Pluto vol.3

Three Astro Boy posts in a row! This volume is mainly split up between two stories: A group of robot haters who have it in for Gesicht, and Uran's encounter with a strange bum.

The Gesicht side of this volume is actually one of Urasawa's infamous tangents. It is about Gesicht, but we don't seem him all that much. It's actually about the group of robot haters mentioned above, who wear pointy white hoods (...subtle). One in particular has a grudge against Gesicht (I won't say why), and plans to bring him down. This storyline adds two things, one being a new layer to the future presented in this manga. As obvious as the real life reference might be with the hoods and all, it makes sense that their would be those prejudiced against robots being integrated into society, and those who would take that prejudice to the extreme. The other thing it adds is a clue regarding Gesicht's missing memories and why they would have been erased.

As for Uran's story, anyone familiar with the original story (or any of it's anime adaptations) knows that Uran plays an important role, and they will immediately where this volume is headed. Still, Urasawa's take on it is great. It also includes one of the most interesting uses of color I've ever seen in a manga.

Other highlights of this volume include the seventh super robot, Epsilon, a semi-good glimpse at Pluto and what his abilities are, and a robot that barfs a bunch of robotic bugs!!!
I was also pleased to Abracadabra (aka Kino from "The Third Magician"). Abra is changed into "Abullah," but Tawashi calls him Abra Cadabra at first. He only appeared in one Astro Boy story, so he's not the type of character I'd expect to make it into Pluto, much less in what seems to be a very important role. I actually recognized him first because of his sideburns, which is what stood out to me about Kino. This new character adds another piece to the puzzle by showing us that someone might be pulling the strings, and that Pluto might just be a pawn in a larger plan.

In other Urasawa news:
MONSTER is coming to Syfy's Animonday block in October!!!!! I've never seen or read Monster, so I'm excited about this.