Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 3 [Paperback]

Naoki Urasawa (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys | Publication Date: June 16, 2009

R to L (Japanese Style). It turns out that the Friend's plan to destroy the world was dreamed up long ago by a gang of boys playing "good guys against bad guys"...And now, the only one who can stop this diabolical plot from succeeding is the one who came up with it--Kenji!Kenji races home and picks up the newspaper: sure enough, the mystery microbe has hit London. He thinks back over everything that has happened and what he and his childhood friends dug up, and is forced to face the unbelievable truth--someone really is putting into motion the story Kenji made up as a child, and people are dying because of it!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Naoki Urasawa has been a highly recognized and successful manga artist for more than twenty years. Creator of popular series such as 20th Century Boys and Yawara, Urasawa has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the first Japanese Media Art Festival Manga Award of Excellence, the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award in 1999, and the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award. Naoki Urasawa's Monster has thrilled and entertained well over 25 million readers in Japan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (June 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421519224
• ISBN-13: 978-1421519227
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #367,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ordinary is Extraordinary, August 9, 2009

By 

Alexandra Cenni "Poisoned Rationality" (hamilton, nj USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 3 (Paperback)

This volume focused heavily on Kenji's present and his difficulties in understanding what is happening, after the revealation in the last chapter of Volume 2, Kenji is thrown into a tailspin. Why is it about? What did that guy mean 'This was all your plan'? Why did Donkey want to talk to him? As Kenji rushes home to sort things out he desperately tries to think of a reason, any other reason, that this string of craziness could be happening. But the facts are simple--the game they came up with as kids is being used as an evil plot today.

The question is--who's this 'Friend'? In Donkey's letter he hints that he thought Kenji was, makes sense since Kenji came up with the game to begin with, but discounted him after observing him for a while. Who else then could it be? As the mystery deepens you get a definite sense of creepiness in my opinion. I mean some of the games I played as a kid could be considered stupid and immature, but what if someone took them seriously? What if the 'World War 3' game I played with my sister and best friend in junior high was taken as literal truth? Let me tell you I was a bloodthirsty kid--it wouldn't be pretty.

We learn more about who the 'Friend' is...sort of. We learn who may be the friend and that Kenji isn't the only one investigating this weird 'cult'. We also learn the possible identity of Kanna's father and that Kenji is more important to the Friend and his cult then originally believed.

For the most part this volume stays firmly in the one time, only diverting as necessary to short flashbacks to particularly important quotes (such as how Kenji finally remembers, or mostly remembers, who the Friend could be). When Kenji finally meets the 'Friend' and sees what his 'concert' is like (remarking 'This isn't funny' and 'This isn't rock'n'roll to me!') he begins to understand that he can't just let things lie. This won't go away. Those he loves are in danger and as impossible as it it, if he doesn't act things will only get worse.

20th Century Boys can really be considered the opposite of the normal 'ordinary kid gets super powers' trope. Kenji doesn't have any super powers, he's about as ordinary as you can get, but because of who he is he can make a difference. That's pretty powerful if you ask me.

5.0 out of 5 stars Coffee For The Brain Book Reviews, October 31, 2011

By 

A. Maurer "Coffeechug" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 3 (Paperback)

Out of the three volumes I have read in this series, this one is my favorite. I read this in one sitting. I was not able to put it down. There were a couple little surprise factors that really drew me further into the story.

Not being a huge manga fan or I should say not having read many, this series is really taking a hold of me. I was hooked with Volume 1 and really enjoyed the storyline line development in Volume 2. I have more volumes awaiting me to be read. I only hope the series continues to get better and better like it has done so far.

The plot is starting to thicken and some very interesting events are starting to unravel. Based on what Kenji discovers I can only guess at what is to happen next.

As mentioned by the other reviewer on Amazon, I think what I like best about Kenji is that he is just a normal person. He has so super powers(at least not that I know of). He is one that we can relate to while we read about his adventures.

Time to track down the other volumes in this series. I need more!!!!