Pluto Chapter 4 Discussion

What did you think of this chapter?

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Dec 12, 2009 6:15 AM

DarthDaimyo

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Jun 2008

1004

THIS IS A MANGA ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS ANYTHING BEYOND THIS CHAPTER.
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I'd kind of like to see North No. 2 go to war, I'm very interested in this 39th Central Asian War, Mont Blanc fought in them too...

RtheO

Jul 8, 2011 2:35 PM

botch

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Apr 2009

248

When i saw that robot playing piano, the old man and the whole talk about war reminded me of one the arcs from big o with a similar story and feeling.
Pluto sure is getting me hooked! :)

Sep 1, 2011 2:00 PM

Rasco

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Mar 2010

55828

The old man and robot are both stubborn..

Behold of my awesomeness~
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But my feels.

Mar 22, 2016 11:07 PM

G_Spark233

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Dec 2013

15075

Robots have pretty deep emotions.

Aug 28, 2016 12:42 PM

Phenomanan

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May 2014

577

Reminds me of iRobot, but it's still pretty different.

~ The world is not beautiful, therefore it is.

Nov 22, 2019 4:55 AM

St0rmblade

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Aug 2017

3040

A truly beautiful and touching chapter

Jul 5, 2021 6:02 PM

deg

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Jan 2009

101020

what a grumpy old man he hates technology since he thinks its all fake especially the robots

Jun 8, 2022 9:57 AM

grap3soda

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Jul 2016

Very good chapter. This one was a change of pace. It felt more atmospheric than the previous chapters.

We are introduced to a successful but washed up composer experiencing a writers block and a mysterious yet charming retired war robot, North No.2. After finishing the chapter, I am left wondering how this will tie into the greater narrative. I am once again left contemplating an AIs ability to feel, this time I am specifically contemplating their possible ability to feel desire and create goals for themselves as technology progresses. For North to have the goal to learn piano, he must have felt the desire to play like his master at some point. This is true for any goal one creates for themself. Goals arise from a feeling of inferiority. Maybe one feels as if they do not clean their house enough. They feel inferior to some kind of standard of cleanliness, whether that be from what they learned growing up or what they have seen in television.

We are presented with the prospect of an AI having feelings of not only desire, but inferiority. North feels he is inferior to his master. Not only does he submit to his master’s requests and tolerate his rudeness, but he accepts the sentiment given that an AI will never play as well as a human. Music made by an AI or with electronic instruments is “fake”, while only a human using acoustic instruments is capable of creating authentic or “real” music. I’ve heard many people say this about contemporary music. Some people feel as if hip hop or electronic music is lazy because it’s entirely possible to create those kinds of music without any ability to skillfully play an instrument.

They fail to realize one still needs a sense of rhythm to properly program midis. They fail to realize that electronic tools merely save time, rather than making the process of music creation easier, so that a musician can focus on other aspects of sound and expand the horizons of what is considered music. They fail to realize the ingenuity that goes into creating VSTs and DAWs, much like the master fails to realize the ingenuity that went into programming a robot not only capable of mass destruction, but an ability to feel emotions. He fails to realize that North himself is a work of art who was crafted and programmed by someone or a group of people.

North may not be human but there is so much human in him. The master complains that robots cannot create “real” music yet he fails to appreciate the beauty of these incredible machines. He fails to appreciate the beauty of an AI feeling desire to learn a new skill even after his algorithm was finalized. I think the master is “fake”. He is too superficial to appreciate beauty and projects his insecurities on something he doesn’t even deem worthy of existence. While the robot is motivated by his feelings of inferiority to expand his knowledge, the master has created a sad superiority complex for himself and cannot finish his song because he is that scared of rejection from others. Maybe if he was more self aware he would appreciate the beauty of North and learn from him, even if his intelligence is artificial.

The art of this chapter was breathtaking. It’s inspiring to think one man meticulously drew these intricate landscapes. The shadow placement in the mansion felt representative of the master’s self loathing and emptiness. And the close up panels of North’s face expressed so much emotion with few to no words and the same blank expression. The use of shadows conveyed a story within itself. I’m loving this book so far and taking my time to slowly scan each detail of each and every panel.

grap3sodaJun 8, 2022 10:02 AM

Oct 12, 2022 5:45 PM

PeskyRachel

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Oct 2022

Did anyone find a sample of the music played by them? I know there's not a proper sheet but there's some notes...

Oct 19, 2023 10:15 AM

#10

UnknownGhost5

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Aug 2022

3024

North No. 2 seems really kind. I wonder what he's hiding beneath the cloak.

Jan 21, 12:27 AM

#11

moeyrasheed

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Feb 2021

even this arc i would adore as a short story

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