Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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

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.

Years ago, I read the fan translation of this story. I even picked up the Japanese versions of this when I was over there in 2006. The storytelling in this manga is amazing. The author keeps you on your feet at all times as to what is going on. I look forward for the whole series to be translated into English so that I can enjoy them without having to either read fan translations or muddle through it in the original Japanese. If you liked the manga/anime series Monster by this same author, you probably will love this one as well.

This is one of the best manga I think I've ever read! It's by Naoki Urasawa, the guy who wrote Yawara, Monster, Pluto, so if you're a fan then you'll definitely want to pick this up.

I have jumped backed into the manga scene. I realized after a series of comments on one of my Amazon reviews of a manga(Peepo Choo) that I have not really given this genre the time and energy needed to really distinguish the good from the bad.

One of the comments from one of the reviewers posted the following:

"Anyways your really closing yourself off if you think that this represents manga.
How about you reading from legends,award winners,people who are considered the best of the industry ... instead of some guy where the only reason it got any attention is because it's from a non Japanese person and got published in Japan.
Read Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys then you might see why manga is great. "

So I put the first volume of this manga series on hold at my library and a few days later it was available. I read this with hesitation as much as I tried to read it with a clear mind.

I loved this story. This was a great story with a great plot line that I really found rather intriguing. I liked the characters and especially how the story bounces back and forth from present times to when they were kids. In a sense it reminded me of my childhood with the secret forts, symbols, and handshakes.

I have now gone in pursuit to track down the rest of the series. I would like to continue reading this series to see how the story develops.

I am thankful that my Amazon review sparked a communication with others who know their manga and offered this suggestion.

I know it sounds simple, but the symbol discussed in the storyline really intrigued me. I really found it fascinating.

I have renewed my interest in manga and would love further suggestions to find out and discover some more great manga.

Manga can be hard to review. More than one series starts with a dense engaging plot but flares out spectacularly as the creator pads the stories to milk a hit. Claymore, Battle Royale and Battle Angel Alita all come to mind as books that started strong but eventually became nothing more than 200 page fight scenes.

But this is different. I waited until I hit book 4 to review book 1 just to be sure. 20th Century Boys is a multi-layered thriller about a group of childhood friends who reunite to oppose an evil doomsday cult. But it's more than that, it's a story about growing up, the hero Kenji goes from being a creative kid, to a young would-be rocker, to a middle aged man running a convenience store in Tokyo. Along the way we see glimpses of Japanese culture over the last 30 years.

Naoki Urasawa's plot hops from decade to decade building connections and bringing in new characters but never feels lost or confused.

This is a bit of a commitment, there are 22 volumes, but so far it looks like it will be worth it.

The long-running series "20th Century Boys" is Japanese adventure comic created by Naoki Urasawa. The manga was serialized in weekly comic magazine "Big Comic Spirits" published by Shogakukan from 1999 through 2006.

The story is slow-moving, and but the wait is worth it. The main story goes back and forth in time between 1969 and 1997, but it is not difficult to follow. The protagonist is Kenji Endo, a middle-aged, failed rock musician-turned-convenience store owner, raising his sisters' only daughter Kanna. When the shocking news of his old friend's death arrives, Kenji finds himself involved in the activities of a mysterious cult led by enigmatic "Tomodachi" (meaning "Friend"). And the cult's weird symbol is curiously familiar to Kenji, who slowly remembers what happened when he was a little boy.

The comic's title is inspired by T Rex's rock classic "20th Century Boy" and as the title's reference to the 1973 song suggests, part of the manga's attraction lies in nostalgia. Creator Naoki Urasawa, born in 1960, successfully re-creates the atmosphere of Japan when the country saw rapid economic growth in the late 60s, and those flashbacks will become the small pieces of the bigger puzzle in the main thread of the story. Also, the cult led by "Friend" will certainly not fail to remind Japanese of the cult "Aum" and its sarin gas attack in Tokyo in 1995. Like the original "Neon Genesis Evangelion" series, the comic reflects the time it was first created, the time of great uneasiness at the turn of the century.

It must be quickly added, however, that Urasawa takes special care not to make the comic too serious. Despite the subject matter that involves deaths and murders, there is some humor thrown in so that the comic is not too depressing. Look at the finger-snapping "spiritual leader" "Pierre Ichimonji," for instance. Most Japanese readers would notice this is a sly joke, a parody of Japanese comedian Paul Maki known for often posing like this.

"20th Century Boys" is an adventure story. It has serious moments, but creator Urasawa never overdoes it, and in most scenes he never loses light comic touch. The first volume opens brilliantly with nice, detailed artwork and a group of fleshed-out characters you can relate to. Enjoy the comic and its adventures that have just begun.

According to Wiki, this manga is a science fiction / mystery. It won the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award in the General category, an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival, and the 2003 Shogakukan Manga Award in the General category.

Sounded impressive so I checked it out.

Story overview:

We find ourselves moving between 1969 and 1997 (and perhaps the future?) The story follows the man-version and boy-version of Kenji, along with his friends from the present and the past. In the present, Kenji takes care of his sister's infant, Kanna, whom she abandoned before disappearing. Along with this he has taken over the family liquor store and turned it into a convenience store.

One day Kenji stumbles across a strange symbol of an eye in the center of a hand pointing upwards. He vaguely remembers this symbol from somewhere, but gives it little thought until one of his old childhood pals (Donkey) commits suicide. Shortly after receiving news of his friend, a letter from Donkey (apparently written shortly before his death) arrives asking Kenji if he remembered the symbol.

It appears as if a mysterious cult is using it as their logo. The man in charge is only ever seen in shadows, and is oddly known as "Friend." Kenji goes on a hunt to discover the meaning behind the symbol and find answers to Donkey's mysterious suicide. In the process he reunites with some of his childhood buddies (who came for the funeral) as they try and recall the past.

My thoughts:

At first I didn't care for the artwork, obnoxious characters, and the jumping back and forth between present and past, but by the end I saw the brilliance in it. The story is real. No, not real as in it really happened, but as in the situations, people, and dialog all being believable. In one sense this is a coming of age story; in another it is for adults to remember what it was like to be a child. The plot has intrigued me enough to make me want to check out the next volume.

Things to consider:

I have a hard time seeing this as being appropriate for children. Later teens perhaps, or young adult, but it just doesn't settle right for anyone younger. The age rating from Viz Media is: "TEEN PLUS. May be suitable for older teens and adults. For example, may contain intense and/or gory violence, sexual content, frequent strong language, alcohol, tobacco and/or other substance use." This does indeed contain most of those elements, except for gory violence and perhaps tobacco use (I can't remember). That said, strangely enough, these elements contributed well to the realism of the story rather than just being there for poor taste. This I'm willing to forgive as long as the audience is the right age group.

James D. Maxon

Author of, The Cat That Made Nothing Something Again

Manga and speculative fiction reviewer:
http://booksforyouth.com/

Another long overdue translation of a great Manga series - can you believe this was written in 1997? This is Lord of the Flies meets Stand By Me meets Hardy Boys meets a sci-fi Apocalyptic showdown. Great characters, great story, well crafted - can't wait for the rest!