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20th Century Boys [20世紀少年] #2
20th Century Boys 2
Am Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts steht die Menschheit vor dem Abgrund, doch nur eine Handvoll Erwachsener sieht die Vorzeichen der nahenden Katastrophe rechtzeitig. Diese Erwachsenen verbindet ihre gemeinsame Kindheit, in der sie zusammenhielten wie Pech und Schwefel und zum Zeichen ihrer Freundschaft sogar ein Symbol kreierten.
199 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2000
39 people are currently reading
474 people want to read
About the author
Naoki Urasawa
356 books2,798 followersUrasawa Naoki (浦沢直樹) is a Japanese mangaka. He is perhaps best known for Monster (which drew praise from Junot Díaz, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner) and 20th Century Boys.
Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing
Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
May 12, 2023
Apparently friend is otcho but i am not sure yet, since it would be weird to give the answer to the whole conspiracy this fast, and i think they recruited his sister (somehow) and she is responsible for the germ warfare, the virus or larvae or whatever that is sucking all the blood from human bodies.
Naoki Urasawa just became my second favorite manga writer who i will read all his works, i think he is the best to do it among the manga writers i read so far, the second would be Hiroya Oku (Gantz), since the guy who wrote berserk isn't really a candidate for me, he just made one thing and that's it, i like his writing style even more than hiroya oku, but at the same time to be able to conceive one idea only in your life, isn't really what makes you a legendary writer in my opinion.
I love his characters and the complexity of his story, in two volumes he introduced more interesting characters than most writers do in their whole series.
Everything intertwines to present this wonderful story, past present and future...
I read stories about kids before and seen how they grow up and all that, but Naoki Urasawa just took it to a whole another level.
First of all its realistic, its just kids playing and thinking stupid things and making shit up, they grow up to be teenagers they have aspirations, most of them fail, they settle into different lives as adults, but one whacky kid decides to really go on with their plans as kids for world conquest, to take simple kids imagination and transform it into a story for world conquest on a large scale, and one of the best conspiracies I've read so far, its just brilliant, not only that he actually has 6 other manga series out there most of them come highly recommended.
God might be one of my favorite characters of all times, i wish to see more of him, he is so real and simple, gifted to see the future of all things it seems, and he just knows what to do every time to make things work, and save his friends, and stay alive, and he doesn't know how he does it, it just happens, such a brilliant character i love it, imagine if they just told kenji someone bleeding to death wants you, he wouldn't give a fuck, he doesn't know the person, and its homeless people who are trying to get him to go somewhere.
I also loved the brilliant detective that died, he actually figured it all out, and paid his life for it, and his portrayal as the cop who just does his job, and forgets his family, a lot of men do this in their lives, they get so engaged in their jobs, and forget to care for their families, your kids won't love you because you put food on the table, its love that they need relationships are like plants, if you don't water them, they wither and eventually die.
I blabbered on and on and i didn't even speak my mind on all the things Naoki discusses with his work, this manga actually takes triple the time any other manga i ever read took from me, but i love it, and i feel its only going to get better.
Naoki Urasawa just became my second favorite manga writer who i will read all his works, i think he is the best to do it among the manga writers i read so far, the second would be Hiroya Oku (Gantz), since the guy who wrote berserk isn't really a candidate for me, he just made one thing and that's it, i like his writing style even more than hiroya oku, but at the same time to be able to conceive one idea only in your life, isn't really what makes you a legendary writer in my opinion.
I love his characters and the complexity of his story, in two volumes he introduced more interesting characters than most writers do in their whole series.
Everything intertwines to present this wonderful story, past present and future...
I read stories about kids before and seen how they grow up and all that, but Naoki Urasawa just took it to a whole another level.
First of all its realistic, its just kids playing and thinking stupid things and making shit up, they grow up to be teenagers they have aspirations, most of them fail, they settle into different lives as adults, but one whacky kid decides to really go on with their plans as kids for world conquest, to take simple kids imagination and transform it into a story for world conquest on a large scale, and one of the best conspiracies I've read so far, its just brilliant, not only that he actually has 6 other manga series out there most of them come highly recommended.
God might be one of my favorite characters of all times, i wish to see more of him, he is so real and simple, gifted to see the future of all things it seems, and he just knows what to do every time to make things work, and save his friends, and stay alive, and he doesn't know how he does it, it just happens, such a brilliant character i love it, imagine if they just told kenji someone bleeding to death wants you, he wouldn't give a fuck, he doesn't know the person, and its homeless people who are trying to get him to go somewhere.
I also loved the brilliant detective that died, he actually figured it all out, and paid his life for it, and his portrayal as the cop who just does his job, and forgets his family, a lot of men do this in their lives, they get so engaged in their jobs, and forget to care for their families, your kids won't love you because you put food on the table, its love that they need relationships are like plants, if you don't water them, they wither and eventually die.
I blabbered on and on and i didn't even speak my mind on all the things Naoki discusses with his work, this manga actually takes triple the time any other manga i ever read took from me, but i love it, and i feel its only going to get better.
January 6, 2023
Bueno mi primera lectura del año y tiro por lo fácil, es un manga.
La verdad que esta serie no me llamaba mucho y el primer tomo fue como muy introductorio pero en este 2º la cosa ya tiene oro cariz y va mejorando, seguimos con la presentación de personajes relacionados con Kenji, amigos o bien compañeros del colegio. Y es que todo comenzó sin que ellos se dieran cuenta, en su grupito de amigos, allí se forjó una idea que en la actualidad está llevando a cabo la " secta" o grupo "amigo", aquí se revela quien se supone que es dicho personaje y cuales son sus propósitos...
Valoración: 6/10
Sinopsis: Un virus misterioso, la muerte de un detective, un hombre que huye. . . y Kenji que sigue intentando descubrir quién es Amigo. . . pero la respuesta no es tan fácil. Se sigue preparando el Apocalipsis, el cual proyecta su sombra alargada sobre la ciudad.
La verdad que esta serie no me llamaba mucho y el primer tomo fue como muy introductorio pero en este 2º la cosa ya tiene oro cariz y va mejorando, seguimos con la presentación de personajes relacionados con Kenji, amigos o bien compañeros del colegio. Y es que todo comenzó sin que ellos se dieran cuenta, en su grupito de amigos, allí se forjó una idea que en la actualidad está llevando a cabo la " secta" o grupo "amigo", aquí se revela quien se supone que es dicho personaje y cuales son sus propósitos...
Valoración: 6/10
Sinopsis: Un virus misterioso, la muerte de un detective, un hombre que huye. . . y Kenji que sigue intentando descubrir quién es Amigo. . . pero la respuesta no es tan fácil. Se sigue preparando el Apocalipsis, el cual proyecta su sombra alargada sobre la ciudad.
June 13, 2020
4 of 5 stars
May 28, 2012
My gosh Urasawa never ceases to amaze me with his layered complex form of storytelling. I had to put Pluto down for a while as this first volume grabbed me. I love tales of childhood that come back to haunt the children later in life. If the first volume didn't bind you to this series then the 2nd one will, by the last page of volume 2 this series completely owned the highest admiration I can give a manga series, which in my opinion Urasawa also holds the title for with Monster.
This volume evoked a lot of emotions from me without being cheap about it. No I didn't cry, I'm just invested in the future of all the characters and can't wait to see what lays in wait for them all. I think Kenji, the main character, is easy to relate to, he's just an average guy with a job and his sister's kid strapped to his back. Kenji, like many of us, had dreams in his younger days, but reality came knocking eventually. I'm also really starting to like Yukiji, I hope she gets a bigger role moving forward, a strong female character that develops over time is something that Monster lacked and I look forward to seeing Yukiji's history and what happens to her in the future.
What does the future hold for Kenji? What will this "friend" organization do next? Will germ warfare break out in London? What did they really get themselves into as kids to lead to this point? All this and more, on the next volume of 20th CENTURY BOYS!
This volume evoked a lot of emotions from me without being cheap about it. No I didn't cry, I'm just invested in the future of all the characters and can't wait to see what lays in wait for them all. I think Kenji, the main character, is easy to relate to, he's just an average guy with a job and his sister's kid strapped to his back. Kenji, like many of us, had dreams in his younger days, but reality came knocking eventually. I'm also really starting to like Yukiji, I hope she gets a bigger role moving forward, a strong female character that develops over time is something that Monster lacked and I look forward to seeing Yukiji's history and what happens to her in the future.
What does the future hold for Kenji? What will this "friend" organization do next? Will germ warfare break out in London? What did they really get themselves into as kids to lead to this point? All this and more, on the next volume of 20th CENTURY BOYS!
October 11, 2016
Another great volume. You really get into the meet of the characters here which I really enjoyed. Kenji is one of the best main characters. Scared when it feels right, brave when it feels needed, it just don't feel "forced" and still gives you emotional moments and you've only just started knowing these characters.
I love the whole flash forward, flash back, current storyline going on. It gives real stakes and you wonder what in the world is happening. Kenji is at the center of it all and watching him coup with Donkey's death and learning more and more about these organization labeled "friends" is both thrilling and interesting.
The final few pages really draw you in and you feel the need to swoop up the next volume...which I did...and the other 3 volumes after. Yep, this is gonna be a long one, but a goodie!
I love the whole flash forward, flash back, current storyline going on. It gives real stakes and you wonder what in the world is happening. Kenji is at the center of it all and watching him coup with Donkey's death and learning more and more about these organization labeled "friends" is both thrilling and interesting.
The final few pages really draw you in and you feel the need to swoop up the next volume...which I did...and the other 3 volumes after. Yep, this is gonna be a long one, but a goodie!
August 27, 2016
Si en el primer volumen se presentaron los personajes y se dieron los primeros indicios de la trama, es en este segundo volumen cuando la historia coge velocidad y engancha al lector. Urasawa es un maestro en soltar pequeñas pistas para mantener enganchado al lector sin apenas revelar nada, y en esta serie se muestra en todo su esplendor.
June 18, 2023
shit has officially started to go DOWN
July 7, 2023
Kids on bike continues to be a good way to describe this manga. The two timelines continue to be fun. It’s still a slow burn. Only, the stakes have escalated in a way that truly fit the genre. The goal of the mysterious cult and the ties to the past are pretty out there, putting it in an absurdist element. I’m down for it, but tend to prefer more down-to-earth stuff,’or else full-on genre fiction. It reminds one of the better written manga I’ve tried though, especially when it comes to dialogue.
August 5, 2017
It's a little early in the series, I know, but I am fairly certain that 20th Century Boys will be what I point to from now on when people ask me what Manga they should read.
Only two volumes in and...IT'S JUST THAT GOOD!
Only two volumes in and...IT'S JUST THAT GOOD!
April 12, 2015
Cool plot. How would you like to wake up one day to realize that someone had taken your crazy ideas as a kid and turned them into a blueprint for world domination? Would you say no way? Would you freak out?
The characters are fascinating and well drawn in both senses. The Plot is even better. It goes deeper and deeper and this is only the second volume. I can't even imagine how far down the rabbit hole goes, but I'm definitely going to jump in. Thank you, Shonen Jump.
The characters are fascinating and well drawn in both senses. The Plot is even better. It goes deeper and deeper and this is only the second volume. I can't even imagine how far down the rabbit hole goes, but I'm definitely going to jump in. Thank you, Shonen Jump.
February 15, 2024
And the plot, thickens!
April 7, 2018
Another fascinating volume. If there was any doubt after the first book that I was hooked by Urasawa's storytelling, that has been completely dispelled with this second installment. More characters, more storylines, and more mysteries are added to the mix here...which expect will be the case in subsequent volumes.
March 1, 2024
I like reading manga in which the texts from every panel give information. I will never get over Naoki Urasawa Sensei's lively and innocent drawing style for kids! I love Kenji! In this volume, we got to know about the relationship of Kenji and his sister, which explained his devotion for the store and taking care of her child. The character who called himself God is thrilling! You know Urasawa Sensei is on his way to unfold even more stories when a character has been killed by his sort-of-trusted partner. Well, I refuse to believe Otcho is 'Friend'! I'm trying to follow this story from multiple perspectives because I don't want to feel dumb when the plot is twisted HAHA
February 19, 2021
7.5/10
The conspiracy gets bigger. The final cliffhangers of this volume were unexpected, and now things start to make some sense.
The pace has a distinctive 'movie' vibe: plenty of cinematic cuts (apparently, Urasawa's favourite storytelling trick) and a lot of flashbacks.
Cartoony yet quasi-realistic faces.
Good use of the G-pen nib in the inking. Clear and heavy influence of Otomo in that department.
The conspiracy gets bigger. The final cliffhangers of this volume were unexpected, and now things start to make some sense.
The pace has a distinctive 'movie' vibe: plenty of cinematic cuts (apparently, Urasawa's favourite storytelling trick) and a lot of flashbacks.
Cartoony yet quasi-realistic faces.
Good use of the G-pen nib in the inking. Clear and heavy influence of Otomo in that department.
June 18, 2018
This was amazing. The characters are developing nicely, the plot deepens with tonnes of intrigue and the art is still very good. So far a very good series. I hope it maintains its storytelling and doesnt drop off.
February 19, 2024
Es que no le puedo dar menos de 5 estrellas a toda la serie de verdad
January 8, 2024
No decae la trama. El único pero es la inclusión de recuerdos emotivos o microhistorias para potencializar la próxima muerte de un personaje. Odio que hagan eso.
November 23, 2023
Okey, dis shit so good. Kenji is the cutest i love him sm, n the introduction of new characters whilst dropping lil breadcrumbs to the mystery is so well structured
February 17, 2018
Masterful! What a thriller! I need to keep reading!
August 17, 2014
Well, this ate my afternoon.
Book 1 hit full stride when it began Donkey’s story, about one of Kenji’s childhood friends who was poor, unwanted and eventually became integral to their band of friends. Book 2 similarly hits its stride with the story of Kiriko, Kenji’s sister who leveraged her whole life to give him opportunities, but has recently vanished. We learn that as a little girl, Kiriko argued her parents out of aborting Kenji, promising to treat him like her own baby, and it radically recolors those anecdotes of her saving him from drowning and supporting his dreams of being a musician. Today, Kenji is a failure managing the family liquor store and caring for Kiriko’s child, almost returning the favor she did him throughout his adolescence. Urasawa couldn’t write a stronger hook to make me want to know where she vanished to.
Yet Kiriko’s back story is one of a dozen threads in Book 2, and it’s easy to forget how much happens in this book because Urasawa has the freakish talent for letting plot threads breathe uninterrupted. We’re introduced to Kamisama, a homeless man with prophetic dreams that have begun touching on the cult. Kenji may lose his shop due to Kiriko’s baby distracting him, while the cult builds an insane machine beneath the city. We get more glimpses of Friend, the shadowy cult-leader, and hints of how wide his influence is within the city. The police begin seeing murders around the city as mere deaths resulting of a rare African disease that may be spreading in Japan, which we know can’t be the whole story. And when one flashback gives me a glimpse of someone studying microbiology, I got goosebumps.
None of this feels rushed, even if I occasionally fought the desire to read faster. Kamisama giving a bizarre and endearing lecture on bowling instead of a prophecy to his fellow homeless friends has all of the page space it needs; it’s never crowded out by the more dire cult-plots or the winning flashbacks to Kenji’s childhood. Nor is it annoying, as even when things go humorous, it feels like every character is somehow in the web of conspiracy that turned Kenji’s childhood games into a modern terrorist plot.
Very few storytellers in any medium can thread together plot points with this much intrigue, let alone shift tone. 20th Century Boys is sometimes damnably funny or cute, and feels as natural in that space as in the earnest sentimentality about Kiriko. You may linger in those zones long enough that you forget it will drop the floor out from under you and delve into Horror whenever it wants. The biggest trick is having one tonal scene connect to another of entirely different tone – so someone we admire is implicated in the cult, or dies, or someone we fear comes down to earth in a touching moment with the homeless.
I’m very happy that the next six books are sitting on my nightstand. 20th Century Boys reads like masterwork.
Book 1 hit full stride when it began Donkey’s story, about one of Kenji’s childhood friends who was poor, unwanted and eventually became integral to their band of friends. Book 2 similarly hits its stride with the story of Kiriko, Kenji’s sister who leveraged her whole life to give him opportunities, but has recently vanished. We learn that as a little girl, Kiriko argued her parents out of aborting Kenji, promising to treat him like her own baby, and it radically recolors those anecdotes of her saving him from drowning and supporting his dreams of being a musician. Today, Kenji is a failure managing the family liquor store and caring for Kiriko’s child, almost returning the favor she did him throughout his adolescence. Urasawa couldn’t write a stronger hook to make me want to know where she vanished to.
Yet Kiriko’s back story is one of a dozen threads in Book 2, and it’s easy to forget how much happens in this book because Urasawa has the freakish talent for letting plot threads breathe uninterrupted. We’re introduced to Kamisama, a homeless man with prophetic dreams that have begun touching on the cult. Kenji may lose his shop due to Kiriko’s baby distracting him, while the cult builds an insane machine beneath the city. We get more glimpses of Friend, the shadowy cult-leader, and hints of how wide his influence is within the city. The police begin seeing murders around the city as mere deaths resulting of a rare African disease that may be spreading in Japan, which we know can’t be the whole story. And when one flashback gives me a glimpse of someone studying microbiology, I got goosebumps.
None of this feels rushed, even if I occasionally fought the desire to read faster. Kamisama giving a bizarre and endearing lecture on bowling instead of a prophecy to his fellow homeless friends has all of the page space it needs; it’s never crowded out by the more dire cult-plots or the winning flashbacks to Kenji’s childhood. Nor is it annoying, as even when things go humorous, it feels like every character is somehow in the web of conspiracy that turned Kenji’s childhood games into a modern terrorist plot.
Very few storytellers in any medium can thread together plot points with this much intrigue, let alone shift tone. 20th Century Boys is sometimes damnably funny or cute, and feels as natural in that space as in the earnest sentimentality about Kiriko. You may linger in those zones long enough that you forget it will drop the floor out from under you and delve into Horror whenever it wants. The biggest trick is having one tonal scene connect to another of entirely different tone – so someone we admire is implicated in the cult, or dies, or someone we fear comes down to earth in a touching moment with the homeless.
I’m very happy that the next six books are sitting on my nightstand. 20th Century Boys reads like masterwork.
May 4, 2013
A saga that took off with a bang continues with head-hurting momentum and ever increasing complexity. Urasawa keeps on getting the reader hooked into this tale of a cult connected to the upcoming fall of the human race, stemming from the buried memories of a group of friends. Friends who reconnect to solve the mystery of their shared childhood with its deadly ripples.
Volume 1 "Friends" was all about the dynamic of the posse, but this volume really zooms in on Kenji, the main protagonist. We get more flashbacks of his life and get to know more about his family. At the same time, the bigger picture gets built nicely.
"The Prophet" isn't quite as intensely paced as "Friends" as it focuses a bit more on character than on plot, but it still does a lot to advance the mystery. And it's all damn fascinating, plotwise and tonewise. This is extremely entertaining and intellectually stimulating stuff that relies on psychological insight and a thematic content that promises to be fascinating indeed. Getting more and more addicted to this thing with each page.
Volume 1 "Friends" was all about the dynamic of the posse, but this volume really zooms in on Kenji, the main protagonist. We get more flashbacks of his life and get to know more about his family. At the same time, the bigger picture gets built nicely.
"The Prophet" isn't quite as intensely paced as "Friends" as it focuses a bit more on character than on plot, but it still does a lot to advance the mystery. And it's all damn fascinating, plotwise and tonewise. This is extremely entertaining and intellectually stimulating stuff that relies on psychological insight and a thematic content that promises to be fascinating indeed. Getting more and more addicted to this thing with each page.
November 4, 2021
Encore un peu plus intriguée, j'ai hâte de voir ce que réserve la suite :)
July 5, 2020
4.5/5
De este tomo recordaba poco y eso me gustó, porque me volví a sorprender con ciertas escenas o con el hecho de que algunos personajes aparecen más pronto de lo que yo creía. Soy fan de lo presente que está el conflicto de lo que deseas hacer versus lo que debes hacer; es una problemática muy humana con la que es fácil identificarse y que te invita estar dándole vueltas por horas, y hablando de problemáticas humanas…wey, neta este manga es genial en la construcción de personajes ¡hace que te encariñes y te duela un personaje en un solo capítulo!
Lo único que no me gustó tanto tiene que ver con el personaje de Yukiji pero equis, puedo vivir con ello. Aparte, el final de este tomo es simplemente increíble.
De este tomo recordaba poco y eso me gustó, porque me volví a sorprender con ciertas escenas o con el hecho de que algunos personajes aparecen más pronto de lo que yo creía. Soy fan de lo presente que está el conflicto de lo que deseas hacer versus lo que debes hacer; es una problemática muy humana con la que es fácil identificarse y que te invita estar dándole vueltas por horas, y hablando de problemáticas humanas…wey, neta este manga es genial en la construcción de personajes ¡hace que te encariñes y te duela un personaje en un solo capítulo!
Lo único que no me gustó tanto tiene que ver con el personaje de Yukiji pero equis, puedo vivir con ello. Aparte, el final de este tomo es simplemente increíble.
August 20, 2018
Todo se conecta sin dejarse de complicar. Los personajes empiezan a ser identificables y a entrar en ti. Naoki, eres un barrilete cósmico. Los engranes empiezan a conectarse, pero tengo la sensación de no estar armando un reloj.
November 28, 2019
And Kenji's mission continues...
February 6, 2021
I wonder what he meant when he said that you don't necessarily have to be at the centre.
Also, there's another person claiming to be "the true prophet" ...
Kenji it's all in your hands now.
Also, there's another person claiming to be "the true prophet" ...
Kenji it's all in your hands now.
April 23, 2022
I can now see why Manga readers are always mindblown and recommending them to me. I was not ready for the twists and turns this Manga gave to me.
April 29, 2022
Nie mogę się od tego oderwać, całkowicie pochłania
June 7, 2022
The truth behind Donkey's death, I can't!! 😭 Friend is one hella deranged guy. By the way, who's saying Yujiki is ugly? Come on, she's a real beauty!! I ship her and Kenji!!
August 25, 2023
Amazing!!
Conspiracy theories, biological weapons, secret societies fill the madness of this second volume.
Conspiracy theories, biological weapons, secret societies fill the madness of this second volume.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews