20th Century Boys Perfect Edition, Tome 9

20th Century Boys Kanzenban #9

by Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki (Contributor)

Devenu président du monde, Ami règne depuis la ville de Tokyo, désormais entourée d’un haut mur d’enceinte. La majorité de la population croit en lui, mais la résistance commence à s’organiser autour de la Reine des Glaces. Les rebelles s’apprêtent à prendre les armes, laissant entrevoir une lueur d’espoir...

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

418 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2016

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

[Liam || Books 'n Beards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still in territory I don’t really remember but the twists keep coming

[Jojosbookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series is (forgivably) long enough now that early details get forgotten but cliffhanger-plot twists are memorable

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

[Nelliamoci · Rating 4 out of 5]

In un'atmosfera sempre più simile a quella del 2020, il viaggio continua con ritmo e la giusta dose di mistero. I nuovi personaggi si integrano perfettamente nella trama: manca pochissimo alla fine eppure al lettore sembra di sapere ancora così poco...

[Rasydan Fitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the story is dragged way too much. I mean Urasawa always does that but maybe the story just isn't growing on me. Maybe the genre is something that I don't prefer. 🤷‍♂️

[Taylor Rabbitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐️ it happened, but not the way I expected 🤔

[JuiceReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever feel your life is in danger… just turn around and run like hell…

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely masterful installment, and one that, by moving everything forward three years in time to a strange, rotted-out “future past” has vindicated everything Urasawa was so carefully staging. Hopefully the conclusion lives up to what he managed to establish here. The entire series is worth reading just to reach this point.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

bro what

[Alessandro Cucchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colpi di scena a non finire

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With another time jump we get a new set of mysteries with some answers for the previous ones. I would normally find this repetitive, but Urasawa makes it so intriguing that I can't grow bored. An old face appears again and makes me questions this characters whereabouts this whole time, but I'm sure we will get an explanation eventually.

[Casper Paaske · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are back to it having a certain unique feeling again and I am all onboard that! Loving everything that happens at the moment.
It does feel like the heroes are starting to win, so am very interested in seeing how they are going to amp up and create tension for the ending!

[Rory Wilding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three years have passed since the Friend has become President of the World, ruling from within the walled fortress that is Tokyo. Meanwhile, “The Boys” are divided as some are still in unknown whereabouts, whilst the rest are established in this volume, adjusting the continuously dystopian world which has plagued half its population by the virus secretly unleashed by the Friend Organisation.

Starting with Kenji’s best friend, Otcho, trying to survive on his own, only to be accompanied by two young runaway siblings, who learn about the harsh reality of the dystopia they’re living in. When Sanae and Katsuo encounter an injured man who is the target of the Friend’s Global Defence Force, he gives them information to pass on to both the Genji Faction and the Ice Queen’s organisation – both rebellions against the Friend – as they both have a spy within their groups. As this man surrenders himself so that the two children can escape, the GDF have no remorse and kill him in cold blood, much to the horror of the children who witnessed.

Naoki Urasawa has always explored the darkness within humanity throughout his work and in the case of 20th Century Boys, Otcho gets to experience how people can react in the most visceral way. Flashing back to the initial three-year period of the Friend’s presidency, we see Otcho interacting with people who start off as being friendly, until a mailman gives one person a vial of vaccine to the ongoing virus, suddenly everyone fighting each other for the gift of life, much to Otcho’s horror.

Very much the protagonist of this volume, Otcho goes through quite the character arc from still coping with his son’s death from years ago, to finally be reunited with Kanna Endo, who turns out to be the Ice Queen and is planning on a full-scale assault against the Friend that could result in the deaths of her men. Both Otcho and Kanna have been through hell as they grieve in their own way and trying to respond to a world that is ruled by evil. Considering the lack of radio transmissions as ordered by the Friend, music has occasionally played through the radio, specifically songs that are familiar to Otcho and Kanna as both suggest that someone significant from their past has returned.

Meanwhile, Chono, the ambitious detective that allied with Kanna and her friends, is now an officer guarding the northern checkpoint gate leading to Tokyo, in case of “alien invaders” coming to attack. As comedic as it sounds, not least that the Global Defence Force carry laser guns that are basically children’s toys, it is also disturbing how a society can believe in such false accusation due to the forces that rules everyone. One day, someone does arrive at the gate as Chono and his alien-believing co-worker confront this mysterious figure, who is not an alien at all, but an ordinary man riding on a motorcycle with a guitar strapped to his back. This guy sure seems familiar.

As this mysterious man sings his way to his destination influencing the oppressed to fight back, Otcho and Kanna get apprehended by the Leader of the Friendship and Democracy Party, Inshu Manjome, who proposes a power-play against the Friend, who remains a mystery.

[Vishanth · Rating 4 out of 5]

GAHHHHHH

This is essentially a volume settling us into this new world 3 years later and I believe it's the perfect choice. Before all the action starts we need to establish this new world order.

The first half primarily follows Sanae AND Katsuo. I love how these two new characters are used as a means for world building as both split off and go to different territories. Through them we know Kanna is the Ice Queen a freedom fighter organisation and through the boy we know the Church is still holing whilst Yoshi is still doing his things. I love that some of our characters have been changed drastically these past 3 years and some are still sticking to the same goals and occupation like Maruo. Also I love that Koizumi is alive and working for them. Some very powerful moments such as a member of the Genji faction sacrificing himself for the kids and Sanae truly understanding the meaning of this world and what's really at stake. To Kanna essentially going on a fools errand as one last hurrah as her will to fight has dwindled. However it is reignited by the return of Kenji!

First off I wanna talk about how much I love Urasawa showing the day one scenario of this apocalypse. Vaccines are specifically given to those who attended the popes reading and this cause mass upheaval. People kill and fight those they love to receive a vaccine. I love how Urasawa combined a totalitarian dystopia and a post apocalypse into one setting. The story of Otcho and that village. Just horrifying stuff truly.

HE'S BACKK. Kenji just walking up to an entire militia singing a shi**y song gotta be the most badass Kenji thing ever. And I officially get why the Music is so important in this story. Seeing his Guitar used as a weapon against oppression, the radio fighting back against the friends control of media. ART is a saviour in times of distress and it is key to the most powerful weapon in a dystopia. HOPE. The way Urasawa handles this theme is genius and the fact that he setup it up for so long and finally paying it off is just so well done. Also really hope Yukiji is alive and kicking. Need all my faves here. Also also, how come Koizumi doesn't get a cover? Feel like she's a big enough character to warrant an appearance, at least maybe in the background of volume 4 with Yoshi since she was practically the primary character in that book. #LetKoizumiGetACover

And Man that final stinger at the end. I really did have a feeling that what occurred in the school lab with Otcho and Yamane was no red herring. The new friend seems to be different. Not just the mask but the attitude. It also surprises me that they're showing so much of Fukubes past. It really has me theorising and I definitely feel whoever is under that mask has got to do with Fukubes past in a significant manner. This is very volatile ground Urasawa is treading and how he handles it might just be his first major mistake or the thing that ties this series together as a modern masterpiece. He hasn't disappointed me so far so I have the utmost faith he will nail it.

[Sunread26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chronique complète :
https://sunread26.wordpress.com/2023/...

Extrait :
Il ne reste plus que deux tomes après celui-ci, est pourtant l’intrigue ne donne pas l’impression de vouloir s’arrêter. Les événements s’enchaînent, de nouvelles découvertes sont faites, le combat continue encore et toujours. Ce que je pensais s’avère juste… ce qui en soit est plus qu’effrayant, puisque du coup, il n’y aura plus de limites. Preuve en est, les gens sont déjà parqués comme du bétail, et il y a une armée pour lutter contre des extraterrestres avec des pistolets laser (visiblement pas au point).

Alors, je ne dis pas que la vie n’est présente que sur Terre, ça serait assez naïf que de le croire… C’est sûr qu’il y a de la vie ailleurs, par contre, il faut savoir que si c’est elle qui vient à nous, on ne pourra rien faire en fait… Nous êtres humains, commençons à peine à pouvoir voyager dans l’espace, le plus loin qu’on prévoit pour l’instant c’est Mars. Donc autant le dire franchement, mais si des êtres ont la capacité de changer de système solaire, alors leur technologie sera bien plus avancée que la nôtre et on pourra rien faire. Mais bon, comme des idiots, ils continuent d’envoyer des messages, dessins et même notre adresse dans l’espace. Je comprends mieux pourquoi on dit que la curiosité est un vilain défaut, parce que dans le cas présent, ça pourrait bien nous retomber sur le coin de la figure. Enfin, dans la série, ils sont persuadés des propos d’Ami, après tout, depuis le temps qu’il est leur gourou, ils ont tous le cerveau totalement lavé.

Par contre, il n’y a que le Japon qui est évoqué depuis le dernier saut dans le temps, donc je me demande si la situation est identique partout sur le globe. Certes, les USA aussi ont un peu été mis en avant avec Croa Croa, mais depuis le retour d’Ami et du virus, plus rien. La bande semble de nouveau avoir été séparée, puisque Otcho a été conduit dans un camp (décidemment), s’en est échappé pour retourner à Tokyo alors entouré de mur. Que Yoshitsune a monté un groupe qui mène toujours des petites actions, Kanna a monté aussi le sien, et Maruo reste avec son ami chanteur dans l’espoir d’arriver à quelque chose. Au final, mêmes séparés, ils continuent toujours leur combat. La sainte mère est de nouveau évoquée, mais on ignore encore totalement comment cela s’est déroulé. Tout ça pour dire qu’il y a encore pas mal de points à éclaircir et tout ça en deux tomes doubles (puisque la perfect est en format tome double). J’en viens à me demander si on aura le « après Ami », ou même s’il y en aura un. Après tout, ils ont échoués à chaque fois jusqu’à présent…

[...]

[Mariano · Rating 5 out of 5]

URASAWA PONE QUINTA A FONDO Y PISA EL ACELERADOR CON TODO

Después de la historia estirada y vueltera de todo lo que pasa en 2015, en el tercer time jump avanza todo a pasos agigantados, tirando flashbacks que llenan los miles de huecos que se fueron armando a lo largo de la serie. Este tomo me lo devoré en una sentada, cuando en general necesito ponerle un poco de aire en el medio. Y además del ritmo en sí, la historia del cuasi lavado mental del Friend sobre supuestos ataques alienígenas seguro era ridículo en su momento, pero ahora, entre el gobierno de EEUU metiendo leña a ese fuego y las figuras cuasi mesiánicas de ultra derecha que están surgiendo en la política en todo el mundo con seguidores fanáticos (especialmente en Argentina, you know what I mean) parece que el mismo manga fuera un book of prophecies. Y al final un cliffhanger que la verdad no me movió ni un pelo frente al resto.

[Denny B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Che fine hanno fatto gli eroi? I 20th Century Boys?
Yoshitsune ha fondato il Clan Minamoto, ma non si è ancora mostrato.
Kanna è la Regina di Ghiaccio.
Maruo lavora ancora con la star dell’Expo 2015.
Occho ha aiutato i due ragazzi a raggiungere due obiettivi diversi prima di ricongiungersi a Kanna.
E Kenji?
Beh, la domanda alla risposta è contenuta in questo volume e se da una parte mi è piaciuta (il potere ipnotico della musica) dall’altra mi verrebbe da dire: ma mentre Occho si faceva QUATTORDICI anni di carcere in una cella di isolamento, tu, caro Kenji, dove diamine eri? A fare il Bob Dylan all’estero?

Tolto questo, però, è il finale che lascia a bocca aperta (e va a rispondere a una delle mie domande nate alla fine del volume precedente): Manjome chiede l’aiuto di Kanna e Occho perché vuole uccidere l’amico.
Perché questo cambio di rotta?
Semplice: perché l’Amico… non è Fukubee.

[Fernando Yataco · Rating 4 out of 5]

A-L-U-C-I-N-A-N-T-E. Este volumen a diferencia de los otros no me impresionó con los misterios y secretos que se van descubriendo. Este volumen tiene un tinte más sentimental. Muchas escenas me llegaron al corazón profundamente.
En este volumen nos encontramos con el mundo apocalíptico que ha creado amigo y vemos como nuestros queridos personajes continúan su lucha por salvar lo que queda del mundo en el que vivieron.
Sin proponérselo, todos se han vuelto héroes que luchan por la justicia.
La narración sigue fluida en cuanto al desarrollo de la historia. En este volumen no me he topado con momentos o tiempos muertos. Cada vez que debía detener la lectura, esperaba ansioso el momento para continuarla y saber lo que pasaba a continuación.
En fin, una gran lectura que te convence de llegar al final (que ya esta cerca) y conocer el desenlace de esta historia.

[Philip McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a brand new world, and there's been quite the change. Half the world is dead, and many other places are under strict military quarantine. The Friend rules the world, yet the Friend isn't Fukube. There's a lot of smoke and mirrors going on, and it's interesting to see how the ideas and world of the Friend fall apart as the aspirations become loftier. We also get the return of Kenji, as Yabuki Joe. The traveling guitar player whose music is a rallying point for resistance. There's a hilarious part where he says that you can't shoot someone while they're playing music, which is cool and all, but totally not true. A manga artist then does the same with his story, with the goal of not being shot because the soldiers want to know what happens next. It's all a bit goofy but also pretty badass at the same time. This is yet again, a great volume of a truly standout series.

[Javier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otro tomo cargado de misterios nuevos y revelaciones varias. Me ha gustado bastante que mantenga el misterio tantos capítulos despues, y tan cerca del final de la obra.

Con lo que se ha mencionado hasta ahora, se puede suponer que "Amigo" posee la tecnología para transferir recuerdos y quizás más de un cuerpo a otro, por un lado, mientras que por otro lado se menciona de forma explícita y por parte de Manjôme que "Amigo" efectivamente usa trucos para engatusar a la gente. Algo que se sospechaba desde hacía varios tomos y que ahora se confirma.

Finalmente, algo que se había plasmado en el tomo anterior se revela ahora y es el retorno de un personaje que llevaba desaparecido 6 o 7 tomos, aunque me extraña lo joven que se ve...

[Laura saporiti · Rating 3 out of 5]

📚🙋🏻‍♀️2024

Sognatori….

In questo 9 volume di questa bellissima serie ormai quasi giunta a termine posso confermare che la storia si intensifica sempre di più che tutto diventa ancora più chiaro più intrigante e che finalmente è forse per noi lettori davvero la speranza è l’ultima a morire e possiamo ancora sognare in quel momento in cui rincontreremo un personaggio a noi molto noto e molto importante
Io sono molto felice di questo 9 volume e di come vediamo l’evoluzione di alcuni nostri protagonisti
Quella che mi sorprende di più ogni volume è sicuramente Kanna che sta davvero crescendo e sta cercando in tutto e per tutto di onorare lo Zio.

Ora andiamo al penultimo volume

Buona lettura a tutti

[Jedi JC Daquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The things that have happened in this volume are bizarre and weird in a good sort of way. So weird that I might take the bite too. There were so many parts that I thought were all over the place, but nothing felt padded in volume 9. On the contrary, some of the story threads here could have benefitted from having more pages like more friendship era events could have been done, Manjome's motives could have been deeper than the one presented, and the reveal could have been given much more hype. Naoki Urasawa has been methodical and rhythmic in his storytelling, but the pacing of the past two (Perfect Edition) volumes felt really clanky a handful of times.

The overall feeling I got with Volume 9 is generally great though. I enjoyed reading this more than Volume 8.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this volume more as I felt it dealt with some more of the character growth and emotional depth I enjoyed in the earlier part of the manga. It's still a wild unbelievable ride, but this volume had some fun twists

Finally Kenji is back and now is like a rock-and-roll prophet - I love it
They are exploring more of Manjome and Fukube's history together which is interesting - and finally settled on the fact that there IS no secret powers? Well that's fine but that doesn't explain Kanna at all - I guess it will literally just be that she's unnaturally lucky.
And the hint that Fukube actually is dead is fun.

I'm excited to see the ending.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

-A alguien que canta, no se le puede disparar

LO BUENO: Me gusto el tomo, porque te cuenta cositas que querías saber de muchos personajes: El policía que estaba superenamorado de Kanna, el tío Otcho,Kiriko...y la historia avanza, lo cual es una bendición, pero en especial...las dudas de Kanna, que siempre era todo voluntad aca se cae y eso me agrada porque es real , y sobre todo...KENJI !!!, ah y el arte, hay momentos del tipo con su guitarra y es una maestría en la narración que me quedo boquiabierto.

LO MALO: Si bien la historia avanza, puede moverse un poco mas, vamos, no mas tramas nuevas, llevamos mas de 3.000 paginas !!!.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fascinating time jump as we deal with the consequences of the last nail biting volume.

While this one is comparatively weaker it's devastating all the same. Sometimes I'm tempted to write these on a curve as each of them is a work of art, and this is the more mellow reflective volume, not as wild as the others, but dealing with the mess that they left behind them.

A fascinating lesson in beautiful writing.

[Tetyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este último ha bajado un poco en intensidad y le llegaría a poner un 4.5. El desarrollo de los personajes los ha llevado por caminos un poco diferentes a los esperados, pero no estaría muy segura si en el buen sentido. La aparición del cantante misterioso era algo que ya se iba previendo desde el anterior tomo, para mi gusto del desarrollo de la historia, creo que se ja hecho mucho de regor, pero aun así ha sido emocionante.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well it took most of the run, but this series is finally coming together. After the big dramatic climax of the previous vol, and the new status quo of this vol, I feel like we are in the final stretch. We meet two big familiar faces in this time, and one is a sight for sour eyes. The commentary on control is ham fisted, but uniting people through music and a common belief is a powerful thing. Appreciated the cliffhanger this left on top, could change everyones perspective on the Friend!?

[Lori CucVig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cosa succede a questo pazzo mondo guidato dall'amico? Ci troviamo al cospetto di una cruda rappresentazione del genere umano. I sentimenti fanno fatica ad affacciarsi, e solo gli echi lontani smuovono i cuori. Echi che pian pianino si fanno più vicini a Tokyo. Ma forse... c'è una sconvolgente verità. Realtà e finzione si mescolano di continuo in questo manga, assieme alla manipolazione. Vedremo...

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

90%

KEN-JI! KEN-JI! KEN-JI! RAAAAAAAAAH

Return of the king! Plus, some really good reveals and character moments that push this into five-star territory for me. The concurrent plotlines make the story more gripping in this volume too, whereas occasionally in other volumes it can end up kind of confusing or muck up the pacing.

Need my boy Kenji to meet with Kanna and Otcho and the others asap tho😭😭 can’t wait fr