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20th Century Boys [20世紀少年] #1
20世紀少年 1: ともだち [20th Century Boys 1: Tomodachi]
あの頃、彼らは少年だった。そして今、人類は滅亡する。20世紀を生きてきた少年達は、いかに世界を救い戦ったのか…最後の冒険が、始まる。
1997年、ケンヂが営むコンビニへ刑事が訪れた。ケンヂがいつも酒の配達をしている敷島家が、全員行方不明になったのだという。敷島家の集金がまだ終わっていなかったケンヂは、飲み逃げかと落ち込むものの、渋々ビールの空きビンを取りに敷島の家を訪れる。するとそこには、どこかで見たことがあるような、不思議なマークが壁に描かれていた(第1話)。▼ケンヂは、幼なじみのケロヨンの結婚式に出席していた。ケロヨンとは少年時代、小学校の仲間たちと近所の空き地に秘密基地を作り、みんなで地球の平和を守るために戦うと誓い合った仲だった(第2話)。
1997年、ケンヂが営むコンビニへ刑事が訪れた。ケンヂがいつも酒の配達をしている敷島家が、全員行方不明になったのだという。敷島家の集金がまだ終わっていなかったケンヂは、飲み逃げかと落ち込むものの、渋々ビールの空きビンを取りに敷島の家を訪れる。するとそこには、どこかで見たことがあるような、不思議なマークが壁に描かれていた(第1話)。▼ケンヂは、幼なじみのケロヨンの結婚式に出席していた。ケロヨンとは少年時代、小学校の仲間たちと近所の空き地に秘密基地を作り、みんなで地球の平和を守るために戦うと誓い合った仲だった(第2話)。
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 29, 2000
234 people are currently reading
7410 people want to read
About the author
Naoki Urasawa
357 books2,837 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 638 reviews
May 12, 2023
(2020 review)
20 days without reading i am not even sure if i am back yet!
Bad luck for my manga read this year...
Lets talk about 20th century boys it came to me highly recommended, and i think it might be the best written manga i have ever read so far, surpassing berserk!
We have many timelines narrated, all about the same group of kids in different ages.
The characters are amazing and unique each in his own right.
The drawing is full of details, maybe not as detailed as berserk came to be later in a lot of volumes, but still too early to judge anyway.
I think the group of kids probably got their memories removed by "Friend", making each one of them remember small details but not the whole scenes from their childhood, and probably erasing "Friend" himself from their memories.
More characters will be introduced, and more will die in their quest to unravel the secret society that uses their friendship symbol as its own.
Can't say i am pumped up even though i should be, curse reading slumps.
But i am looking forward to finishing this someday ❤
20 days without reading i am not even sure if i am back yet!
Bad luck for my manga read this year...
Lets talk about 20th century boys it came to me highly recommended, and i think it might be the best written manga i have ever read so far, surpassing berserk!
We have many timelines narrated, all about the same group of kids in different ages.
The characters are amazing and unique each in his own right.
The drawing is full of details, maybe not as detailed as berserk came to be later in a lot of volumes, but still too early to judge anyway.
I think the group of kids probably got their memories removed by "Friend", making each one of them remember small details but not the whole scenes from their childhood, and probably erasing "Friend" himself from their memories.
More characters will be introduced, and more will die in their quest to unravel the secret society that uses their friendship symbol as its own.
Can't say i am pumped up even though i should be, curse reading slumps.
But i am looking forward to finishing this someday ❤
August 2, 2012
There are moments in history that are more important than others.1 Not in themselves, not in their significance on their own merits. These moments are notable in that they trigger more cataclysmic events years later. And they are genuinely interesting because the true weight of their value cannot be discerned in the moment of their occurrence.
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys is a work founded on such moments. Part of Urasawa's thesis seems to be that while one can never tell what will result from his or her actions, it is also impossible to discern which actions will have far-reaching implications. What could bring about the end of the world? The Apollo moon landing? The 1970 World Expo held in Osaka? The destruction of a child's fort? A chance encounter? The theft of a trinket? The discovery of a haunted house? The playing of an obscure American rock song on a junior high school's PA system?
20th Century Boys is a sprawling, complicated work. It's all over the place. Its plot spans from the Apollo moon landing of 1969 to the near-future of 2018. Its narrative bounces back and forth between a robust and ever-expanding cast of characters—even while skipping all over its own historical scope, sometimes through flashback and sometimes through a particular sci-fi conceit. Yet through it all, Urasawa never abandons his exploration of Today having been built on the bones of Yesterday.
For all his story's complexity, Urasawa is always certain to give the reader plenty of historical hooks to help us keep our bearings. References to cultural phenomena abound. From raw historical notes like the 1969 moon landing and the 1970 Expo to related cultural realities (such as the proliferation of salesmen hocking "NASA-approved" pens, foods, and other ephemera). Urasawa especially excels at noting pop cultural artifacts that boys of the '70s would have remembered: wrestling stars! manga! anime! These were every bit as essential to the cultural landscape of Urasawa's cast as the Atari, Wolverine, MUSCLE men, Transformers, and "We Are the World" were to my own. These things ground 20th Century Boys in a real world so that when things start going crazy, readers will at least have a foothold to rely upon before the ship begins to sickeningly sway.
Principally, 20th Century Boys concerns a group of friends and how the club those friends formed as children in 1970 somehow laid seed for a cult that would try to take over the world. Twenty-five years later, a virus that causes the human body to expel its blood is released and the Friends cult may be responsible. Kenji, one of the two former leaders of the group recognizes that the virus and some other things line up with the Book of Prophecy he and his friends developed in their secret hideout. What was once a story of crude, cliche-ridden heroism has seemingly become a reality. It's up to Kenji to discover the identity of The Friend and stop his cult from destroying the world.
Or something like that.
Urasawa does a good job of keeping the story from being about one thing for too long. He seems to have no interest in maintaining anything resembling a status quo and migrates from protagonist to protagonist with alacrity. Kenji's the hero, but sometimes its Otcho. Or Kanna. Or Chono or Kyoko or Father Nitani or Yoshitsuni or whoever else might fit the bill in the moment. 20th Century Boys is a true ensemble, not just of cast but of era and genre. I'd be tempted to say it can't make up its mind but for the fact that it seems so meticulously plotted. Small details from the first volumes show themselves to be essential in the later ones. The whole thing plays out as one exuberant thrillride and Urasawa rarely lets up.
Beyond proving himself a masterful plotter, Urasawa does something rare in having his characters age. We see them as ten-year-olds, as teenagers, and at ages thirty-five, forty, fifty-five, and older. While most authors would want to keep their protagonists young, handsome, and beautiful, Urasawa lets them spend significant time in the form of raggled muffins. Their lives are hard and few age well. All of this, of course, plays well with one of Urasawa's themes: the question of growing up vs measuring responsibility vs and wondering if the games children play ever really end. For all its compulsively delivered thrill sequences and hell-yeah moments, 20th Century Boys can sell poignant pretty well when it wants to.
With the final volume of 20th Century Boys (vol. 22) releasing in September and the two-volume epilogue, 21st Century Boys, releasing in November and January, the hot question is going to be how well Urasawa wraps it all up. While volume 22 does tie up the main story fairly nicely, it does feel as though Urasawa is rushing a bit near the end. There remain a lot of questions regarding loose ends. It's an exciting climax and he tries to reward readers who stuck with him through a long and perhaps psychologically draining work. I'm not sure if dissatisfaction with the series' conclusion is why the second collection, 21st Century Boys was released, but those two volumes resolve a lot (though not all) of the remnant story- and character-points.
I'm grateful for the epilogue and found myself entirely satisfied with Urasawa's conclusion to the work. While it feels a touch weird to have the story linger on after its initial conclusion, Urasawa invests the follow-up with its own climax and takes the opportunity to further reward readers with answers that harken back to 20th Century Boys' first volumes. I can't wait to have Viz's English translation of these final three books on my shelf—I'm excited to be able to loan these out in my ongoing quest to evangelize friends to the merits of the comics medium.
20th Century Boys is a fantastic story and Viz's production of the American release is stellar. They're handsome books with French flaps, good paper, and a satin feel. I highly recommend.
Notes
1. In one sense, this is much not the case. Since history is merely a collective parade of discreet moments, one leading seamlessly into another, it is impossible for one moment to be more important than the next—all moments are merely the product of all the moments that lead up to their occurrence. Bolaño puts it this way:
"Mickey was not only irritating but ridiculous, with the particular ridiculousness of self-dramatizers and poor fools convinced they've been present at a decisive moment in history, when it's common knowledge that history, which is a simple whore, has no decisive moments but is a proliferation of instants, brief interludes that vie with one another in monstrousness."
_____________________
[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys is a work founded on such moments. Part of Urasawa's thesis seems to be that while one can never tell what will result from his or her actions, it is also impossible to discern which actions will have far-reaching implications. What could bring about the end of the world? The Apollo moon landing? The 1970 World Expo held in Osaka? The destruction of a child's fort? A chance encounter? The theft of a trinket? The discovery of a haunted house? The playing of an obscure American rock song on a junior high school's PA system?
20th Century Boys is a sprawling, complicated work. It's all over the place. Its plot spans from the Apollo moon landing of 1969 to the near-future of 2018. Its narrative bounces back and forth between a robust and ever-expanding cast of characters—even while skipping all over its own historical scope, sometimes through flashback and sometimes through a particular sci-fi conceit. Yet through it all, Urasawa never abandons his exploration of Today having been built on the bones of Yesterday.
For all his story's complexity, Urasawa is always certain to give the reader plenty of historical hooks to help us keep our bearings. References to cultural phenomena abound. From raw historical notes like the 1969 moon landing and the 1970 Expo to related cultural realities (such as the proliferation of salesmen hocking "NASA-approved" pens, foods, and other ephemera). Urasawa especially excels at noting pop cultural artifacts that boys of the '70s would have remembered: wrestling stars! manga! anime! These were every bit as essential to the cultural landscape of Urasawa's cast as the Atari, Wolverine, MUSCLE men, Transformers, and "We Are the World" were to my own. These things ground 20th Century Boys in a real world so that when things start going crazy, readers will at least have a foothold to rely upon before the ship begins to sickeningly sway.
Principally, 20th Century Boys concerns a group of friends and how the club those friends formed as children in 1970 somehow laid seed for a cult that would try to take over the world. Twenty-five years later, a virus that causes the human body to expel its blood is released and the Friends cult may be responsible. Kenji, one of the two former leaders of the group recognizes that the virus and some other things line up with the Book of Prophecy he and his friends developed in their secret hideout. What was once a story of crude, cliche-ridden heroism has seemingly become a reality. It's up to Kenji to discover the identity of The Friend and stop his cult from destroying the world.
Or something like that.
Urasawa does a good job of keeping the story from being about one thing for too long. He seems to have no interest in maintaining anything resembling a status quo and migrates from protagonist to protagonist with alacrity. Kenji's the hero, but sometimes its Otcho. Or Kanna. Or Chono or Kyoko or Father Nitani or Yoshitsuni or whoever else might fit the bill in the moment. 20th Century Boys is a true ensemble, not just of cast but of era and genre. I'd be tempted to say it can't make up its mind but for the fact that it seems so meticulously plotted. Small details from the first volumes show themselves to be essential in the later ones. The whole thing plays out as one exuberant thrillride and Urasawa rarely lets up.
Beyond proving himself a masterful plotter, Urasawa does something rare in having his characters age. We see them as ten-year-olds, as teenagers, and at ages thirty-five, forty, fifty-five, and older. While most authors would want to keep their protagonists young, handsome, and beautiful, Urasawa lets them spend significant time in the form of raggled muffins. Their lives are hard and few age well. All of this, of course, plays well with one of Urasawa's themes: the question of growing up vs measuring responsibility vs and wondering if the games children play ever really end. For all its compulsively delivered thrill sequences and hell-yeah moments, 20th Century Boys can sell poignant pretty well when it wants to.
With the final volume of 20th Century Boys (vol. 22) releasing in September and the two-volume epilogue, 21st Century Boys, releasing in November and January, the hot question is going to be how well Urasawa wraps it all up. While volume 22 does tie up the main story fairly nicely, it does feel as though Urasawa is rushing a bit near the end. There remain a lot of questions regarding loose ends. It's an exciting climax and he tries to reward readers who stuck with him through a long and perhaps psychologically draining work. I'm not sure if dissatisfaction with the series' conclusion is why the second collection, 21st Century Boys was released, but those two volumes resolve a lot (though not all) of the remnant story- and character-points.
I'm grateful for the epilogue and found myself entirely satisfied with Urasawa's conclusion to the work. While it feels a touch weird to have the story linger on after its initial conclusion, Urasawa invests the follow-up with its own climax and takes the opportunity to further reward readers with answers that harken back to 20th Century Boys' first volumes. I can't wait to have Viz's English translation of these final three books on my shelf—I'm excited to be able to loan these out in my ongoing quest to evangelize friends to the merits of the comics medium.
20th Century Boys is a fantastic story and Viz's production of the American release is stellar. They're handsome books with French flaps, good paper, and a satin feel. I highly recommend.
Notes
1. In one sense, this is much not the case. Since history is merely a collective parade of discreet moments, one leading seamlessly into another, it is impossible for one moment to be more important than the next—all moments are merely the product of all the moments that lead up to their occurrence. Bolaño puts it this way:
"Mickey was not only irritating but ridiculous, with the particular ridiculousness of self-dramatizers and poor fools convinced they've been present at a decisive moment in history, when it's common knowledge that history, which is a simple whore, has no decisive moments but is a proliferation of instants, brief interludes that vie with one another in monstrousness."
_____________________
[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
August 24, 2022
سبعة أطفال كانوا يلعبون سوياً ، أخذوا يتوقعون ما سيحدث في المستقبل من أحداث شريرة و كيف سيحاربون الشر ، ليكبر الأطفال و يتفاجئوا بأن كل خيالاتهم الجامحة تحدث فعلا و تقع الكوارث بالترتيب كما رسمتها عقولهم .
مانجا يابانية أجواءها عبقرية غريبة ساحرة ✨.
Highly recommended.
مانجا يابانية أجواءها عبقرية غريبة ساحرة ✨.
Highly recommended.
March 8, 2017
I am loving the atmosphere <3
May 2, 2017
Manga has been hit or miss with me, but I'll never write it off because I found one of the best graphic novels of all time through manga - lone Wolf and Cub. Truly inspirational and a true epic.
I enjoyed this but as a first volume there was a lot of introduction, but I'd be excited to see where it leads. I'll hold off for now but in the future I might take this up again.
I'd be happy if anyone could recommend me more manga that I've not already read.
I enjoyed this but as a first volume there was a lot of introduction, but I'd be excited to see where it leads. I'll hold off for now but in the future I might take this up again.
I'd be happy if anyone could recommend me more manga that I've not already read.
January 13, 2024
Not the strongest start, but it's been intriguing to reread the ambitious and eerie arc of 20th Century Boys. Especially after Urasawa's success with the Pluto animation
August 15, 2022
Bueno primer tomo y como todo primer tomo con bastantes incógnitas.
Vemos la historia desde 2 tramos temporales, el presente, en el cual están ocurriendo cosas extrañas desapariciones suicidios..., y el pasado de nuestros protagonistas, cuando estaban en primaria, su grupo de amigos...
Lo interesante ocurre en el presente con la aparición de un símbolo, que está relacionado con su pasado y con los sucesos que están ocurriendo en su presente.
Seguiré seguramente con la serie.
5/10
Vemos la historia desde 2 tramos temporales, el presente, en el cual están ocurriendo cosas extrañas desapariciones suicidios..., y el pasado de nuestros protagonistas, cuando estaban en primaria, su grupo de amigos...
Lo interesante ocurre en el presente con la aparición de un símbolo, que está relacionado con su pasado y con los sucesos que están ocurriendo en su presente.
Seguiré seguramente con la serie.
5/10
July 31, 2025
شروع امیدوارکنندهای بود
به شدت وایب کلاب بازندهها میدن دوستان
اورساوائم که مشخصاً وامدار استیون کینگ هست
به شدت وایب کلاب بازندهها میدن دوستان
اورساوائم که مشخصاً وامدار استیون کینگ هست
August 30, 2022
Pro el momento no estoy capacitada para hacer reseñas sobre este tipo de comics ya que he leído muy muy pocos y no es un formato que termine de conectar conmigo.. así que seré breve.
Se estructura en dos espacios temporales. En el pasado nos cuenta la historia de las correrías de un grupo de niños que montan un club secreto. En el presente conoceremos lo que ha ocurrido con alguno de esos niños.
Entre estos saltos, se mezcla otra historia que es la que proporcionará el marco a esta serie de comics (no os cuento nada porque perdería la gracia).
Diría que es un cómic muy introductorio ya que se quedan muchas cosas en el tintero. Creo que si os gustan los cómics japoneses os gustará.
Se estructura en dos espacios temporales. En el pasado nos cuenta la historia de las correrías de un grupo de niños que montan un club secreto. En el presente conoceremos lo que ha ocurrido con alguno de esos niños.
Entre estos saltos, se mezcla otra historia que es la que proporcionará el marco a esta serie de comics (no os cuento nada porque perdería la gracia).
Diría que es un cómic muy introductorio ya que se quedan muchas cosas en el tintero. Creo que si os gustan los cómics japoneses os gustará.
February 7, 2020
This manga was very similar to Monster in terms of pacing. There is a lot of skipping between characters scenes, though it is not hard to keep track of what’s going on most of the time, because the content blends well and adds something to the development of the plot. It is largely character-driven, and the players are quite compelling. It is no stretch to call this a masterpiece. You have a unique concept for a story, uncommonly polished artwork and expert, thriller pacing. However, I would not put it on the level of Vagabond or Vinland Saga for a few reasons.
Urasawa relies on cinematic cuts far too often. He cuts characters off mid-sentence in order to artificially infuse tension into the scenario. Not only does this make the plot appear more convoluted than it actually is, but creates a predictable pattern. Apart from that, the plot is as absurd as most thrillers. Thankfully, it is not too bogged down by politics. The characters are what elevate it to literature, if you ask me.
The nature of good and evil, sacrifice and love are all themes Urasawa never grows tired of exploring. As a storyteller, he knows how to surprise and delight. The big themes show through, even as he focuses on the individual plights of his main and side characters. The intriguing interactions and resonating decisions make the world a richer one than most other mangas. It is a slightly off-kilter world enmeshed in the nostalgia of a generation now past. Heavily influenced by Astro Boy, Urasawa provides nods to Tezuka at every turn. His series Pluto is an homage and retelling of part of Tezuka's most popular work.
Urasawa relies on cinematic cuts far too often. He cuts characters off mid-sentence in order to artificially infuse tension into the scenario. Not only does this make the plot appear more convoluted than it actually is, but creates a predictable pattern. Apart from that, the plot is as absurd as most thrillers. Thankfully, it is not too bogged down by politics. The characters are what elevate it to literature, if you ask me.
The nature of good and evil, sacrifice and love are all themes Urasawa never grows tired of exploring. As a storyteller, he knows how to surprise and delight. The big themes show through, even as he focuses on the individual plights of his main and side characters. The intriguing interactions and resonating decisions make the world a richer one than most other mangas. It is a slightly off-kilter world enmeshed in the nostalgia of a generation now past. Heavily influenced by Astro Boy, Urasawa provides nods to Tezuka at every turn. His series Pluto is an homage and retelling of part of Tezuka's most popular work.
August 16, 2011
Naoki Urasawa is a plot master! Weaving such great stories. Monster is one of my favorite stories/series' of all-time. When I heard about 20th Century Boys from a friend whilst inquiring as to what manga/graphic novel I should read next, I had no idea it was written by Urasawa. I'm so glad he lent me this copy of the first volume.
20th Century Boys is about a group of childhood friends who started a secret society for a short while, fort and all, even went as far as to create an emblem for their group. Shortly thereafter it was forgotten, gone with the summer. Years later when they are all grown up one of the childhood group, Donkey, commits suicide, or so the news/police report; however, this friend contacted the main character Kenji asking him if he remembered their old emblem as it had turned up again, also another person who worked with Donkey AND their whole family goes missing and outside their door the emblem is written. A new cult also emerges in their town worshiping someone called "Friend," this cult also uses the same childhood emblem.
Urasawa's writing style hasn't lost a beat in this new series, he sells the story well seamlessly transitioning from Kenji's childhood and the present day, and Urasawa leaves me wanting more as was the case with EVERY volume of Monster. I can't wait to see where the plot goes.
Highest possible recommendation for manga lovers of the serious fiction/suspense type or anyone who just loves good writing and plot twists.
20th Century Boys is about a group of childhood friends who started a secret society for a short while, fort and all, even went as far as to create an emblem for their group. Shortly thereafter it was forgotten, gone with the summer. Years later when they are all grown up one of the childhood group, Donkey, commits suicide, or so the news/police report; however, this friend contacted the main character Kenji asking him if he remembered their old emblem as it had turned up again, also another person who worked with Donkey AND their whole family goes missing and outside their door the emblem is written. A new cult also emerges in their town worshiping someone called "Friend," this cult also uses the same childhood emblem.
Urasawa's writing style hasn't lost a beat in this new series, he sells the story well seamlessly transitioning from Kenji's childhood and the present day, and Urasawa leaves me wanting more as was the case with EVERY volume of Monster. I can't wait to see where the plot goes.
Highest possible recommendation for manga lovers of the serious fiction/suspense type or anyone who just loves good writing and plot twists.
October 27, 2011
I have jumped backed into the manga scene. I realized after a series of comments on one of my Amazon reviews of a manga(Peepo Choo) that I have not really given this genre the time and energy needed to really distinguish the good from the bad.
One of the comments from one of the reviewers posted the following:
Anyways your really closing yourself off if you think that this represents manga.
How about you reading from legends,award winners,people who are considered the best of the industry ... instead of some guy where the only reason it got any attention is because it's from a non Japanese person and got published in Japan.
Read Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys then you might see why manga is great.
So I put the first volume of this manga series on hold at my library and a few days later it was available. I read this with hesitation as much as I tried to read it with a clear mind.
I loved this story. This was a great story with a great plot line that I really found rather intriguing. I liked the characters and especially how the story bounces back and forth from presnt times to when they were kids. In a sense it reminded me of my childhood with the secret forts, symbols, and handshakes.
I have now gone in pursuit to track down the rest of the series. I would like to continue reading this series to see how the story develops.
I am thankful that my Amazon review sparked a communication with others who know their manga and offered this suggestion.
I know it sounds simple, but the symbol discussed in the storyline really intrigued me. I really found it fascinating.
I have renewed my interest in manga and would love further suggestions to find out and discover some more great manga.
One of the comments from one of the reviewers posted the following:
Anyways your really closing yourself off if you think that this represents manga.
How about you reading from legends,award winners,people who are considered the best of the industry ... instead of some guy where the only reason it got any attention is because it's from a non Japanese person and got published in Japan.
Read Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys then you might see why manga is great.
So I put the first volume of this manga series on hold at my library and a few days later it was available. I read this with hesitation as much as I tried to read it with a clear mind.
I loved this story. This was a great story with a great plot line that I really found rather intriguing. I liked the characters and especially how the story bounces back and forth from presnt times to when they were kids. In a sense it reminded me of my childhood with the secret forts, symbols, and handshakes.
I have now gone in pursuit to track down the rest of the series. I would like to continue reading this series to see how the story develops.
I am thankful that my Amazon review sparked a communication with others who know their manga and offered this suggestion.
I know it sounds simple, but the symbol discussed in the storyline really intrigued me. I really found it fascinating.
I have renewed my interest in manga and would love further suggestions to find out and discover some more great manga.
January 6, 2008
I'm really impressed with this series. It has a more detailed, realistic drawing style, and a unique plot line that jumps between the characters' childhood and adult years, revealing the story much a way a mystery or crime show might do. (It's also slightly similar to "Lost".)
(NOTE: Any information I reveal about the plot is covered in the first volume, so don't worry about spoilers.)
So far, the story centers on a group of guys who have been friends since elementary school, and their connection to a symbol drawn by one of the boys as part of their childhood "secret society." The symbol (of an eye on a hand with a finger pointing upwards, all inside another eye), becomes mysteriously linked with several deaths when the boys are adults. It also happens to be the symbol for a strange cult lead by a man known as "Friend", who may or may not be one of the original "secret society". As more information is revealed, the story quickly takes on all the best aspects of a sophisticated mystery, with a bit of old-fashioned sci-fi thrown in the mix. It's excellently paced and quite a page turner. You can read it online at .
June 16, 2018
Wow this really hit hard for me. Such a good story about conspiracy friendship loyalty and so much more. Its like Stranger Things/IT meets Stand By Me with a really cool mystery stort at the core. Great writing and great artwork. Highly recommend this one!!
April 4, 2020
Undoubtedly the best manga series I've read till date.
February 20, 2024
“ARE WE, TODAY, THE KIND OF ADULTS WE DREAMED OF BECOMING BACK THEN?”
November 30, 2016
The best thing about this manga is how it’s in constant thrill mode. Not a single chapter where something interesting is not happening and it has enough characters, side stories, and mysteries, to fill a whooping amount of 249 chapters. This is a major difference compared to Monster, Urasawa’s other famous work, which was much simpler and for the same reason harder to keep you engaged. 20th century boys has ten times more things going on, leaving very few scenes without something to remember.
At the same time, I can’t ignore how much more over the top it is compared to Monster. There are many things where you just need to suspend your disbelief, otherwise they come off as magic, which is a big minus in a mystery show taking place in a mundane setting. There is a VR program which recreates the past down to the tiniest detail, to the point it’s no different than time travel. And just like Johan could walk around the world without never be seen, Friend and his agents can do the same, even when they are not as charismatic.
But, if you manage to suspend your disbelief, you will be offered one of the most brilliantly multilayered, non-linear thriller mysteries of all time, coupled with dozens of fleshed out and memorable characters. Whereas in Monster the only character you end up remembering is doctor Tenma, over here you have Kenji, Kanna, Ocho, and a whole bunch of others who do not disappear from the story once their arc is over.
They are otherwise equally reactive as the cast of Monster, which is something I am not fond of. The whole story is basically trying to stop the bad guy; nobody has the luxury of doing something else without being fucked over by the constant terrorist attacks. What I mean by that is that the villain’s plan is the story, and the heroes are just reacting to what he is doing. They are not given any time to affect the world in a way that is not part of “the plan”.
Speaking of the villain’s plan, as grand schemed as it sounds at first, it basically comes down to a spoiled brat wanting to kill the world because they were making fun of it at school. The way he manages to trick millions to dance like puppets doesn’t have much justification. The apocalyptic cult he had formed at first was excused, since all of them were already believing the world is coming to an end, but anyone else beyond them comes off as mindless idiots who believe anything, and don’t think twice to kill others while laughing, because they were told it’s a fun game.
In Monster, Johan was excusing the control he had over others by tapping into the darkness of their hearts. His victims were made to think they are getting what they always wanted. You can’t excuse that with Friend predicting the future, coming back from the dead, and convincing aliens are attacking Earth with giant robots. Only delusional otakus would buy that, not billions of normies worldwide.
The story is still pretty damn good, since I found it very captivating in how it was constantly escalating into bigger and bigger threats of mass death and destruction. I loved the twist of everything being initially a game children made up for fun, so in a sadistic way it is the good guys who kick started everything as means to be heroes.
What I didn’t like was the overuse of red herrings. Since the mystery needs to be constantly maintained, a big part of the manga is about trying to reveal who Friend is, or how he does what he does, or what inspired him to do it. Which is fine in terms of world building and character fleshing out, but many things are still going in circles and are eventually proven to be a wild goose chase.
What I am trying to say, is that the good guys spend a hell of a lot of time in figuring out trivial details such as what happened in the school during that night, or how the book of new prophecies was written, instead of focusing more on how to stop the villain before he kills everyone on the planet. Which, let me spoil it for you, he mostly manages to do that exactly because the good guys were spending years in looking at scribbles on papers instead of going out there and emptying a machinegun on that asshole. The mystery box was way too big for the significance of its contents. Basically, everything seems mysterious and captivating while you are reading about them, only to feel insignificant or not really explaining things properly once they are over.
Other than that, it’s an amazing read and I highly recommend it despite the occasional leaps in logic and unexplained magic it pulls on you. It’s not meant to be very realistic, since down to it, it’s glorifying rock music, makes Jump shonen references, and although it deconstructs naïve idealism by making the bad guy taking advantage of peoples’ dreams and hopes for the future, it still solves most of the conflict with the very naïve idealism it’s poking fun at.
At the same time, I can’t ignore how much more over the top it is compared to Monster. There are many things where you just need to suspend your disbelief, otherwise they come off as magic, which is a big minus in a mystery show taking place in a mundane setting. There is a VR program which recreates the past down to the tiniest detail, to the point it’s no different than time travel. And just like Johan could walk around the world without never be seen, Friend and his agents can do the same, even when they are not as charismatic.
But, if you manage to suspend your disbelief, you will be offered one of the most brilliantly multilayered, non-linear thriller mysteries of all time, coupled with dozens of fleshed out and memorable characters. Whereas in Monster the only character you end up remembering is doctor Tenma, over here you have Kenji, Kanna, Ocho, and a whole bunch of others who do not disappear from the story once their arc is over.
They are otherwise equally reactive as the cast of Monster, which is something I am not fond of. The whole story is basically trying to stop the bad guy; nobody has the luxury of doing something else without being fucked over by the constant terrorist attacks. What I mean by that is that the villain’s plan is the story, and the heroes are just reacting to what he is doing. They are not given any time to affect the world in a way that is not part of “the plan”.
Speaking of the villain’s plan, as grand schemed as it sounds at first, it basically comes down to a spoiled brat wanting to kill the world because they were making fun of it at school. The way he manages to trick millions to dance like puppets doesn’t have much justification. The apocalyptic cult he had formed at first was excused, since all of them were already believing the world is coming to an end, but anyone else beyond them comes off as mindless idiots who believe anything, and don’t think twice to kill others while laughing, because they were told it’s a fun game.
In Monster, Johan was excusing the control he had over others by tapping into the darkness of their hearts. His victims were made to think they are getting what they always wanted. You can’t excuse that with Friend predicting the future, coming back from the dead, and convincing aliens are attacking Earth with giant robots. Only delusional otakus would buy that, not billions of normies worldwide.
The story is still pretty damn good, since I found it very captivating in how it was constantly escalating into bigger and bigger threats of mass death and destruction. I loved the twist of everything being initially a game children made up for fun, so in a sadistic way it is the good guys who kick started everything as means to be heroes.
What I didn’t like was the overuse of red herrings. Since the mystery needs to be constantly maintained, a big part of the manga is about trying to reveal who Friend is, or how he does what he does, or what inspired him to do it. Which is fine in terms of world building and character fleshing out, but many things are still going in circles and are eventually proven to be a wild goose chase.
What I am trying to say, is that the good guys spend a hell of a lot of time in figuring out trivial details such as what happened in the school during that night, or how the book of new prophecies was written, instead of focusing more on how to stop the villain before he kills everyone on the planet. Which, let me spoil it for you, he mostly manages to do that exactly because the good guys were spending years in looking at scribbles on papers instead of going out there and emptying a machinegun on that asshole. The mystery box was way too big for the significance of its contents. Basically, everything seems mysterious and captivating while you are reading about them, only to feel insignificant or not really explaining things properly once they are over.
Other than that, it’s an amazing read and I highly recommend it despite the occasional leaps in logic and unexplained magic it pulls on you. It’s not meant to be very realistic, since down to it, it’s glorifying rock music, makes Jump shonen references, and although it deconstructs naïve idealism by making the bad guy taking advantage of peoples’ dreams and hopes for the future, it still solves most of the conflict with the very naïve idealism it’s poking fun at.
February 8, 2021
This is a rating and review of the entire series (20th Century- and 21st Century Boys).
Story: ☆☆☆☆☆
Art: ☆☆☆☆
Imagine you're in your mid-30s and the world is slowly going to the gutters: a cult leader rises to prominent political power, a deadly virus spreads across the world, bizarre weapons pop up that could destroy the planet ... now imagine that everything that happens--the places the virus hits as well as its chronological order, the name and shape of these dangerous weapons--all line perfectly with fantastical predictions you and your group of friends conjured up when you were in grade school.
This is exactly what Kenji and his friends face, when they discover that the slew of recent disappearances, deaths, and government-covered conspiracies are all linked by a strange symbol that they made up as children. A symbol of their friendship, which has now been taken by the mysterious "Tomodachi"--a figurehead behind a populist cult that slowly rises to power while hiding their true agenda.
This group of unlikely heroes are forced to band together to uncover the mystery behind "Tomodachi"'s true identity, to uncover their nefarious plans, uncover their tricks and propaganda, and most importantly--to uncover their motives and stop them before they can pull the final cord to end humanity as they all know it.
At the root of all this is a story about friendship and growing up . About the faults we make as children, the self-centered-ness of childhood that makes us blind towards the feelings and experiences of others around us.
It's the story of human memories, and how often we remember things differently from how they actually occurred, or how other people remember them, and how that, too, shapes us the way we are today.
It is the story of invisible people ; those of us who never belonged, never made an impact, how it affects some of us, and how some are never able to move past it .
But it's also a cautionary tale that--unfortunately--by the time we know better, it is often too late to change anything.
Because of this, by the end of the manga, I couldn't hate our main antagonist. It was very easy for me to sympathise with aspects of their life that made them who they were. Of course I wouldn't go around killing 99% of the human race, and of course their loneliness manifested in the worst way possible.
But it's easy to understand how hurtful it is to not have any true friends; those who remember you exist and not only call upon you when they need something from you; those who reciprocate your invitations, are interested in your life as much as you are interested in theirs. It's easy to understand how not having any of that can damage you growing up.
The story takes us back and forth between several different timelines: The late 1960s-1980s where we learn most of our characters' backstories; late 1990s-2000 when events start to take off and culminate, setting the scene for the rest of the story; everything up to 2016 where we are introduced to a few new characters and key players; and then the final 3 proceeding years (1-3FE) where we finally reach our conclusion.
Reading this in my third wave of total lockdown and quarantine, this manga was also at times so strangely, creepily prescient. From the viral outbreak itself to people's questioning of the use of masks:
to building giant walls in order to keep out the aliens (yes, that happens):
down to far-fetched government programmes of establishing a so-calledSpace Earth Defense Force--
--and yet nobody thinking their government's being just absolutely absurd, incompetent, and run by manchildren.
20th and 21st Century Boys is hands down amongst one of the best manga I've ever read. I started this series close to two decades ago when the translations hit the bookstores in my country. Unfortunately, they came out sporadically, often difficult to find, so there were volumes missing in my collection and I stopped reading after around 9 or 10 volumes.
Now, sixteen years later, I found a complete set and my curiosity regarding "Tomodachi" ("Friend")'s identity has finally been sated.
Story: ☆☆☆☆☆
Art: ☆☆☆☆
Imagine you're in your mid-30s and the world is slowly going to the gutters: a cult leader rises to prominent political power, a deadly virus spreads across the world, bizarre weapons pop up that could destroy the planet ... now imagine that everything that happens--the places the virus hits as well as its chronological order, the name and shape of these dangerous weapons--all line perfectly with fantastical predictions you and your group of friends conjured up when you were in grade school.
This is exactly what Kenji and his friends face, when they discover that the slew of recent disappearances, deaths, and government-covered conspiracies are all linked by a strange symbol that they made up as children. A symbol of their friendship, which has now been taken by the mysterious "Tomodachi"--a figurehead behind a populist cult that slowly rises to power while hiding their true agenda.
This group of unlikely heroes are forced to band together to uncover the mystery behind "Tomodachi"'s true identity, to uncover their nefarious plans, uncover their tricks and propaganda, and most importantly--to uncover their motives and stop them before they can pull the final cord to end humanity as they all know it.
At the root of all this is a story about friendship and growing up . About the faults we make as children, the self-centered-ness of childhood that makes us blind towards the feelings and experiences of others around us.
It's the story of human memories, and how often we remember things differently from how they actually occurred, or how other people remember them, and how that, too, shapes us the way we are today.
It is the story of invisible people ; those of us who never belonged, never made an impact, how it affects some of us, and how some are never able to move past it .
But it's also a cautionary tale that--unfortunately--by the time we know better, it is often too late to change anything.
Because of this, by the end of the manga, I couldn't hate our main antagonist. It was very easy for me to sympathise with aspects of their life that made them who they were. Of course I wouldn't go around killing 99% of the human race, and of course their loneliness manifested in the worst way possible.
But it's easy to understand how hurtful it is to not have any true friends; those who remember you exist and not only call upon you when they need something from you; those who reciprocate your invitations, are interested in your life as much as you are interested in theirs. It's easy to understand how not having any of that can damage you growing up.
The story takes us back and forth between several different timelines: The late 1960s-1980s where we learn most of our characters' backstories; late 1990s-2000 when events start to take off and culminate, setting the scene for the rest of the story; everything up to 2016 where we are introduced to a few new characters and key players; and then the final 3 proceeding years (1-3FE) where we finally reach our conclusion.
Reading this in my third wave of total lockdown and quarantine, this manga was also at times so strangely, creepily prescient. From the viral outbreak itself to people's questioning of the use of masks:
to building giant walls in order to keep out the aliens (yes, that happens):
down to far-fetched government programmes of establishing a so-called
--and yet nobody thinking their government's being just absolutely absurd, incompetent, and run by manchildren.
20th and 21st Century Boys is hands down amongst one of the best manga I've ever read. I started this series close to two decades ago when the translations hit the bookstores in my country. Unfortunately, they came out sporadically, often difficult to find, so there were volumes missing in my collection and I stopped reading after around 9 or 10 volumes.
Now, sixteen years later, I found a complete set and my curiosity regarding "Tomodachi" ("Friend")'s identity has finally been sated.
September 14, 2014
What a fantastic opening to a series. Kenji is a middle-aged liquor store clerk, idly daydreaming of the summer when his friends formed a club in the woods devoted to rock and comic books. One drew a symbol for their club, which has begun appearing around town in the modern day, associated with an underground cult. It's at that same time that one of Kenji's childhood friends jumps to his death. After the wake, Kenji receives a posthumous letter from his friend asking if he recognizes a certain symbol.
20th Century Boys in told in parallel, between that past summer when the boys bonded and imagined changing the world, and Kenji's current life tracking down the significance of the symbol. In this volume we're mostly just making the connections, and realizing the scope of how broadly the symbol has spread - otherwise, we're tantalized by how the cult and it's shadowy leader could possibly be connected to Kenji's childhood games.
It's the best intertwining of flashbacks I've read since Scott Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora, happy to insert old anecdotes that are often short and cute, feeling like they ought to be innocuous, only rendered unsettling by the nebulous ways in which they're connected to modern crimes. Some of those anecdotes have a The Body/Stand By Me level of bonding between the boys that is highly endearing, like the night when only the one kid who didn't believe in ghosts would go into a dark building alone. Their adult selves are similarly relatable, simple slackers struggling to find wives or employment, well-meaning guys who are utterly unprepared for the mystery that's about to swallow them.
For me, the best thing about 20th Century Boys is that my friend leant me the eight first books, so I can read the next one immediately. It's a very different intrigue that Urasawa's Monster, with an entirely different cultural stratum of cast members, but the grip is there. After fifty pages, I was sucked right in. I actually was disappointed my commute wasn't longer this morning so I couldn't keep reading.
20th Century Boys in told in parallel, between that past summer when the boys bonded and imagined changing the world, and Kenji's current life tracking down the significance of the symbol. In this volume we're mostly just making the connections, and realizing the scope of how broadly the symbol has spread - otherwise, we're tantalized by how the cult and it's shadowy leader could possibly be connected to Kenji's childhood games.
It's the best intertwining of flashbacks I've read since Scott Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora, happy to insert old anecdotes that are often short and cute, feeling like they ought to be innocuous, only rendered unsettling by the nebulous ways in which they're connected to modern crimes. Some of those anecdotes have a The Body/Stand By Me level of bonding between the boys that is highly endearing, like the night when only the one kid who didn't believe in ghosts would go into a dark building alone. Their adult selves are similarly relatable, simple slackers struggling to find wives or employment, well-meaning guys who are utterly unprepared for the mystery that's about to swallow them.
For me, the best thing about 20th Century Boys is that my friend leant me the eight first books, so I can read the next one immediately. It's a very different intrigue that Urasawa's Monster, with an entirely different cultural stratum of cast members, but the grip is there. After fifty pages, I was sucked right in. I actually was disappointed my commute wasn't longer this morning so I couldn't keep reading.
July 15, 2017
I reeeeeeally loved this. I admit I have had the first 3 volumes on my shelves for quite some time now but I never started them because I was afraid I would be let down. Better to just have an image in my head of what they were then to actually read it read it and be disappointed.
I know. That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Don't think about it. Just know that I actually have to live this way and you get to just move on.
I got some strong Stephen King vibes off this first part of the story. It felt like a blend of It and Stand By Me. Not plot wise but rather how the story jumped back and forth between childhood and then 30 years later adulthood. The characters in this volume really stood out to me and gave me the feels. So often I read a manga and I am just kind of...meh. This one had me chuckling in places (like for realz - which never happens) and also emotions of sadness when our little group loses a friend of theirs to suicide.
This first volume isn't a big action feast. It's a coming of age story, a story of looking back, a story of friends, and...well...there is this whole cult thing going on in the back ground which is slowly revealing itself page by page that is probably what the whole point of the actual story will turn out to be about.
All I know is this first book is a helluva introduction to a 22 volume story. I can only hope that this level of narrative stays as strong all the way through as this first volume. If it does - this could well end up being my favorite Manga of all time.
I guess we'll see. Onto volume 2!
I know. That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Don't think about it. Just know that I actually have to live this way and you get to just move on.
I got some strong Stephen King vibes off this first part of the story. It felt like a blend of It and Stand By Me. Not plot wise but rather how the story jumped back and forth between childhood and then 30 years later adulthood. The characters in this volume really stood out to me and gave me the feels. So often I read a manga and I am just kind of...meh. This one had me chuckling in places (like for realz - which never happens) and also emotions of sadness when our little group loses a friend of theirs to suicide.
This first volume isn't a big action feast. It's a coming of age story, a story of looking back, a story of friends, and...well...there is this whole cult thing going on in the back ground which is slowly revealing itself page by page that is probably what the whole point of the actual story will turn out to be about.
All I know is this first book is a helluva introduction to a 22 volume story. I can only hope that this level of narrative stays as strong all the way through as this first volume. If it does - this could well end up being my favorite Manga of all time.
I guess we'll see. Onto volume 2!
August 1, 2016
Hey, you, reading this right now. You like mystery? You like "real" characters? You like twist and turns? Well shit, I think we found the book for you. This is if you took IT, mixed it with secret government hidings, little bit of Lost on top, you get 20th century boys!
The main character of this story is Kenji. He's running his store, taking care of a baby his sister left, and dealing with the death of a friend. We get various flashbacks in here of when he's a child with his buddies all playing, building secret forts, and being kids. Fun times! Except we get flashes of the future and something is not right. Something bad. Yet Kenji and his group of friends saved the world? What the fuck!?
What makes this story work so well is really getting to know each character. Each person feels like they have purpose, and none of it feels rushed (Which is slight negative, can drag a bit at points) but it really gives us a natural human feel to each character. I love getting to know each one and the big mystery keeps me intrigued throughout.
Will continue to read without a doubt!
The main character of this story is Kenji. He's running his store, taking care of a baby his sister left, and dealing with the death of a friend. We get various flashbacks in here of when he's a child with his buddies all playing, building secret forts, and being kids. Fun times! Except we get flashes of the future and something is not right. Something bad. Yet Kenji and his group of friends saved the world? What the fuck!?
What makes this story work so well is really getting to know each character. Each person feels like they have purpose, and none of it feels rushed (Which is slight negative, can drag a bit at points) but it really gives us a natural human feel to each character. I love getting to know each one and the big mystery keeps me intrigued throughout.
Will continue to read without a doubt!
January 4, 2024
Iniciamos 20th. Como siempre con los manga, marcaré el primer y último tomo. En general me parece que arranca muy bien: los personajes, la mezcla de líneas temporales y sobre todo la trama, es interesante. Sectas, recuerdos de la infancia, amistad ¿Qué podría salir mal?
November 22, 2015
Empieza MUUY intrigante!
Adoro a Naoki Urasawa ♥
Adoro a Naoki Urasawa ♥
June 11, 2016
20th Century Boys is about a group of men (and one woman) who, when they had been children, had been best friends, sharing a "secret base" in an overgrown field: a sanctuary where they could read manga, listen to music, and hide from the most evil twins in history, Yanbo and Mabo. One day, their "creative genius," Kenji suggested they bury a time capsule, fill it with their treasured possessions, and agree to unearth it only when the earth was in grave danger, for they would then save it.
Years later, they find themselves leading ordinary, unglamorous lives, their dreams of greatness long-buried under the dust of adult pragmatism. But then strange deaths caused by a mysterious virus begin occurring, and murders and disappearances occur one after another. Then one of their number becomes one of the dead, and all the clues point Kenji to a mysterious man who calls himself "Tomodachi (Friend)," who uses as his sign a symbol known only to Kenji's circle of friends.
As the scale of damage and the number of deaths rapidly increase, Kenji realizes that all the terrors are occurring as he had once set down on paper, in a story he and his friends had written, and buried in the time capsule they had sworn over.
20th Century Boys is difficult for me to summarize without giving too much away, but even if I were to divulge half of its secrets, we would still not be anywhere near solving the mystery of "Friend" and of his motives.
At first glance, 20thCB seems to be a crude shounen manga that would probably not appeal to everyone, judging by the artwork alone. But it is not. True, there are no pretty boys or girls to easily fangirl (or boy) over in this series, but this kind of story does not need exaggerated, surreal beauty in its artwork to survive. This truly is a graphic novel, where the plot moves with speed, certainty, and intelligence rather than rely on hundreds of feathers and cherry blossoms to depict angst and drama. The art is actually pretty polished as well, the inking clean and deliberate, and the panels arranged simply but effectively. Like movies these days, many manga artists tend to rely on "special effects" or glamorous art rather than plot to attract readers, but 20thCB has enough plot that any eye candy would just be a bonus.
Character development in 20thCB is also something I liked. Kenji grows and changes as the series progresses, and so do the other characters. The dynamics between the friends are believable, and their heroism so simple and understated.
I can't really find much to say about this manga, simply because it's so good and interesting and I probably wouldn't be able to do it much justice. But if you're looking for a fast-paced intelligent plot, masterfully created characters, and a mystery that can have you at the edge of your seat, then give this series a chance
Years later, they find themselves leading ordinary, unglamorous lives, their dreams of greatness long-buried under the dust of adult pragmatism. But then strange deaths caused by a mysterious virus begin occurring, and murders and disappearances occur one after another. Then one of their number becomes one of the dead, and all the clues point Kenji to a mysterious man who calls himself "Tomodachi (Friend)," who uses as his sign a symbol known only to Kenji's circle of friends.
As the scale of damage and the number of deaths rapidly increase, Kenji realizes that all the terrors are occurring as he had once set down on paper, in a story he and his friends had written, and buried in the time capsule they had sworn over.
20th Century Boys is difficult for me to summarize without giving too much away, but even if I were to divulge half of its secrets, we would still not be anywhere near solving the mystery of "Friend" and of his motives.
At first glance, 20thCB seems to be a crude shounen manga that would probably not appeal to everyone, judging by the artwork alone. But it is not. True, there are no pretty boys or girls to easily fangirl (or boy) over in this series, but this kind of story does not need exaggerated, surreal beauty in its artwork to survive. This truly is a graphic novel, where the plot moves with speed, certainty, and intelligence rather than rely on hundreds of feathers and cherry blossoms to depict angst and drama. The art is actually pretty polished as well, the inking clean and deliberate, and the panels arranged simply but effectively. Like movies these days, many manga artists tend to rely on "special effects" or glamorous art rather than plot to attract readers, but 20thCB has enough plot that any eye candy would just be a bonus.
Character development in 20thCB is also something I liked. Kenji grows and changes as the series progresses, and so do the other characters. The dynamics between the friends are believable, and their heroism so simple and understated.
I can't really find much to say about this manga, simply because it's so good and interesting and I probably wouldn't be able to do it much justice. But if you're looking for a fast-paced intelligent plot, masterfully created characters, and a mystery that can have you at the edge of your seat, then give this series a chance
January 11, 2016
Pese a una introducción muy larga, el discurso consigue mantener la atención del lector mientras se va intuyendo la trama. Pero lo mejor es que tiene pinta de que va a ir a más en los siguientes números.
April 30, 2021
I love the opening of this series, but I don't recommend reading it, it gets really shitty by the end.
April 5, 2022
Foi uma recomendação antiga do meu amigo Val e essa semana estava querendo ler algo diferente, mas familiar (sim, confuso, mas faz sentido na minha cabeça) e aí lembrei que ele me disse que isso aqui tem um pouco da vibe de IT, do King, no sentido de ser uma história contada com os personagens crianças e suas versões adultas dezenas de anos depois.
Curti demais esse primeiro volume, já estou ansioso pra continuar!
Curti demais esse primeiro volume, já estou ansioso pra continuar!
June 11, 2020
3.5 of 5 stars
December 22, 2023
rough start—hoping a lot more :)<3
November 24, 2021
This is a review of the entire series.
Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a gang of boys who try to save the world. Failed rock musician Kenji's memories of his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.
This is basically the manga equivalent of a Stephen King novel, channeling themes and plot devices from the likes of It, Dreamcatcher, The Running Man and quite a few others. A young group of friends that make an innocent promise which ends up creating the most dangerous cult in the world, a 'friend' turned into the world's greatest evil, a strange suicide that reunites a group of adults to solve a mystery from their childhood which ended up leading to an apocalyptic police state, clever use of cultural references, rock songs and historical allegories to tell the full story, extremely small actions resulting in extremely massive consequences, an eerie threat lurking in the shadows that may or may not be of supernatural origins, kids overthrowing a totalitarian regime and rebelling against society while fighting against a sinister threat that no one else knows about; sound King enough for ya?
Though I don't think it's quite as good as Monster by the same author, it's definitely very close. It's a masterpiece of intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, deep character development and psychological complexity. The villain's presence is suffocating from the very beginning while remaining mysterious and terrifying until the final chapter. It's intense, it's relatable, it's horrifying and it's an emotional rollercoaster. Be careful who you call your friend and be careful of the promises you make. You might just end up causing the end of the world.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a gang of boys who try to save the world. Failed rock musician Kenji's memories of his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.
This is basically the manga equivalent of a Stephen King novel, channeling themes and plot devices from the likes of It, Dreamcatcher, The Running Man and quite a few others. A young group of friends that make an innocent promise which ends up creating the most dangerous cult in the world, a 'friend' turned into the world's greatest evil, a strange suicide that reunites a group of adults to solve a mystery from their childhood which ended up leading to an apocalyptic police state, clever use of cultural references, rock songs and historical allegories to tell the full story, extremely small actions resulting in extremely massive consequences, an eerie threat lurking in the shadows that may or may not be of supernatural origins, kids overthrowing a totalitarian regime and rebelling against society while fighting against a sinister threat that no one else knows about; sound King enough for ya?
Though I don't think it's quite as good as Monster by the same author, it's definitely very close. It's a masterpiece of intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, deep character development and psychological complexity. The villain's presence is suffocating from the very beginning while remaining mysterious and terrifying until the final chapter. It's intense, it's relatable, it's horrifying and it's an emotional rollercoaster. Be careful who you call your friend and be careful of the promises you make. You might just end up causing the end of the world.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
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