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

~ Naoki Urasawa (Author, Illustrator)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.



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: 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 5.8 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #121,686 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 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
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!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally this awesome series comes to the USA!, February 22, 2009
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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, March 27, 2009
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Another long overdue translation of a great Manga series - can you believe this was written in 1997? Read more
Published 1 month ago by G. YEO

4.0 out of 5 stars Starts out a little slow, but its engrossing!
I'll be up-front, 20th Century Boys is not my normal manga reading taste. I've read it before, in scanlations (I stress I read it before I knew it was licensed in America), well... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Alexandra Cenni

5.0 out of 5 stars Having read the entire series....
I'm about half way through the series (thanks Japanese/Viz Media), and am blown away. This is for me the best managa I've ever read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Adam Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece Unfolding Before Me
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. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Candace

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