Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 1: Friends [Paperback]

Naoki Urasawa (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: February 17, 2009 | Series: 20th Century Boys (Book 1)

R to L (Japanese Style)

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.

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

Naoki Urasawa's career as a manga artist spans more than twenty years and has firmly established him as one of the true manga masters of Japan. Born in Tokyo in 1960, Urasawa debuted with BETA! in 1983 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 a romantic comedy (Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl), a suspenseful human drama about a former mercenary Pineapple ARMY; story by Kazuya Kudo), a captivating psychological suspense story (Monster), a sci-fi adventure manga (20th Century Boys), and a modern reinterpretation of the work of the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka (Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka; co-authored with Takashi Nagasaki, supervised by Macoto Tezka, and with the cooperation of Tezuka Productions). Many of his books have spawned popular animated and live-action TV programs and films, 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 is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award, a two-time recipient of the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize, and has received the Kodansha Manga Award. Similarly, Monster has been nominated three times 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 1 edition (February 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591169224
• ISBN-13: 978-1591169222
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping, suspenseful storyline and detailed artwork. I can't wait for the second volume! March 6, 2009

By Dennis A. Amith (kndy) TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Naoki Urasawa is well-known in the manga industry. Having created excellent titles such as "Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl", "Pineapple ARMY", "Master Keaton" and "Monster", his manga series "20th CENTURY BOYS" was the winner of the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award, Winner of the 2003 Shogakukan Manga Award and Urasawa was the recipient of the "Excellence Price at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival".

The manga has been made into a live film, with the first film having been released as a part of a trilogy with a budget of 6 billion yen and will feature a cast of 300 people, it's natural to say that the manga series "20th CENTURY BOYS" will definitely be a bonafide classic. And now the manga series has been released by Viz Media.

The manga series goes back and forth from present time to 1969 and 1997 as we are introduced to a group of friends as children and adults.

The manga focuses on Kenji as he receives a letter from his childhood friend before he supposedly committed suicide. The letter from his friend asks if Kenji remembers a symbol. Kenji can't believe his friend would kill himself and in 1997, he tries to investigate more about the symbol while flashbacks in 1969 show Kenji and friends making their own club and using the symbol for their club. Then you get glimpses of the present which allude to something terrible happening, something so terrible that humanity was nearly annihilated.

JUDGMENT CALL:

Overall, the first volume of "20th CENTURY BOYS" was an enjoyable read. One of the major enjoyments of the manga is the artwork. From the detail of the outdoor settings and indoor settings. Detail in the backgrounds and emotions from each character.

Granted, there are a good number of characters introduced in the first volume but it definitely helps that the storyline for several chapters focuses on character development.

"20TH CENTURY BOYS" Vol. 01 was a pretty enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the detail of the artwork and the various timelines, it's definitely complex to plan but so far every chapter has been quite enjoyable and intriguing.

As with any manga series, typically the first volume is used for character development. At first, I have to admit that it was almost like watching a series of "LOST" with the storyline jumping around time periods and it was a bit confusing at first. But as the story started to progress, everything started to become clear.

At first, because of the young characters, it seemed as if the storyline was going to be about youth and something fun but once you start seeing death and people missing or dying, a cult and crazy lunatics murdering, you start to realize that perhaps "20TH CENTURY BOYS" is setting things up as the series will more than likely become a deep storyline.

Knowing how suspenseful Urasawa's work can get, especially with "MONSTER", I'm pretty excited to finally start reading this manga and seeing how it progresses over time. Afterall, this manga has won numerous awards and it has been made to a live action film. So, I'm definitely sticking with it.

"20th CENTURY BOYS" features a fun but somewhat dark storyline and wonderful artwork, I definitely look forward to see what Urasawa has in store for Vol. 02.

Overally, "20th CENTURY BOYS" is a manga definitely worth checking out!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Urasawa is a Master of Suspense June 23, 2010

By GraphicNovelReporter.com TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Kenji's life is not what he'd imagined it would be. As a child, he was determined to do great things--play in a rock band, live life on his terms, and, of course, save the world from evil. But as an adult, his life is ordinary. He tries to keep his family's convenience store running and works to raise his sister's baby daughter. But when a childhood friend commits suicide, Kenji's safe world is knocked off its orbit. Not believing that his friend was suicidal, Kenji begins investigating and discovers a tie between that death and a mysterious new cult that has sprung up recently. The cult is run by a man known only as "Friend," and he has plans for world domination--plans based directly on a story that Kenji himself wrote when he was a little boy. Now a mild-mannered shopkeeper must find within himself the strength to save the world from the forces of evil.

Urasawa's thriller series is a coming-of-age tale for thirty- and forty-somethings. He slowly takes an ordinary man and forces him--and those around him--to dip into heretofore undiscovered depths of strength. Kenji and his friends are all the more amazing for how normal they are. Readers will instantly identify with them, especially as they themselves wonder what happened to the dreams they had as children. Some of the characters are satisfied with their adult lives, which makes their sacrifices all the more poignant. Others, such as Kenji, are not where they might like to be, but they feel the weight of responsibility to family and work so heavily that they cannot drag themselves out from under it. Their decision to fight against evil is liberating, but it is also terrifying, because they know that they will lose everything they have worked so hard for. Even the evil force is in many ways ordinary. Because no one knows who the "Friend" is and because his followers are made up of everyday people, the person who offers the greatest threat could be a next-door neighbor, a coworker, or even a family member.

It's that overwhelming feeling of doom and suspicion that proves that Urasawa is a master of suspense. He builds the terror slowly, offering clues in one volume that do not pay off until later volumes. The story is always moving forward but is told by skipping back-and-forth in time. Bits from Kenji's and the others' pasts will be revisited when needed and Urasawa isn't afraid to make a huge leap forward, skipping what seems like an essential part of the tale. Readers have to trust that he will give them that information later, and he does, but in his own unique way. This is not a tale where you should read the back of the next volume or even look too closely at the cover. The enjoyment is in allowing the twists and turns of the plot to catch you by surprise. At one point there will be a humorous line and then, a mere page or two later, a terrifying or sobering image will hit you right between the eyes.

Urasawa is known for his more realistic and slightly noir style of drawing. Kenji and his friends each have a distinct look, one that is easy to identify, even when they are drawn as children, but they all also look like real people. Even the evildoers are as benign in appearance as the good people are, appropriate for a story where evil is not always easily identifiable. The only downfall of this masterful work is that, at 22 volumes, readers will have to wait for their next fix once they have finished a volume. But the building of anticipation is only fitting for a work that so subtly and gracefully builds tension and suspense.
-- Snow Wildsmith

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece Unfolding Before Me May 20, 2009

By lovelyduckie

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This manga...is awesome! I can hardly remember the last time I felt THIS confident about the merit of a manga series only 1 volume in. Besides just my gut feeling, I expect it to continue to be awesome due to the fact that it's already completed its run in Japan (22 volumes) and has won the Kodansha, Japan Media Arts, and Shogakukan Manga awards. Not to mention that Naoki Urasawa is one of the rare and few manga artists in Japan that has the power and ability to pull off a series like this.

This series is going to be a masterpiece that falls together one little piece at a time. I can't help but admire series where almost every action has a meaning that plays in the background and eventually all these separate actions fall together to reveal a grand finale. I can't believe how well the author strings together so many stories without confusing the reader. I had been getting into too much of a rut lately with the manga I read (typical shonen/shoujo titles) and this series was a perfect wakeup call.