Osamu Tezuka, a pioneer of Japanese Manga artist and cartoonist often called “the godfather of manga,” is widely given influence to Japanese comics and animation, their distinctive look and visual language, and the manga series Pluto, serialized from 2003 to 2009, is one example. 

Netflix today announced an animated series based on the manga PLUTO, produced by GENCO, with animation production by M2STUDIO and set for release later this year.

The manga series Pluto is based on a story arc from Tezuka’s signature Astro Boy manga series, Pluto was an award-winner and bestseller, a series that re-imagined Tezuka’s mid-1960s “Greatest Robot on Earth” story arc for a new generation, as a cyber-noir story about a future detective chasing down a string of murders that might have been committed by a robot.

The suspense drama takes place in a neo-futuristic world where humans and high-functioning robots live in complete harmony. The globally acclaimed manga has won numerous awards, including the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

The 2015 stage adaptation of PLUTO returned in 2018 by popular demand and toured Japan and Europe.

“I applaud the courage of everyone that has taken on the challenge of making an anime based on PLUTO.

I am excited about the birth of this new series to win over people’s hearts.

I hope that now more than ever, Osamu Tezuka’s message reaches the world,” says author Naoki Urasawa. Co-author Takashi Nagasaki adds: “PLUTO inherits the philosophy of Tezuka and does not merely convey a message of  anti-war, but reminds us that there is suffering on both sides… but still, the only remaining answer is peace.”  Supervisor Macoto Tezka, a son of the late Osamu Tezuka adds: “The animated PLUTO is the real deal, and in addition to this being Urasawa’s latest work, this is also a new Tezuka anime. I can hardly wait to see how this new generation of anime turns out.”