20th Century Boys, Volume 08

20th Century Boys [20世紀少年] #8

by Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki (Contributor), Dirce Miyamura (Translator)

Sob o véu de mentiras criado pelo Partido da Amizade, um mundo de opressão toma conta da Neo-Tóquio de 2014. Haverá alguma esperança para os poucos que sabem a verdade sobre o Reveillón de Sangue de 2000?

Genres: Manga, Comics, Science Fiction, Mystery, Seinen, Graphic Novels, Fiction

218 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2002

About the author

Urasawa 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

Reviews

[Tawfek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again we are taken away from the events of the bloody new years eve sadly...
We are getting 1/4 sometimes, if we are lucky 1/2 of each volume about that night, and sometimes nothing about that night at all!
I was really thrilled when i found that yoshitsune is alive, and is still fighting the good fight.
I really like the girl kyoko, she is a well made character i like everything about her ❤
Even though at the end of the bloody new years eve portion of the volume, we see friend talking to kenji, but i don't know my suspicion is still not laid to rest to tell you the truth!
The way he was mad about the robot being a cheap knock off of the robot they imagined, also makes me suspicious of him, since friend disappeared for months before the new years eve, so he might not have seen the robot he ordered his followers to make before hand.
Man i like my conspiracy theory even though its so fragile lol, and could easily turn out false...
This future is really a terrible future, it reminds you of 1984 by George Orwell, and the group who tried to save everyone from that future they paid their lives for it.
Its a sad reality may it never become true.

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous story. We learn more about various time periods. Kyoko becomes the main character for a bit as we follow her. I think this was a step down as she isnt the most exciting person. Still an amazing series.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as good as the last volume. However, when saying that every single volume is still solid, good, great, or amazing. Anyway, let's talk about this volume.

The first half we get a lot of information about the 2000 year. The big robot, the big showdown, and shit is about to go DOWN. Right before it does the second half jumps into the future and we get more time with our favorite school girl Kyoko and her time with Friends. She has to go to their camp where they basically brainwash you.

Good: The first half is fun and exciting. Building up to the BIG fight inside the robot. Who dies? Who lives? We need to know! Also some of the creepiness in the Friends land is scary as fuck. Like legit Nazi shit.

Bad: Kyoko is just a little boring. I don't feel much about her. I also didn't like the second half pacing as it took awhile to build up.

Overall this is a fun volume but probably the weakest. Saying that it's still solid. Time to jump into book 9!

[Noninuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now we're following one new character that was introduced in the last volume that I thought was not important enough. However, this person turned out to be a vital character in this volume as we discover whom of the gang that actually survived the Bloody New Year.

I found that it's getting easy to rate this series to 5 stars. It's a fast pace, a lot of action and one totally intriguing mystery that glued readers to stay and keep reading; who the hell is Friend?

[Anthony Chavez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The suspense as to what happened on the Bloody New Years Eve of 2000 has came to a head, In this book we FINALLY get some information on what happened in 2000, what was the secret of the Friend's robot and the killer gas it is emanating, and the next chapter of the plot begins to unfold.

This chapter introduces Koizumi Kyoko, she is a fairly sympathetic and surprisingly staunch new schoolgirl heroine who only wanted to do a book report on the Kenji Faction. Instead she gets a forced visit to 'Friend Land,' and upon becoming the top student, a visit to the Friends' virtual reality Bonus Level (which drives some people to suicide, or provides the final touch to their brainwashing and insanity). From there it gets a little wild and spooky.

I love the build up with the giant robot, if you know Urasawa you are used to this method, the build up of a story with the flashbacks and flashforwards, he does it well. I learned from the great Monster series. The stuff that we get flashed back to is fun; moreover, after seven volumes of build-up for the giant robot, the way Kenji and company attack it, with utter hatred trying to find "Friend," during bloody New Year's Eve is great.

On to chapter 9, bravo Urasawa.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! A little reveal! Just a tiny one about that fateful night we all skipped, but at least we're getting something! Oh yeah, and a Disn-FriendLand? Too precious. I have to assume that behind his mask is some Eldritch horror to have so many people commit suicide. Maybe I don't really want to see behind his mask, after all.

Nah, I'm shitting you all. I definitely want to see what's behind that mask.

[Estibaliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are like me, and especially after the previous volume, you were probably expecting to finally learn much more about what happened in the infamous Bloody New Year Eve's nigh, year 2000... but this volume offers just a little bit of that, and a lot more of that new character, the schoolgirl Koizumi.

But you know what? It doesn't matter. At all. Because every little morsel of information, and big surprise that Urasawa drops here and there, is just pure gold and absolutely worth the reading.

The whole Friendland thing is just spooky and mesmerizing. And, once more, that cliffhanger!

[Christina Pilkington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this volume! I'm eating up all of Kyoko's storyline, especially once she arrives at Friendland.
And we also get some reveals as to what took place on Bloody New Year's Eve. I found the pacing perfect in this volume. It had me on the edge of my seat!

[yel ᰔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 stars

[Ludwig Aczel · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10
In this volume, Urasawa terminates the flashback on the Bloody Eve of the 31st December '99. Then, he opens a new side story with protagonist a recently introduced secondary character. The new 'temporary protagonist' is a goofy school girl, an excuse to see a bit more of comedic faces, which Urasawa can draw pretty effectively. Cleverly, her storyline is used to bring the reader both at the heart of the brainwashing machine of the Friend's regime as well as back to the events of the main characters' childhood in summer '71. If you think too much, the virtual reality thing does not make much sense. But beside that, the plot of the series remain solid and engaging, and the storytelling keeps proceeding like a train. This is the most 'page-turning' comics that I have ever read. And this volume in particular ends in a way that makes you wanna run to open the next one.
At volume 8 of 22, I keep wondering how long can Urasawa continue introducing new characters and their side quests, while stratifying over the basic premises.

[library ghost (farheen) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)

[Shenniferr · Rating 5 out of 5]

El señor Urasawa es un genio.

[Rahul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is like a drug. I can't get away from it. Kenji song is beautiful.

[riley ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new character was introduced! I felt like the author was unnoticeably trying to say that Kenji was selfish or am I just over-picturing? That woman with the creepy smile reminded me of The Promised Neverland! I was getting my *spotlight* moment because I knew the old man was gonna be Yoshitsune AHA!

[Albus2122 · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Siguiendo la línea de mis reseñas anteriores de esta saga) ¿Se añaden más piezas al rompecabezas? No, se añaden más rompecabezas a las piezas: las imágenes que tenías en las cajas para guiarte son apócrifas porque son verdaderas.

[Iman Danial Hakim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manga marathon.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo riprendo dopo un anno

[Kesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kenji's song is a good song.

[Luthfi Ferizqi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this 8th volume, the storyline takes on an increasingly intriguing dimension.

There are numerous elements of the narrative that appear quite thought-provoking, mirroring the current state of affairs, notably the use of the vaccine as an antivirus.

It's interesting to follow how this series ends.

[Francisco Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Los sucesos de La Nochevieja Sangrienta y el año 2014 se siguen intercalando de forma más menos natural. Siendo la primera un poco más interesante -ya que conecta a un nivel emocional donde el heroísmo nace desde un lugar inesperado- y la segunda asemejándose al mundo de 1984.

Los misterios se siguen sucediendo, y de hecho , se siembran desde la tercera línea temporal que maneja la serie, que es la infancia de Kenji y compañía en los 70's. La culpa y la gratitud, la necesidad de rebelarse o buscar la verdad entre líneas que se ve opacado en un mundo utópico donde el totalitarismo de Tomodachi impera, le dan el regusto necesario al tomo.

Sin embargo es a veces una canción todo lo que necesitamos para recordar la necesidad de la libertad y el valor de pelear por ella.

[ti☆ra · Rating 4 out of 5]

i looked up to kenji’s song on youtube that was posted 15 years ago and sobbed so hard. the melody, the guitar and the voice are so raw. you could really feel how kenji was somehow trying all he could to tell people the truth yet no one listens.

for this volume, it wasnt as good as the previous one. kinda feel the latter half is a filler chapters tho it may lead to friend’s true identity. love the depiction of that disney land alike aka tomodachi land. at day it’s like some futuristic amusement park and once gets dark, it gives you eerie vibes you wish to not ever go there.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

February 11, 2018: What a cliffhanger! Most of the volume follows a new character - a high school girl sent for re-education (brainwashing) after she decides to research Bloody New Year' Eve for a paper. An old friend who was thought to be dead appears to help her keep her sanity and to find out Friend's true identity.

[Malapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empieza la caída de la serie con tramas, como la de Koizumi, que sólo sirven para alargar la historia sin aportar apenas nada. Todavía está bien, pero da pena saber que no volverá al gran nivel de los primeros volúmenes.

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fan. Tas. Tisch Bin hin und weg.

[Isabel Bitterblau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este manga me está quitando años de vida....

[LuckyVV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urasawa a un véritable don pour raconter des histoires, et avec ce volume, nous plonge un peu plus dans les révélations et le passé des personnages. Impossible de lâcher ce manga !

[Thikrayat Al-aradi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is slowly unveiling.. I can't wait to know what happens next

[Julie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otcho continues telling Kakuta, the manga artist, what actually happened on the night of Bloody New Year’s Eve. When the Kenji Faction reached the giant robot that was wreaking such havoc and spreading disease, they discovered how crude and haphazard it really was, nothing like what they had envisioned as children. With only three minutes remaining until the next chemical spray was to release, Kenji decides to go up into the mechanism himself, despite the objections of his friends. But when does Kenji ever really listen to advice? Meanwhile, the Friends, led by Manjome Inshu, offer the government the vaccine which they just happen to have on hand for just such an occasion, and they will also destroy the beast which is spreading it, thus saving everyone. Such good Samaritans, eh?

As the twentieth century comes to an end, Kenji confronts Friend, who reveals his identity. Years later, Kanna visits the site where Kenji died with Chono, the detective, and plays the tape of Kenji’s last song for him. And the group of saviors, whose arrival has been foreshadowed since the series began, turns out to be… none other than the Friends, who “saved” the world from the evil Kenji Faction. Koizumi, the student who has decided to do her paper on the events of Bloody New Years Eve, learns to her amazement, from Kamisma, that what is being taught in the schools about that day is all wrong. Kamisama tells her that he has been looking for Kenji’s niece Kanna ever since, and Koizumi has an idea where she might be.

When Koizumi tells her teacher she’s changed her mind about the subject of her paper and wishes to change it, he tells her it’s too late, she’s already been chosen to go to Friend Land, and such an honor that is. The question is, can she survive such an honor?

The tension is rising to unbearable levels as we continue to learn what actually happened on that fateful New Year’s Eve. Having assumed that Kenji and his friends successfully saved the world, it’s both shocking and appalling to learn that quite the opposite has happened, and the Friends have taken the upper hand all the way. When Koizumi finds herself at Friend Land, she discovers that it’s far from being a friendly place, and if she doesn’t watch her step, she might be sent to Friend World! She meets someone long thought dead and joins a group determined to right the wrongs of the past.

I still find it hard to believe Kenji died that night, and I hold out the hope that he will turn up at some point, and that he will be reunited with Kanna, with his friends, and with Yukiji. Another great volume, looking forward to the next.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series.

Synopsis: 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.

Review: 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.

[Geo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was much more compelling than the last few. I loved how much was packed into this. I think I’m finally warming up to this future timeline and see how it fits into the story as a whole. One of my least favourite tropes in stories is when the identity of a masked character is drawn out as a mystery for a long time, only for it to later be revealed as someone they introduced much later instead of in the beginning. I think it’s cheap and lazy, and I think it’s much more satisfying when it can be tied back to the beginning or figured out early by readers paying attention and piecing clues together. I have a feeling that Friend’s identity won’t be the only twist around him. I got the feeling that the original Friend dies in the explosion in this volume and Kenji became the new friend, for whatever reason. I think they planted the groundwork for that twist in this volume, so I’m making that prediction here and now in case it comes true.