unusual format for an anime series, the approach offers denser, more rewarding storytelling. While not for the faint of heart, attention-span-wise, the longer episodes nonetheless maintain a narrative intensity and structural prestige that aligns well with the show’s thematic depth. 

Case in point, Pluto raises the proverbial bar for streaming anime adaptions—on Netflix or anywhere. If only for its profound narrative, stylistic boldness, and adherence to the source material’s essence, the anime is a must-watch.

Make sure to stream Pluto on Netflix now and find out why it’s a rising star in the anime world.