 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | NAOKI URASAWA | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 216 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 04/21/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 06/22/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
The premise for this manga is certainly an interesting one: 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. At the beginning of this new manga from Naoki Urasawa, 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. Continuing on in volume two, things get catastrophic – literally! The Friend, an enigmatic cult leader who plans to destroy the world, declares, "The cosmos has begun choosing those who are true friends." Meanwhile, horrifying incidents are taking place: the emergence of a mysterious virus, the death of a detective, the revelations of a man on the run... Kenji tries to find out who this Friend is, but the answer is still far ahead. The footsteps of doom slowly creep closer and a shadow falls over the city. Meanwhile, Yukiji remembers who came up with their group’s enigmatic symbol: Otcho. She also discovers that, nine years earlier, Otcho had been working in Thailand but mysteriously vanished. Could Otcho be the mysterious friend? Also, a legendary detective is hot on the trail of the Shikishima kidnappers, but the clues he uncovers lead him dangerously close to the Friends cult. Is his life now in danger as well? This science fiction/mystery soup of a book is downright entertaining from its well-managed visuals to its intricate story and characters. It’s well balanced in the way that it manages to be mature, and yet fun and humorous at the same time – it’s just a good mix of genres and brings out a wide variety of emotions in the reader. This series keeps you on your toes to say the least. The story is developing fast and keeps you on edge with a need for further information all the time – that in itself makes it great on the mystery side of things. The art hasn’t let up in any way into volume two – it’s still great to look at and obviously took a lot of time to plan out and put down on paper for us to eventually read along with the text portion of what makes up this intriguing new manga. This is quality reading – top notch. Check it out and see if you’re just as impressed – it’s well worth the look-see.
Naoki Urasawa (author and artist for 20th Century Boys) 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 manga “Monster” has thrilled and entertained well over 25 million readers in Japan.
IN SUMMARY:
20th Century Boys is a fine piece of work from an author/artist that is continually pushing the envelope on the subject of what makes great manga. Mature readers will be delighted by what this series has to offer. |
