Thoughts on Pluto; or Why I'm checking out Urusawa from my fav mangakas list

[Maokun]

Yep, time to be a bit controversial by ranting about a well-loved creator. *inhales*

First, a bit of background. I started with Monster, which I loved and then followed with 20th Century Boys which I loved too, even though the last 20% of the manga was rather unsatisfactory in several areas. However, the long trip there had been so awesome that in my memory only its many qualities persist, while the flaws fade into oblivion.

You could imagine my excitement when I learned about Pluto: "a manga by Urusawa based on a Tezuka story, YES!" It all started well, as expected: great characters, moving storytelling, intriguing mysteries, amazing art.

However, by chapter 30, some of the peccadilloes that I had previously noticed in 20CB -but disregarded then as freak occurences in an otherwise brilliant work, started rearing their ugly faces: abandoned plotlines, overhyped mysteries or foreshadowing resolved anticlimactically, uncontrollable addition of new elements that competed unhealthily for attention in an already complex narrative.

By chapter 40, I learned that the manga was only 65 chapters long, and I started fearing the worst: an unsatisfactory ending, with lots of questions unanswered, others answered rushedly and/or unconvincingly, unexpected and unnecessary twists and leaps in character development to keep up with it all. My suspicions were confirmed chapter after chapter, as he -instead of closing plotlines and providing answers- kept adding new twists and even whole plotlines. He did provide closure to some of the dangling threads but it seemed rushed and random in comparison to the development they had received. In other words, everything that had bothered me about 20CB, but without many of its high points, made worse by the fact of seeing it happening a second time.

By chapter 65 he barely managed to get to the climax of the story and rushedly resolve it by the last page, so much that the story ended almost in medias res. Then we got one page of epilogue, in which rather than showing the deserved happy aftermath for our heroes, it simply tried puzzlingly and ineffectually to resolve one of the many unexplained plotlines.

Another thing that didn't help was that several of the character designs seemed recycled from Monster (though I wholeheartedly applaud the interpretation he gave to such iconic characters as Atom and Dr. Tenma.)

Speaking of Monster, looking in hindsight after my newfound disappointment, I can kind of see some of the flaws mentioned above showing up here and there, though much less notoriously. I guess that the more episodic nature of Monster saved it from the narrative issues that creep in Urusawa's other works.

My conclusion: Naoki Urusawa is a superb artist, an amazing storyteller, but a poor writer. He keeps enthusiastically adding when moderation is called for and is prone to be distracted by his own new shiny ideas, whimsically forgetting the ones he was working on before, and if he ever remembers to include them again, it's done in a way that betrays that he just want to get over with it so he can keep following his latest infatuation. Even when he's trying to end a story, he apparently can't help introducing new elements, so the only possible way to actually finish the story instead dragging it forever, each step a bit further away from the original vision, is to give it an abrupt finale.

Knowing all this I don't think I have the heart to follow his next project. What if it's something like 20CB? A long, complex and immersive story that goes on for years... Sure, the trip along will be immensely enjoyable, as he knows how to, but I don't think I'll be able to get invested if I'm dreading all the time a painful and difficult end to the affair. /endrant

[Atria35]

I feel that some of this is true, and some of it isn't. Have you read the the original arc in Astro Boy to see how it compares? It could be that he's being true to the manga.

Honestly, I enjoyed the ending to Pluto, so that's a matter of personal taste. While it may have left questions, that's not a bad thing. Some things should be left up to the reader's imagination. I've read a few stories that had similar endings, and felt that it measured up to the best of those.

I felt that Monster and 20thCB were prefectly fine. Very few threads were left hanging or unanswered. I didn't see much rushed development anywhere. I felt that it was organic, happening not just when it needed to, but throughout the series at a good pace.

My personal problem with his latest endevour is that he seems to be trying to outdo himself. First it was Europe. Then it was the world. Next? The universe. And while the other stories were suberbly paced and brought together, Billy Bat is rushed and hectic.

I'm not ready to write him off yet, and go back to his earlier works like Pineapple Army to see that he really does write a good manga. It's still good. One or two bad series does not a bad mangaka make. And he's not a one-hit wonder, like Oda or a few others I can name. He put out good series pretty consistantly. You can't say that about many mangaka out there. So while I may have some disappointment in his latest, that's far from any reason to put him off my list of favorites.

[Maokun]

Honestly, I enjoyed the ending to Pluto, so that's a matter of personal taste. While it may have left questions, that's not a bad thing. Some things should be left up to the reader's imagination. I've read a few stories that had similar endings, and felt that it measured up to the best of those.

Oh, I definitely don't think that good stories need to solve absolutely all questions and not leave anything to imagination. But I'm talking of whole plotlines who were abandoned unexplained after being made appear as of vital importance. And the ending was definitely rushed, especially if you compare it against the milleage that lesser matters got.

I felt that Monster and 20thCB were prefectly fine. Very few threads were left hanging or unanswered. I didn't see much rushed development anywhere. I felt that it was organic, happening not just when it needed to, but throughout the series at a good pace.

Oh? If that's so, can you tell me [Spoiler]who was the second Friend? Note that that's not an unimportant or irrelevant matter. Moreover, can you tell me what necessity there was for a second Friend?[/Spoiler]

My personal problem with his latest endevour is that he seems to be trying to outdo himself. First it was Europe. Then it was the world. Next? The universe. And while the other stories were suberbly paced and brought together, Billy Bat is rushed and hectic.

I'm not ready to write him off yet, and go back to his earlier works like Pineapple Army to see that he really does write a good manga. It's still good. One or two bad series does not a bad mangaka make. And he's not a one-hit wonder, like Oda or a few others I can name. He put out good series pretty consistantly. You can't say that about many mangaka out there. So while I may have some disappointment in his latest, that's far from any reason to put him off my list of favorites.

Hmm perhaps I'll give this Pinneapple Army a shoot if only to corroborate my impressions (or hopefully, challenge them?)

[Atria35]

Oh? If that's so, can you tell me [Spoiler]who was the second Friend? Note that that's not an unimportant or irrelevant matter. Moreover, can you tell me what necessity there was for a second Friend?[/Spoiler]

[spoiler]The second friend was Katsumata, the boy who supposedly died before they could dissect the carp in science class. I believe that there was a need for a second Friend merely because Fukube couldn't let his dreams die. He was willing to kill millions of people. Why wouldn't he try to keep his goals going after death? He's a pretty heartless monster, so I can totally see that happening. And by creating a 'ressurection', it meant that more people would believe and follow him, or cement the beliefs of people who were already following him. That would only contribute to what Fukube was trying to do.[/spoiler]

[Solid Ronin]

Pluto, rushed. Ok I can give you that. That said it's still better than 90% of manga on the market.