Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 6 [Paperback]

Naoki Urasawa (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 2009 | Series: Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys (Book 6)

This is the story of a gang of boys who try to save the world!; As boys, Kenji and his friends came up with a bunch of stories about an evil organization bent on world destruction. As adults, someone is now turning their fantasies into reality! R to L (Japanese Style). Fourteen years after "Bloody New Year's Eve" brought the world to the brink of extinction, Neo Tokyo in the year 2014 has fully recovered and become a thriving, multiethnic metropolis. Kanna has survived the chaos and is now 17 years old--and has just stumbled upon a terrible truth that may change her destiny.Meanwhile, at a maximum security prison ten kilometers out in the middle of Tokyo Bay, a young manga artist learns firsthand the chilling downsides of the world he now inhabits. Things go from bad to almost unbearable when he's thrown into solitary confinement right near one of the prison's most notorious inmates. Has all hope been lost, or will this mysterious prisoner offer the frightened artist his only true shot at escape? 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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Tokyo in 1960, Naoki Urasawa's career as a manga artist spans three decades and has firmly established him as one of the true manga masters of his generation. A graduate of Meisei University, Urasawa debuted with Return! in 1981 and hasn't stopped his impressive output since. Well-versed in a variety of genres, Urasawa's oeuvre encompasses a multitude of different subjects, such as romantic comedies (Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl), gritty urban dramas (Pineapple ARMY), swashbuckling detective stories (Master Keaton), captivating psychological thrillers (Monster and 20th Century Boys) and modern reinterpretations of the work of the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka (Pluto: Urasawa × Tezuka). Many of his books have spawned equally popular animated series, and 2008 saw the theatrical release of the first of three live-action Japanese films based on 20th Century Boys.No stranger to accolades and awards, Urasawa has received the Kodansha Manga Award, and is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award and a two-time recipient of the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize.Similarly, Monster has been nominated twice for the Eisner Award in America. Urasawa has also become involved in the world of academia, and in 2008 accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University, where he teaches courses in, of course, manga. Combining a breathtaking cinematic visual style with stories known for their penetrating psychological depth and maturity, Naoki Urasawa remains one of the most exciting creators working in the medium of comics today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (December 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421523418
• ISBN-13: 978-1421523415
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #714,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Life in 2014, July 30, 2011

By 

Kid Kyoto (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 6 (Paperback)

The final battle to save the world was fought in the year 2000, but now it's 2014 and we don't know how it came out.

After the time jump in the last volume this book continues the adventures of the teen-aged Kanna and follows a manga artist imprisoned for his subversive works.

We get more clues what happened in 2000 but the focus in clearly on the 'present day' of 2014 with a murder mystery, intrigue in the police force and an Alcatraz-like prison in Tokyo bay.

Things are still humming along nicely and Urasawa's work is still strong but the delays in resolving old mysteries are starting to get annoying.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Featuring a Kanna driven storyline but another fantastic volume of "20th Century Boys", March 2, 2010

By 

Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 6 (Paperback)

Volume 6 definitely takes the storyline of "20th Century Boys" to a different direction. For the last five volumes, we have watched Kenji and friends try to find out who is the Friend and then grow their force to fight them. But with the New Year's massacre evidently not going their way, 14 years later, the storyline focuses on Kanna.

We know that Kanna is the daughter of the Friend and Kenji's sister and since the earlier volumes, The Friends have attempted to kidnap her when she was a child. But now that she has become so street savvy, she has managed to avoid being caught by them and using her street smarts to fight her way out. But obviously, trouble is growing and it appears that the Friends cult are up to something sinister, once again.

Although not an action driven volume, there is good character driven storylines featuring Kanna and Detective Chono who appears to have a bigger role in this storyline. Nothing is revealed to what happened to Kenji and friends but we do see Otcho (Shogun) and how he has been mistreated, chained and possibly tortured within these last 14 years. If anything, I enjoyed this volume as it shows how much the Friends have permeated into regular society and are now so powerful that they would be difficult to stop.

I have no idea where Urasawa is going to take the seventh volume of the series but from reading vol. 6, I can't wait. Another excellent volume of "Naoki Ursawa's 20th Century boys"! All six volumes thus far are highly recommended!