Pluto

by Naoki Urasawa & Takashi Nagasaki
Pluto cover
Good Books rating 3.17
Technical
  • ID: 4551
  • Added: 2025-10-21
  • Updated: 2025-10-21
  • Reviews: 3
Reviews
tcj.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
compelling 4.00

Pluto is a gripping and intense manga series that delves into the darker side of human nature. The story's exploration of themes like revenge and redemption is both thought-provoking and emotionally charged.

Pluto is a manga series that doesn't shy away from the grim realities of human nature. The story's central theme of revenge is handled with a depth that makes it both compelling and unsettling. The characters are complex and flawed, adding layers to the narrative that make it more than just a tale of vengeance. The emotional weight of the story is palpable, and it's clear that the author has a keen understanding of the human psyche. The artwork is equally impressive, with detailed and expressive illustrations that bring the story to life. They liked the book, but think some of the plot is thin. The pacing is a bit uneven at times, but overall, it's a series that will leave a lasting impression.

Quick quotes

    The story's central theme of revenge is handled with a depth that makes it both compelling and unsettling.

    The characters are complex and flawed, adding layers to the narrative that make it more than just a tale of vengeance.

    The emotional weight of the story is palpable, and it's clear that the author has a keen understanding of the human psyche.

comicsbookcase.com · Unknown · 2020-05-27
intriguing 3.50

The book is a well-researched examination of the evolution of punishment and discipline from medieval to modern times, with fascinating insights into the panoptic model and the transfer of punishment from public to private. However, the later sections are dense and challenging, leaving the reader to ponder the ultimate point of such philosophical inquiry.

Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault is a meticulously researched exploration of how punishment and discipline have evolved over time. The book delves into the transition from public spectacles of punishment to private, secretive affairs, and the development of the panoptic model of discipline, which is seen in various institutions like prisons, hospitals, and schools. Foucault's analysis is impressive, but the later sections are dense and challenging, making it difficult for some readers to grasp the full extent of his arguments. The book raises important questions about the role of prisons and the 'Discipline State' in modern society, but it falls short of offering concrete solutions. While the intellectual rigor is commendable, one might wonder about the practical utility of such philosophical inquiries. The debate between the reviewer and their philosopher-wife highlights the tension between the value of theoretical frameworks and the need for practical applications.

Quick quotes

    The famous chapter on Bentham’s _Panopticon_, the ideal surveillance architecture that involves an authority in a central tower looking through darkened windows at a ring of cells — the prisoners know they _can_ be seen at all times, but they never know the precise moment in which they are.

    The public execution was the logical culmination of a procedure governed by the Inquisition. The practice of placing individuals under ‘observation’ is a natural extension of a justice imbued with disciplinary methods and examination procedures.

    It is important to set up the framework for a discussion before having the discussion itself.

comicpusher.blogspot.com · Unknown · 2013-03-22
critical 2.00

The reviewer finds Foucault's 'Discipline and Punish' well-written and rhetorically persuasive, but ultimately flawed and harmful. They argue that while Foucault critiques modern imprisonment as a more efficient but not necessarily more humane form of punishment, his arguments are hypocritical and lack explanatory power. The reviewer also criticizes Foucault's leftist intellectual stance, which they see as indifferent to the real-world consequences of his proposals.

The reviewer begins by recalling their initial encounter with Michel Foucault's 'Discipline and Punish' during their university years. They appreciate the book's vivid descriptions and its central thesis, which contrasts pre-modern penal systems with modern ones, highlighting the shift from public spectacle to disciplinary power. The reviewer acknowledges Foucault's persuasive writing and the book's exploration of the intertwining of power and knowledge. However, they also express several disagreements with Foucault's arguments. They find Foucault's critique of modern imprisonment hypocritical, as he seems to expect readers to recoil from past punishments while not offering a clear alternative. The reviewer also criticizes Foucault's lack of explanation for the changes in penal paradigms and his leftist intellectual stance, which they see as indifferent to the real-world consequences of his proposals. The reviewer concludes that while the book is well-written, it is deeply flawed and potentially harmful, leading to false ideas and noxious practices.

Quick quotes

    Foucault is making an implicit political point against modern imprisonment: under a façade of greater humaneness, ‘reason’ and scientific trappings there hides raw power that is allowed to be exerted in a new, more efficient form, against criminals.

    Foucault’s thesis assumes the existence of a series of paradigms that change over time, but he never makes an attempt at explaining either why this paradigms appear in the first place and/or under which circumstances they change.

    It is well written and rhetorically persuasive; it is also deeply wrong, and in many ways, an intellectual poison that leads to hare-brained false ideas and beliefs and to noxious practices that create worse outcomes for everybody.

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