Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 20 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Naoki Urasawa’s manga masterpiece…”20th Century Boys” just gets better and better.  With vol. 20, the stage is set as it is leading viewers with what may be the final battle.  There are a few twists and turns and a few surprises but fans will definitely enjoy what they read in this latest volume.  Another wonderful volume of “20th Century Boys” worth owning!

Image courtesy of © 2003 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 20

STORY AND ART BY: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on April 10, 2012

There once was a hero who stood against evil. He sacrificed himself to save the world, and everyone believed he died on Bloody New Year’s Eve. But eighteen years later, when the entire world is under the control of the enigmatic figure known as the Friend, the hero comes back!

Kenji is back and is heading for Tokyo, where the Friend is preparing his next horrific plan. Meanwhile, Kanna and the rest of Kenji’s group make their move toward the final battle! Could it finally be time for justice to rise once again?

Last volume, we saw the return of Kenji.  But while Kenji Endo is making his return to Tokyo to finish what he started, his niece Kanna and his friends, who all think that Kenji is dead, have made their decision that they must kill the Friend ASAP and will literally be their final stand.

But still, questions have remained in Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys”.  Who has now replaced the Friend?  And what happened to Kenji’s sister (and Kanna’s mother) Kiriko, who was working on an antidote to fight the Friend’s virus?

One of these questions are answered in vol. 20 of “20th Century Boys”!

“20th Century Boys” is simply the masterpiece manga series created by Naoki Urasawa. 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 manga classic. And now the the seventh volume of the popular manga series has been released by Viz Media.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” follows a group of friends when they were as children and the present time as adults. When these friends were children, they played a group of super heroes who would take down evildoers. But first, they needed to come up with their own storyline and scenarios of the bad things the evil side would do and how they, as superheroes would have to conquer the evil bad guys.

This plot of what the evil group would do was written down in a little guide which they called “The Prophecy”. As for the group, they devised a symbol of their group. But now many years later, this symbol has re-emerged as the symbol of a religious cult who may be behind terrorist activities.

Kenji and friends tried their best to stop the Friends but something happened on December 31, 2000 and fourteen years later, Kenji and friends are seen as the terrorists and the Friends have now further permeated into society worldwide.

What we know of December 31, 2000… Many lives were lost and although Kenji and his friends did what they can to stop the Friend’s giant robot from killing people in the city. They were blamed for it and since then have been reviled as the terrorists who massacred innocent people (when it was actually “the Friends” who were responsible).

And over 15 years later, the Friends have used the massacre to grow their cult and to take control of society, politics, law enforcement and have their foot in the door worldwide.

But for friends of Kenji who survived that fatal day, they will continue to do what they can to defeat their friends in the honor of their friend Kenji and save the world. The last volume featured Kanna, who is now a teenager who will never forget her uncle and is investigating any details or leads to her uncle Kenji but also her mother and possible father.

In volume 20, as Kanna and Otcho have pretty much decided that they are going to go to war and try to kill the Friend, they reunite with their old friends.    Who will fight with them and who won’t?  Meanwhile, Maruo goes to visit one of the gang’s old friends and in the process, to find out if Kiriko Endo is alive and what she has been doing all this time.

Meanwhile, there appears to be a shift of allegiance in the FDP and Manjome, Takasu, Yanbo & Mabo are up to something devious and much more worse than what took place on Dec 31, 2000.

“20th CENTURY BOYS” features the following characters:

Kanna Endo: The daughter of Kenji’s missing sister. She is now a 17-year-old teenager who tries to keep her missing uncle Kenji in her memories. In the Friend Era, she is known as the “White Queen”.

Chono Shohei – A freshman detective following his grandfather’s footsteps of being a great detective and to have the name “Cho-san”. In the Friend Era, he has abandoned his job to join forces with Kenji Endo and now is a wanted man.

Kamisama - The homeless man who had visions of what Kenji should be doing and would relay it to him but 14 years later, he has become millionaire and now tries to keep some of Kenji’s friends safe through his bowling building.

Kyoko Koizumi - A high school student who has helped the Kenji faction and is now working for a music company searching for talent during the Friend Era.

Otcho – One of Kenji’s friends who escaped from prison to reunite and help Kanna. He and Kanna want to stop the Friend immediately.

Yukiji – The only female member from the original Kenji faction, Yukiji raised Kanna after Kenji disappeared and looks at Kanna like her own daughter and will do all she can to protect her, as she had promised to Kenji.

Yoshitsune – The young and shy Yoshitsune has grown up to become the leader of the underground dissident organization.

Maruo – A friend of Kenji who now works at a music company and has used his position to help the Kenji faction.

It’s a race against time as Kanna and Otcho feel they can’t wait any longer.  The two with the help of Yukiji are determined to kill the Friend, meanwhile Yoshitsune wishes Kanna would wait until she talks to her mother, details which Maruo has found out some new details about her and is investigating it on his own.

Meanwhile, the FDP seem to have their own agenda, that maybe even the Friend knows nothing about…considering the original Friend was killed.

Who is this new Friend?  What are the FDP up to?  And what will happen to Kanna, Otcho and Yukiji as they have decided to make their assassination attempt against the Friend?

And that’s all I can say about vol. 20 of “20th Century Boys” because there are a lot of twists and turns, including some surprises.  Fans and longtime readers will enjoy this volume when they see the final panel of the chapter but knowing that things are going to get crazy from this point on.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” just gets better and better and as we now are nearing the final stretch of the series, one can only wonder what Naoki Urasawa has planned. And I’m guessing that we are going to see a lot of deaths and possible demise of several main characters.  So far, “20th Century Boys” has been edgy and hasn’t pulled any punches so far.  So, anything can happen right now in this manga series!

Featuring wonderful illustration and awesome storytelling, which Naoki Ursawa is known for, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys Vol. 20″ is another solid volume for the series and an important storyline as it definitely sets things up for these last final volumes of the series.

As always, Naoki Urasawa knows how to grab the attention of the reader. His artwork and how he is able to capture the sense of action and emotion through the pages is magnificent and so far, this series has been engrossing and highly enjoyable thus far.

If you have been following this series this long, you’re probably as addicted as I am and with this latest volume, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 20″ is a no-brainer, it’s a must buy volume and quite simply, “20th Century Boys” is a must buy series!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 19 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Naoki Urasawa’s manga masterpiece…”20th Century Boys” is simply awesome!!! With volume 19, the long asked question of what happened to Kenji Endo is finally answered!  Fans of the manga series will not want to miss this latest volume!  Highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2003 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 19

STORY AND ART BY: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on February 14, 2012

The man with the guitar heads for Tokyo and arrives at a rough-and-tumble border town with an ominous-looking checkpoint. Only those who have a pass may go through, and those who try to get by without one are summarily shot. Many have tried, and many are buried nearby. Who can change this horrific situation and get through the checkpoint? And who or what could be waiting on the other side?

Kenji Endo, the leader of the team that was to stop the “Friend” and the robot/poison attack in Tokyo  had been missing and considered dead for nearly two decades.

His body never found, there are those such as his niece, Kanna, who hoped that her uncle was alive.  But with the Friend in complete power and that reach of power extending to other nations, the fight against the Friend seemed hopeless.

But whenever she felt down, Kanna would listen to her Uncle Kenji’s music tapes and listen to a song that he would perform on the streets over and over.  And she would share it with the people she knew.

And for these other people who became familiar with Kenji’s music, somehow they would hear that song elsewhere.  Modified just a bit but the song was a glimmer of hope that perhaps Kenji Endo is still alive.

When a man with a guitar arrives in Japan and is going by the name Yabuki Joe, could this man be… Kenji Endo?

All is answered in volume 19 of Naoki Urasawa’s award-winning manga series “20th Century Boys”!

“20th Century Boys” is simply the masterpiece manga series created by Naoki Urasawa. 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 manga classic. And now the the seventh volume of the popular manga series has been released by Viz Media.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” follows a group of friends when they were as children and the present time as adults. When these friends were children, they played a group of super heroes who would take down evildoers. But first, they needed to come up with their own storyline and scenarios of the bad things the evil side would do and how they, as superheroes would have to conquer the evil bad guys.

This plot of what the evil group would do was written down in a little guide which they called “The Prophecy”. As for the group, they devised a symbol of their group. But now many years later, this symbol has re-emerged as the symbol of a religious cult who may be behind terrorist activities.

Kenji and friends tried their best to stop the Friends but something happened on December 31, 2000 and fourteen years later, Kenji and friends are seen as the terrorists and the Friends have now further permeated into society worldwide.

What we know of December 31, 2000… Many lives were lost and although Kenji and his friends did what they can to stop the Friend’s giant robot from killing people in the city. They were blamed for it and since then have been reviled as the terrorists who massacred innocent people (when it was actually “the Friends” who were responsible).

And over 15 years later, the Friends have used the massacre to grow their cult and to take control of society, politics, law enforcement and have their foot in the door worldwide.

But for friends of Kenji who survived that fatal day, they will continue to do what they can to defeat their friends in the honor of their friend Kenji and save the world. The last volume featured Kanna, who is now a teenager who will never forget her uncle and is investigating any details or leads to her uncle Kenji but also her mother and possible father.

In volume 18, we are learning that many people have heard of Kenji’s old song…but this time, a new revision with the words, “Gutarara Sudarara”. It was thought that Kanna was the only person who had access to Kenji’s music via cassettes, but how is it that people in Japan have heard of Kenji’s music today?

In this issue, Kanna’s police officer friend Chono decides to join with Yabuki Joe but as they head towards Tokyo, security only allows people into Tokyo with a permit.  Anyone who submits a fake permit will be killed immediately.

Meanwhile, a mysterious man has been carefully watching Yabuki Joe’s return to Tokyo.   Who can it be?

“20th CENTURY BOYS” features the following characters:

Kanna Endo: The daughter of Kenji’s missing sister. She is now a 17-year-old teenager who tries to keep her missing uncle Kenji in her memories. In the Friend Era, she is known as the “White Queen”.

Chono Shohei – A freshman detective following his grandfather’s footsteps of being a great detective and to have the name “Cho-san”. In the Friend Era, he is stationed to work and watch over farmers.

Kamisama - The homeless man who had visions of what Kenji should be doing and would relay it to him but 14 years later, he has become millionaire.

Kyoko Koizumi - A high school student who has helped the Kenji faction and is now working for a music company searching for talent during the Friend Era.

Otcho – One of Kenji’s friends who escaped from prison to reunite and help Kanna. Now on the run during the Friend Era and was able to make it through the wall.

Maruo – A friend of Kenji who now works at a music company and has used his position to help the Kenji faction.

It was a given that our main protagonist of the series would make his return.  It was all about when?  For so many issues, we have seen the past and the present, but more importantly how the people who joined with Kenji Endo to put a stop to the Friend’s evil plans had done in their lives after that fateful day.

No one knew if Kenji was a live or dead, but the fact that nothing has been heard of him for over 15 years, needless to say, anything pointing to him being alive seemed non-existent until now.

While mentioning anything about what happened to Kenji after all these years would be a spoiler, for the last three volumes, there have been hints that this Yabuki Joe character with a guitar and sings Kenji Endo songs is in fact Kenji.  But typically any pages dealing with Yabuki Joe were small and we were given little hints that he may be alive.  With volume 19, everything is confirmed and what happened to him after all this time has now been answered.

But while Kenji Endo now making his return, what will happen to Kanna Endo and team as they feel they must mount their attack against the Friend.  Also, there is another mysterious question of who the true identity of the Friend truly is since Fukube was killed.  Who is now donning the Friend’s mask?

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” just gets better and better and as we now are nearing the final stretch of the series, one can only wonder what Naoki Urasawa has planned. And I’m guessing that we are going to see a lot of deaths and possible demise of several main characters.

Featuring wonderful illustration and awesome storytelling, which Naoki Ursawa is known for, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys Vol. 19″ is spectacular! And I emphasize that this manga series is absolutely awesome. Every chapter in this volume just builds and builds to the final shot and you can’t help but be surprised or just excited for the next upcoming issue.

As always, Naoki Urasawa knows how to grab the attention of the reader. His artwork and how he is able to capture the sense of action and emotion through the pages is magnificent and so far, this series has been engrossing and highly enjoyable thus far.

If you have been following this series this long, you’re probably as addicted as I am and with this latest volume, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 19″ is highly recommended and should not be missed!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 18 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Naoki Urasawa’s manga masterpiece…”20th Century Boys” is simply awesome!!! The manga series continues to get better and better and with so much despair in these last three volumes, volume 18 begins to show readers a glimmer of hope.  Meanwhile, another teaser/bombshell is dropped on the reader and definitely sets things up for the final four volumes of the manga series.  If you have wanted a manga series that is well-written and just all out-exciting, Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” is highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2003 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 18

STORY AND ART BY: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on December 13, 2011

 

Far, far from Tokyo, a man approaches the checkpoint at the Northern Border… Everyone north of the gate is dead, but here he comes on a motorbike with a guitar strapped to his back. Who is this man who calls himself Joe Yabuki, and why does he break out in song? Is he a Messiah here to save the people, or is he just a deluded nut?

Justice Never Dies.

The words that came from the mouth of a young Kenji back in the 1970′s.

But Japan has since changed since the resurrection of the friend.

In volume 16, we were introduced to a future where Japan was divided, a wall was put up and the years were now known as “The Friends Era”. What has happened to Japan?

In volume 17, we learn what has happened to Otcho as he witnessed people fighting and killing over vaccinations and as for Kana, learning that she and Yoshitsune have splinted into two factions.  Yoshitsune trying to save people, while Kanna…a young woman who has lost so much, has become a terrorist known as a White Queen, still leading an army of freedom fighters trying to fight against the Friend but are in constant pursuit by the Global Defense Force.

But we were treated with a little teaser with volume 17… who is the older man driving around with a guitar on his back.  Could it be…Kenji? A man who was thought to be dead all these years?

“20th Century Boys” is simply the masterpiece manga series created by Naoki Urasawa. 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 manga classic. And now the the seventh volume of the popular manga series has been released by Viz Media.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” follows a group of friends when they were as children and the present time as adults. When these friends were children, they played a group of super heroes who would take down evildoers. But first, they needed to come up with their own storyline and scenarios of the bad things the evil side would do and how they, as superheroes would have to conquer the evil bad guys.

This plot of what the evil group would do was written down in a little guide which they called “The Prophecy”. As for the group, they devised a symbol of their group. But now many years later, this symbol has re-emerged as the symbol of a religious cult who may be behind terrorist activities.

Kenji and friends tried their best to stop the Friends but something happened on December 31, 2000 and fourteen years later, Kenji and friends are seen as the terrorists and the Friends have now further permeated into society worldwide.

What we know of December 31, 2000… Many lives were lost and although Kenji and his friends did what they can to stop the Friend’s giant robot from killing people in the city. They were blamed for it and since then have been reviled as the terrorists who massacred innocent people (when it was actually “the Friends” who were responsible).

And 15 years later, the Friends have used the massacre to grow their cult and to take control of society, politics, law enforcement and have their foot in the door worldwide.

But for friends of Kenji who survived that fatal day, they will continue to do what they can to defeat their friends in the honor of their friend Kenji and save the world. The last volume featured Kanna, who is now a teenager who will never forget her uncle and is investigating any details or leads to her uncle Kenji but also her mother and possible father.

In volume 16, we saw how Otcho was being sneaked into Shinjuku courtesy of two children but unfortunately, the soldiers working for the Friends have discovered their ruse and now they are on the run.

In volume 17, we learn that when the Friend was resurrected, he literally took control of Japan. Those who were there at the Japan Expo to witness the resurrection were given a vaccine against the virus and live in one half of Japan, while those who didn’t go, were all forced to live on the other side of Japan where only a few vaccines were given out and of course, because of that, chaos.

And here we are with volume 18, as we are learning that many people have heard of Kenji’s old song…but this time, a new revision with the words, “Gutarara Sudarara”.  It was thought that Kanna was the only person who had access to Kenji’s music via cassettes, but how is it that people in Japan have heard of Kenji’s music today?  Could it mean that Kenji…is still alive?

Meanwhile, as Otcho tries to stop Kanna from sending her people from going to war against the Friends, they are captured by someone who they know quite well.  And this mysterious person also has something quite interesting to reveal, that will add yet another twist in the story of Naoki Kursawa’s “20th Century Boys”.

“20th CENTURY BOYS” features the following characters:

Kanna Endo: The daughter of Kenji’s missing sister. She is now a 17-year-old teenager who tries to keep her missing uncle Kenji in her memories. In the Friend Era, she is known as the “White Queen”.

Chono Shohei – A freshman detective following his grandfather’s footsteps of being a great detective and to have the name “Cho-san”. In the Friend Era, he is stationed to work and watch over farmers.

Kamisama - The homeless man who had visions of what Kenji should be doing and would relay it to him but 14 years later, he has become millionaire.

Kyoko Koizumi - A high school student who has helped the Kenji faction and is now working for a music company searching for talent during the Friend Era.

Otcho – One of Kenji’s friends who escaped from prison to reunite and help Kanna. Now on the run during the Friend Era and was able to make it through the wall.

Maruo – A friend of Kenji who now works at a music company and has used his position to help the Kenji faction.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 18 (spoiler-less summaries):

• Chapter 1: Gutarara Sudarara - Otcho looks for the missing Sanae.
• Chapter 2: The Two Who Survived - Officer Chono comes across a person known as “Yabuki Joe”… Can this man be Kenji?
• Chapter 3: Oh, Daughter - Kanna explains what has happened to her since the beginning of the Friend Era.
• Chapter 4: Everybody’s Strong - Otcho does all he can to stop Kanna, even by telling her that he thinks that there is a chance that Kenji is still alive.
• Chapter 5: Come Together - Kanna makes her decision.
• Chapter 6: Get Up! Stand Up, Joe!! - Officer Chono and the other Friend officers confront Yabuki Joe.
• Chapter 7: Encore! Encore!! - Kanna finds out that something dire has happened to her followers.  Meanwhile, Officer Chono is inspired by Yabuki Joe!
• Chapter 8: Starting to Change the World - Otcho and Kanna are captured!
• Chapter 9: What Should Not Be Seen - Maruo and Namio discover something about Manjome Inshu.
• Chapter 10: What Should Not Be Heard – Who is the child that came across Manjome Inshu?
• Chapter 11: What Should Not Be Known - A new twist revealed by Manjome Inshu.

We sensed that after reading volume 16 & 17 and seeing how Japan has gone through chaos since the Friend Era, that things were not going to be the same.

We learned of what happened to Otcho during the Friend Era and seeing the carnage as people killed each other in order to get a vaccine from the deadly virus and we were treated with teasers of possibly Kenji being alive.

With volume 18, it takes a step forward in furthering the tease that Kenji is still alive…but is he the same man as “Yabuki Joe”?  Also, we learn about what has happened to Kanna since the first year of the Friend Era and that she has become cold and bitter because of so many friends she has lost due to the Friends.

But we expected those things to happen as part of the progression from the last two volumes covering the Friend Era, but there is so much more story to be told of what happened to Yoshitsune and friends but also these twists that Urasawa has planted in this latest volume.  One being the Yabuki Joe storyline in which so many followers (ala hippies) have joined in following the singer in his nationwide tour.  But yet this person sings variations of Kenji’s song, so it may or may not be him that is being heard on the radio.

But possibly the biggest twist was the final page of volume 18 which I best not spoil for readers of this wonderful manga series!   Suffice to say, the unveiling of that final page definitely showcases a major change that definitely sets things up for the final four volumes of the series.

I personally don’t know what is going to happen now, especially with these twists.  Needless to say, this volume really has me excited in seeing how things play out for the final volumes because the storyline not only has gotten exciting but this time, our heroes are in so much despair at this point in time that all hope seemed to be lost, that is until Otcho and Kanna hear Kenji’s song being played on the radio, albeit a new version of the song.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” just gets better and better and as we now are nearing the final stretch of the series, one can only wonder what Naoki Urasawa has planned. And I’m guessing that we are going to see a lot of deaths and possible demise of several main characters.

Featuring wonderful illustration and awesome storytelling, which Naoki Ursawa is known for, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys Vol. 18″ is awesome! And I emphasize “AWESOME!”. Every chapter in this volume just builds and builds to the final shot and you can’t help but be surprised!

As always, Naoki Urasawa knows how to grab the attention of the reader. His artwork and how he is able to capture the sense of action and emotion through the pages is magnificent and so far, this series has been engrossing and highly enjoyable thus far.

If you have been following this series this long, you’re probably as addicted as I am and can’t wait until the next volume. “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 18″ is highly recommended!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 17 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

What has happened to Japan since the resurrection of the Friend… Chaos!  In this latest volume, we learn how bad the chaos is on the other side of Japan, while learning of what has happened to a few characters since the resurrection.   Without spoiling anything… let’s just say volume 17 of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” is awesome!!!  Overall, if you have been following this fantastic manga series, vol. 17 is highly recommended!

 

Image courtesy of © 2003 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 17

STORY AND ART BY: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on October 11, 2011

 

It is the third year of the Friendship Era. Darkness covers the earth, and the world is under the control of evil. The Friend has become President of the World, and he reigns from within the enclosed walls of Tokyo City. Most people believe in the Friend, but hidden below the surface is a small ray of hope. Someone known as the Ice Queen is calling for the people to rise up, and she has deemed August 20 the day to take up arms… but can anyone really stop this nightmare?

Justice Never Dies.

The words that came from the mouth of a young Kenji back in the 1970′s.

But Japan has since changed since the resurrection of the friend.  In volume 16, we were introduced to a future where Japan was divided, a wall was put up and the years were now known as “The Friends Era”.  What has happened to Japan?  That is the big question many people may have with the last volume, where an injured Otcho was found by two children who have chosen to risk their lives to help him.

Well, hold on to your seats “20th Century Boys” fans as that question is revealed in this latest volume from Naoki Urasawa!

But some of you may be wondering…who is Naoki Urasawa?

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 manga classic. And now the the seventh volume of the popular manga series has been released by Viz Media.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” follows a group of friends when they were as children and the present time as adults. When these friends were children, they played a group of super heroes who would take down evildoers. But first, they needed to come up with their own storyline and scenarios of the bad things the evil side would do and how they, as superheroes would have to conquer the evil bad guys.

This plot of what the evil group would do was written down in a little guide which they called “The Prophecy”. As for the group, they devised a symbol of their group. But now many years later, this symbol has re-emerged as the symbol of a religious cult who may be behind terrorist activities.

Kenji and friends tried their best to stop the Friends but something happened on December 31, 2000 and fourteen years later, Kenji and friends are seen as the terrorists and the Friends have now further permeated into society worldwide.

What we know of December 31, 2000… Many lives were lost and although Kenji and his friends did what they can to stop the Friend’s giant robot from killing people in the city. They were blamed for it and since then have been reviled as the terrorists who massacred innocent people (when it was actually “the Friends” who were responsible).

And 15 years later, the Friends have used the massacre to grow their cult and to take control of society, politics, law enforcement and have their foot in the door worldwide.

But for friends of Kenji who survived that fatal day, they will continue to do what they can to defeat their friends in the honor of their friend Kenji and save the world. The last volume featured Kanna, who is now a teenager who will never forget her uncle and is investigating any details or leads to her uncle Kenji but also her mother and possible father.

In volume 17, without spoiling on the details of what has happened, we can easily get into what happened to Japan.  When the Friend was resurrected, he literally took control of Japan.   Those who were there at the Japan Expo to witness the resurrection were given a vaccine against the virus and live in one half of Japan, while those who didn’t go, were all forced to live on the other side of Japan where only a few vaccines were given out and of course, because of that, chaos.

In volume 16, we saw how Otcho was being sneaked into Shinjuku courtesy of two children but unfortunately, the soldiers working for the Friends have discovered their ruse and now they are on the run.

Meanwhile, we get to find out what has happened to several other characters of the Kenji faction since the resurrection of the Friend.

“20th CENTURY BOYS” features the following characters:

Kanna Endo: The daughter of Kenji’s missing sister. She is now a 17-year-old teenager who tries to keep her missing uncle Kenji in her memories.  In the Friend Era, she is known as the “White Queen”.

Chono Shohei – A freshman detective following his grandfather’s footsteps of being a great detective and to have the name “Cho-san”. In the Friend Era, he is stationed to work and watch over farmers.

Kamisama - The homeless man who had visions of what Kenji should be doing and would relay it to him but 14 years later, he has become millionaire.

Kyoko Koizumi - A high school student who has helped the Kenji faction and is now working for a music company searching for talent during the Friend Era.

Otcho – One of Kenji’s friends who escaped from prison to reunite and help Kanna.  Now on the run during the Friend Era and was able to make it through the wall.

Maruo – A friend of Kenji who now works at a music company and has used his position to help the Kenji faction.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 17 (spoiler-less summaries):

• Chapter 1: Global Defense Force - Otcho and the two children: Sanae and Katsuo with the help of Kamisama must escape from the Friend’s soldiers.
• Chapter 2: Go, Katsuo! - The children must split up!  Sanae must find the Ice Queen and Katsuo must find Father Nitani.
• Chapter 3: Much Despair - The kids try to find who they are looking for, while Otcho learns from Kamisama.
• Chapter 4: Ice Queen - Sanae meets with the “White Queen” who turns out to be…
• Chapter 5: Beginning of Despair - The history of how Japan was split during the Friend Era.
• Chapter 6: Mid-Journey - Otcho learns quickly of how the introduction of few vaccines to the vaccine-less side of Japan had led to chaos.
• Chapter 7: Heaviness of Travel - Otcho’s experience on the other side of Japan and encountered chaos.
• Chapter 8: Officers at the End of the World - We learn what has happened to Officer Chono since the resurrection.
• Chapter 9: Song at the End of the World - Officer Chono learns from the farmers that something is happening..
• Chapter 10: Summer Homework – Sanae tries to convince the “White Queen’s” people to not pursue what they are doing or they will get hurt.
• Chapter 11: Encounter at the Crossroads: Cross-Counter - We learn what has happened to Maruo and Koizumi and the return of a character.

With volume 16 explaining the history of the Friend and taking the readers forward three years since his resurrection, we know that Japan has undergone through a major transformation.

What kind of transformation?  We find out in volume 17 as we learn how Japan has headed straight into chaos as those who were present at the Japan Expo were kept to one side of Japan, while those who weren’t, were forced to live on the other side, told that they will die from the virus and then introducing vaccines to stir up chaos… people killing each other, people killing neighbors, friends, family in order to stay alive.  And Otcho has witnessed it all.

While I don’t want to reveal too much of what happened in this volume, we do get to see what has happened to a few characters since the resurrection but how Kenji’s music becomes instrumental in the fight against the Friend.

But saying anything else will be a major spoiler because big things do happen in this volume and fans of the manga series will definitely be satisfied as we can only expect that from volume 18 and on…things are going to get crazy!

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” just gets better and better and as we now are nearing the final stretch of the series, one can only wonder what Naoki Urasawa has planned. And I’m guessing that we are going to see a lot of deaths and possible demise of several main characters.

Featuring wonderful illustration and awesome storytelling, which Naoki Ursawa is known for, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys Vol. 17″ is awesome! And I emphasize “AWESOME!”.  Every chapter in this volume just builds and builds to the final shot and you can’t help but smile.

As always, Naoki Urasawa knows how to grab the attention of the reader. His artwork and how he is able to capture the sense of action and emotion through the pages is magnificent and so far, this series has been engrossing and highly enjoyable thus far.

If you have been following this series this long, you’re probably as addicted as I am and can’t wait until the next volume.  “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 17″ is highly recommended!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 16 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Every hero and every villain has their own personal backstory of how they became evil or what led them to that direction.  Volume 16 is that certain volume that looks into the past of Fukube Hattori, a young boy who would end up becoming “The Friend”.  What led him to that direction?  Many answers are revealed in this latest volume but also introducing even more mysteries as well.  Overall, if you have been following this fantastic manga series, vol. 16 is highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2003 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 16

STORY AND ART BY: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on August 16, 2011

Contrary to what his actions as an adult have led Kenji and his pals to believe, back when they were children, Fukube really wanted to be their friend. Fukube even went so far as to let them read all the latest manga magazines he diligently purchased in the hope of winning their friendship. Despite all this, Fukube still felt like an outsider. Fostering a sense of superiority toward all the other children around him, how did Fukube’s actions as a little boy serve as an indication of the kind of man he would eventually become?

Next, the clock is rolled forward to the third year of the Friendship Era, a frightening time in which the virus has decimated most of the world’s population, and the vaccine is available only to a lucky few. Tokyo has been quarantined behind a giant wall that is patrolled by both the Global Defense Forces and the Friend’s secret police, and yet while life on the inside is made to resemble Kenji’s childhood from the 1960s, the world beyond the wall is a desolate wasteland. Two young siblings come to the aid of an injured man who has managed to break through the barricade, and his name is Otcho!

Every villain or antagonist has their story.  What made them that way.  What made them pursue a life of evil.

While the Friend is looked at as a savior to humanity, for those who survived in Kenji’s group, it is known that the Friend is not a true friend to humanity, he wants to bring death to it.

With volume 16 of Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, we finally learn the history and background of The Friend, what took place when a young Donkey went up to the classroom and jumped stories high to escape, but who influenced the Friend to be what he is today.

And Naoki Urasawa’s wonderful series continues with this latest volume filled with some surprises.

But some of you may be wondering…who is Naoki Urasawa?

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 manga classic. And now the the seventh volume of the popular manga series has been released by Viz Media.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” follows a group of friends when they were as children and the present time as adults. When these friends were children, they played a group of super heroes who would take down evildoers. But first, they needed to come up with their own storyline and scenarios of the bad things the evil side would do and how they, as superheroes would have to conquer the evil bad guys.

This plot of what the evil group would do was written down in a little guide which they called “The Prophecy”. As for the group, they devised a symbol of their group. But now many years later, this symbol has re-emerged as the symbol of a religious cult who may be behind terrorist activities.

Kenji and friends tried their best to stop the Friends but something happened on December 31, 2000 and fourteen years later, Kenji and friends are seen as the terrorists and the Friends have now further permeated into society worldwide.

What we know of December 31, 2000… Many lives were lost and although Kenji and his friends did what they can to stop the Friend’s giant robot from killing people in the city. They were blamed for it and since then have been reviled as the terrorists who massacred innocent people (when it was actually “the Friends” who were responsible).

And 15 years later, the Friends have used the massacre to grow their cult and to take control of society, politics, law enforcement and have their foot in the door worldwide.

But for friends of Kenji who survived that fatal day, they will continue to do what they can to defeat their friends in the honor of their friend Kenji and save the world. The last volume featured Kanna, who is now a teenager who will never forget her uncle and is investigating any details or leads to her uncle Kenji but also her mother and possible father.

In Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” volume 15, we saw a mysterious man (or men) in gas masks walking with a suitcase. Can these people be responsible for the virus attacks that are killing people all over the world?  Also, there is a man riding a moped with a guitar on his back? Could it be Kenji? But isn’t Kenji dead? Hmm…

While the 16th volume doesn’t kick off right after what took place in volume 15, it does explore the psyche of the Friend and getting to know the person behind the mask and what took place when they were younger, the discovery of the prophecy but also fast forwarding to Year 3 of the Friendship Era (not known how much time has past) but we seen an older Otcho and what had taken place in Japan since then.

“20th CENTURY BOYS” features the following characters:

Kanna Endo: The daughter of Kenji’s missing sister. She is now a 17-year-old teenager who tries to keep her missing uncle Kenji in her memories by listening to his music (rather loudly) and works at a restaurant and is very protective over her friends and her living area. Has street smarts and adopted her guardian, Yukiji’s fighting spirit and not afraid of anything.

Yukiji: The only member of Kenji’s group who wasn’t part of the New Year’s Eve devastation as Kenji left young Kanna with her to raise in case if something went bad. Yukiji is the guardian of Kanna.

Chono Shohei – A freshman detective following his grandfather’s footsteps of being a great detective and to have the name “Cho-san”. Is always interested in Kanna but she and him are like fire and water and as he tries to get along with her, he now believes in Kanna that there is corruption in the police.

Mariah – A transvestite friend of Kanna who is trying to help her.

Ujiko Ujio – Manga artists who are neighbors of Kanna.

Kakuta - A manga artist who was friends with Ujiko and Ujio who has been given prison time for his manga work which goes against the rules by “the Friends”.

Kamisama - The homeless man who had visions of what Kenji should be doing and would relay it to him but 14 years later, somehow he has become a millionaire.

Kyoko Koizumi - A high school student who selects Japan’s notorious terrorist Kenji Endo as the historic figure for her homework. She finds herself in Friend Land.

Otcho – One of Kenji’s friends who escaped from prison to reunite and help Kanna.

Yoshitsune – A friend of Kenji who used his position as a cleaner at Friend Land to spy on the Friends.

Mon-Chan - One of Kenji’s friends who died while trying to gather information on the Friend’s conspiracy.

Keroyon – Also known as “Froggy”, one of Kenji’s friends who got married and is now living in the USA.

Sadakiyo – A childhood acquaintance of Kenji who always wore a mask. At first he is thought of as the Friend but he is a guy who is the director of the Friend museum and works with them.

Manjome Inshu – Top cadre of the Friends organization and head of the Friendship and Democracy Party.

Director Takasu – A Dream Navigator at Friend Land.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 16 (spoiler-less summaries):

• Chapter 1: End of the Rainbow - How a young Hattori Fukube became the Friend.
• Chapter 2: A Real Friend - How the young Friend learned about deception.
• Chapter 3: Beyond the Looking Glass - Who is the faceless person…
• Chapter 4: The Truth of Hanging Hill - The Friend tries to pull of a prank…
• Chapter 5: A Real Ghost - Does a real ghost exist on Hanging Hill?
• Chapter 6: Superhuman - The Friend shows off his mysterious abilities.
• Chapter 7: Friendship Era - How much Japan has changed during the Friendship Era.
• Chapter 8: Pole Vaulter - Two children try to help out Otcho.
• Chapter 9: Modern History - One child wonders if Otcho is Hulk Hogan but what happens when Otcho hears a voice coming from a television set during the mandatory TV shut-off.
• Chapter 10: Kids’ Talk – The kids try to sneak Otcho into Shinjuku.
• Chapter 11: Toy Chest- The Friends soldiers try to capture Otcho and the children.

Every hero and every villain has their backstory.

Volume 16 is the backstory of The Friend and how a young Fukube Hattori, who tried to fit in with Kenji and his group, was never included with their group of friends but how deep inside, for some reason, he had a dark side to him.

With every revelation, there is something new being introduced to add to the twist.  We know of the Friend’s ability to bend spoons and we have seen his ability to come back alive (which is shown again in this volume but the Friend at a younger age).  But what many may be wondering is how the Friend was able to get those abilities.

And thus lies the mystery…who is the faceless ghost that is seen throughout this volume?  A figment of the Friend’s imagination or did the Friend really come into contact with something supernatural?

We also get the big reveal of what happened to Donkey when he went back to the lab and saw something that scared him.  We also find out why a few people ended up joining the Friend while they were younger and the plans they had in making the Prophecy a reality for 2000.

But fast forward to a new Japan under the rule of The Friend, self-imposed government rules on the people, a wall built to separate Japanese who are loyal to the Friends and those who may not be loyal on the other side.

What has happened to Japan in the past few years?  We get a glimpse of a Japan that is no longer the same and an older Otcho is trying to survive in this new era.

Could it be that the Friend is planning something more devious…perhaps the extinction of humankind?

Suffice to say, Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” just gets better and better and as we now are nearing the final stretch of the series, one can only wonder what Naoki Urasawa has planned. And I’m guessing that we are going to see a lot of deaths and possible demise of several main characters.

Featuring wonderful illustration and awesome storytelling, which Naoki Ursawa is known for, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys Vol. 16″ is awesome! While it doesn’t continue where the last volume left off in storyline, it does give use the back story of the Friend but also how Japan has changed completely since the Friend began ruling the country.

As always, Naoki Urasawa knows how to grab the attention of the reader. His artwork and how he is able to capture the sense of action and emotion through the pages is magnificent and so far, this series has been engrossing and highly enjoyable thus far.

If you have been following this series this long, you’re probably as addicted as I am and can’t wait until the next volume.

Overall, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 16″ is highly recommended!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 15 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Volume 15 of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” features the return of The Friend and a mysterious person that loves to carry around his guitar!  Overall, Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” is definitely one of the best manga series out there and if you want suspense, mystery and a storyline that is so addicting, you can’t go wrong with this manga series! Highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2003 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 15

STORY AND ART BY: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on June 21, 2011

Sorting through the volumes of research his dearly departed mentor left behind, a young priest, recently returned to Rome, stumbles across a mysterious (and potentially dangerous) book that prophesizes the end of the world. Uncertain as to the text’s true meaning, Brother Luciano’s search quickly leads him to a startling revelation: the Friends may have operatives inside the Vatican, and the young priest’s life is most likely now in danger.

Around the globe, the mysterious and deadly virus continues to spread as the death toll mounts. However, Kanna, Otcho and Yoshitsune have another concern: despite what is being reported in the media, several people have claimed to see the Friend alive and walking the streets of Tokyo. But what does this bode for the pope’s visit to Japan and the 2015 World Exposition in Tokyo?

Millions are in mourning of the Friend’s death.

But in the last volume, Otcho and a few others swear they saw the Friend walking around, including members of his own staff.

What is going on?  It’s not a surprise if the Friend would resurrect himself as he had done it before, but what is he up to?

Meanwhile, with the Pope now planning to visit the Friend, Kanna and friends wonder, is the Friend planning to assassinate the Pope himself?  What is going on?

That is the question that will be answered in the 15th volume of “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS”!

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 manga classic. And now the the seventh volume of the popular manga series has been released by Viz Media.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” follows a group of friends when they were as children and the present time as adults. When these friends were children, they played a group of super heroes who would take down evildoers. But first, they needed to come up with their own storyline and scenarios of the bad things the evil side would do and how they, as superheroes would have to conquer the evil bad guys.

This plot of what the evil group would do was written down in a little guide which they called “The Prophecy”. As for the group, they devised a symbol of their group. But now many years later, this symbol has re-emerged as the symbol of a religious cult who may be behind terrorist activities.

Kenji and friends tried their best to stop the Friends but something happened on December 31, 2000 and fourteen years later, Kenji and friends are seen as the terrorists and the Friends have now further permeated into society worldwide.

What we know of December 31, 2000… Many lives were lost and although Kenji and his friends did what they can to stop the Friend’s giant robot from killing people in the city. They were blamed for it and since then have been reviled as the terrorists who massacred innocent people (when it was actually “the Friends” who were responsible).

And 15 years later, the Friends have used the massacre to grow their cult and to take control of society, politics, law enforcement and have their foot in the door worldwide.

But for friends of Kenji who survived that fatal day, they will continue to do what they can to defeat their friends in the honor of their friend Kenji and save the world. The last volume featured Kanna, who is now a teenager who will never forget her uncle and is investigating any details or leads to her uncle Kenji but also her mother and possible father.

In Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” volume 15 focuses on Kanna, Otcho and friends trying to guess what the Friend’s next move is.  Having seen him walk around the city and prove that he is very much alive, they try to understand what is the correlation between the prophecy of the Friend about the end of the world at the end of 2015, the assassination of the Pope and how this all fits into the Friend’s plan?  What is he up to?

Meanwhile, in other areas around the world, we start to learn about a mysterious man (or men) in gas masks walking with a suitcase.  Can these people be responsible for the virus attacks that are killing people all over the world?

Also, there is a man riding a moped with a guitar on his back? Could it be Kenji?  But isn’t Kenji dead? Hmm…

“20th CENTURY BOYS” features the following characters:

Kanna Endo: The daughter of Kenji’s missing sister. She is now a 17-year-old teenager who tries to keep her missing uncle Kenji in her memories by listening to his music (rather loudly) and works at a restaurant and is very protective over her friends and her living area. Has street smarts and adopted her guardian, Yukiji’s fighting spirit and not afraid of anything.

Yukiji: The only member of Kenji’s group who wasn’t part of the New Year’s Eve devastation as Kenji left young Kanna with her to raise in case if something went bad. Yukiji is the guardian of Kanna.

Chono Shohei – A freshman detective following his grandfather’s footsteps of being a great detective and to have the name “Cho-san”. Is always interested in Kanna but she and him are like fire and water and as he tries to get along with her, he now believes in Kanna that there is corruption in the police.

Mariah – A transvestite friend of Kanna who is trying to help her.

Ujiko Ujio – Manga artists who are neighbors of Kanna.

Kakuta - A manga artist who was friends with Ujiko and Ujio who has been given prison time for his manga work which goes against the rules by “the Friends”.

Kamisama - The homeless man who had visions of what Kenji should be doing and would relay it to him but 14 years later, somehow he has become a millionaire.

Kyoko Koizumi - A high school student who selects Japan’s notorious terrorist Kenji Endo as the historic figure for her homework. She finds herself in Friend Land.

Otcho – One of Kenji’s friends who escaped from prison to reunite and help Kanna.

Yoshitsune – A friend of Kenji who used his position as a cleaner at Friend Land to spy on the Friends.

Mon-Chan - One of Kenji’s friends who died while trying to gather information on the Friend’s conspiracy.

Keroyon – Also known as “Froggy”, one of Kenji’s friends who got married and is now living in the USA.

Sadakiyo – A childhood acquaintance of Kenji who always wore a mask. At first he is thought of as the Friend but he is a guy who is the director of the Friend museum and works with them.

Manjome Inshu – Top cadre of the Friends organization and head of the Friendship and Democracy Party.

Director Takasu – A Dream Navigator at Friend Land.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 15 (spoiler-less summaries):

• Chapter 1: Trite Book of Prophecies - A priest in Italy is looking into the death of Father Perrin and the mysterious book he was researching.  The more deeper the priest goes, the more he begins to find something wrong.
• Chapter 2: Trite Japanese- When the priest Luciano begins to look into the mysterious death of Father Perrin, he becomes the wanted.
• Chapter 3: Tattooed Man - Luciano is being held by Japanese authorities and who to brief him but Kanna’s police friend, Chocho.
• Chapter 4: Writhing Truth -  Kanna and her Uncle Kenji’s friends start to figure out why they saw the Friend walking around Japan.  Is he alive?  What is his plan?
• Chapter 5: Bravery in 2001 - Kanna’s priest friend (a former yakuza member) tells her how the Pope saved him and made him become a priest.
• Chapter 6: Farewell in 2011 - The priest continues the story of how the Pope saved him and made him become a priest.
• Chapter 7: What a Wonderful World - Otcho and friends and the gangs in Japan are working together to protect the Pope when he arrives to Japan.  All fearing that the Killer named No. 13 will assassinate him.
• Chapter 8: Greatest Show of All Time - Worried that No. 13 will assassinate the pope, everyone tries to look for him, meanwhile protecting the pope.
• Chapter 9: Gas Masked Salesman - As Kanna, Otcho and friends mobilize to Expo 2015 in fears that the No. 13 is up to something terrible, reports are coming in of a man with a gas mask walking with a suitcase.
• Chapter 10: Time Limit – In the United States, Keroyon learns about a man in a gas mask with a suitcase walking from city to city.  Can he be the person responsible for the virus attacks?
• Chapter 11: Expo Hurry – All eyes on Expo 2015 as the Pope gives his speech on The Friend.  Will the Friend assassinate the Pope?
• Chapter 12: This Side of the Rainbow – The plan revealed…the Friend is resurrected but not to assassinate the pope but something that will make the world think that he is a god.  Meanwhile, who is the guy riding a moped with a guitar on his back?

The latest volume of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” can be considered the return of the protagonist and the antagonist.

For many issues, we have seen the Friend show his awesome power to the masses, die and then to be resurrected and then killed once again.  But now his plan has probably won worldwide support and it’s going to be very interesting to see how Kenji’s friends can even show how much of a fraud that the Friend is as everyone is probably going to believe that the Friend is a deity.

Meanwhile, with everyone talks about the return of the Friend, one makes you wonder if the man we see with the guitar is who we think it is.  A man who has been missing from the manga series for many issues but yet, have many people who believed in him continuing their mission to stop the Friend.  I’m talking about Kenji…but Kenji hasn’t been seen for nearly two decades?  Isn’t he dead?

Needless to say, this latest issue is going to cause excitement for those who know that the end is coming near for the series and we will eventually, or hopefully see a final confrontation between possibly Kenji and friends vs. the Friend and his minions.

It’s too early to say right now but what prophecy that the Friend had made, the world is to end in 2015 and many are realizing that the time is coming soon in which they have to be careful on what they plan if this prophecy is to become reality.

Meanwhile, we also get to see the return of Keroyon and to see him carrying on Kenji’s mission by trying to help people in the United States and possibly stop this mysterious person in a gas mask who may be responsible of unleashing the virus in many cities.

Suffice to say, Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys”  just gets better and better and as we now are nearing the final stretch of the series, one can only wonder what Naoki Urasawa has planned.  And I’m guessing that we are going to see a lot of deaths and possible demise of several main characters.

Featuring wonderful illustration and awesome storytelling, which Naoki Ursawa is known for, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys Vol. 15″ is awesome! With seven more volumes left in the manga series, I can’t help but be excited of how things will end.

As always, Naoki Urasawa knows how to grab the attention of the reader. His artwork and how he is able to capture the sense of action and emotion through the pages is magnificent and so far, this series has been engrossing and highly enjoyable thus far.

If you have been following this series this long, you’re probably as addicted as I am and can’t wait until the next volume.

Overall, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 15″ is highly recommended!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 14 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Volume 14 of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” reveals the mystery of what the character Donkey saw inside the lab and meanwhile, Yoshitsune, Kyoko and Kanna take a gamble by entering the virtual world.   Overall, Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” is definitely one of the best manga series out there and if you want suspense, mystery and storylines that are so addicting, you can’t go wrong with this manga series! Highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2003 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 14

STORY AND ART BY: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on April 19, 2011

As the entire planet grieves over the death of their beloved Friend, the remaining members of his inner circle continue to silence any and all dissenters. Dream Navigator Takasu believes that once they locate Kiriko – Kanna’s mother and Kenji’s older sister – Manjome Inshu will finally be in a position to control the entire world.

What happened in 1971?

This is the question that an older Yoshitsune is asking himself as he tries to piece the past together.  1969 was when he and the group worked on the prophecy and created their makeshift hideout.  1970 was when they continued to have fun as friends.  But what was it about 1971 that changed the dynamics of things for the guys when they were younger?

That is the question that will be answered in the 14th volume of “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS”!

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 manga classic. And now the the seventh volume of the popular manga series has been released by Viz Media.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” follows a group of friends when they were as children and the present time as adults. When these friends were children, they played a group of super heroes who would take down evildoers. But first, they needed to come up with their own storyline and scenarios of the bad things the evil side would do and how they, as superheroes would have to conquer the evil bad guys.

This plot of what the evil group would do was written down in a little guide which they called “The Prophecy”. As for the group, they devised a symbol of their group. But now many years later, this symbol has re-emerged as the symbol of a religious cult who may be behind terrorist activities.

Kenji and friends tried their best to stop the Friends but something happened on December 31, 2000 and fourteen years later, Kenji and friends are seen as the terrorists and the Friends have now further permeated into society worldwide.

What we know of December 31, 2000… Many lives were lost and although Kenji and his friends did what they can to stop the Friend’s giant robot from killing people in the city. They were blamed for it and since then have been reviled as the terrorists who massacred innocent people (when it was actually “the Friends” who were responsible).

And 15 years later, the Friends have used the massacre to grow their cult and to take control of society, politics, law enforcement and have their foot in the door worldwide.

But for friends of Kenji who survived that fatal day, they will continue to do what they can to defeat their friends in the honor of their friend Kenji and save the world. The last volume featured Kanna, who is now a teenager who will never forget her uncle and is investigating any details or leads to her uncle Kenji but also her mother and possible father.

In Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” volume 14, the story focuses on Yoshitsune and Koizumi Kyoko as they take part in Friend Land’s virtual program and return to 1971.   With Koizumi being the only person who went in and successfully got out of it, she is a wanted person by the Friends but with teaming up with Kanna and the others, because she remembers and survived the virtual program earlier on, only she can help Yoshitsune.

But for Yoshitsune, once he arrives back in 1971, he realizes that the painful memories he had as a child are all coming back.  Remembering that the hideout that kept him and his friends together, was bulldozed by a man creating his own bowling empire.  Once that happened, Yoshitsune and his friends would never be the same.

Meanwhile, the people mourn the Friend’s death and members of the staff wonder who will assume the leadership position.

“20th CENTURY BOYS” features the following characters:

Kanna Endo: The daughter of Kenji’s missing sister. She is now a 17-year-old teenager who tries to keep her missing uncle Kenji in her memories by listening to his music (rather loudly) and works at a restaurant and is very protective over her friends and her living area. Has street smarts and adopted her guardian, Yukiji’s fighting spirit and not afraid of anything.

Yukiji: The only member of Kenji’s group who wasn’t part of the New Year’s Eve devastation as Kenji left young Kanna with her to raise in case if something went bad. Yukiji is the guardian of Kanna.

Chono Shohei – A freshman detective following his grandfather’s footsteps of being a great detective and to have the name “Cho-san”. Is always interested in Kanna but she and him are like fire and water and as he tries to get along with her, he now believes in Kanna that there is corruption in the police.

Mariah – A transvestite friend of Kanna who is trying to help her.

Ujiko Ujio – Manga artists who are neighbors of Kanna.

Kakuta - A manga artist who was friends with Ujiko and Ujio who has been given prison time for his manga work which goes against the rules by “the Friends”.

Kamisama - The homeless man who had visions of what Kenji should be doing and would relay it to him but 14 years later, somehow he has become a millionaire.

Kyoko Koizumi - A high school student who selects Japan’s notorious terrorist Kenji Endo as the historic figure for her homework. She finds herself in Friend Land.

Otcho – One of Kenji’s friends who escaped from prison to reunite and help Kanna.

Yoshitsune – A friend of Kenji who used his position as a cleaner at Friend Land to spy on the Friends.

Mon-Chan - One of Kenji’s friends who died while trying to gather information on the Friend’s conspiracy.

Keroyon – Also known as “Froggy”, one of Kenji’s friends who got married and is now living in the USA.

Sadakiyo – A childhood acquaintance of Kenji who always wore a mask. At first he is thought of as the Friend but he is a guy who is the director of the Friend museum and works with them.

Manjome Inshu – Top cadre of the Friends organization and head of the Friendship and Democracy Party.

Director Takasu – A Dream Navigator at Friend Land.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 14 (spoiler-less summaries):

• Chapter 1: Memorial - Millions of people worldwide mourn the death of the Friend.
• Chapter 2: The Real 1971 - Yoshitsune and Kyoko entered the virtual world and end up in 1971.
• Chapter 3: King of Evil - Yoshitsune remembers what led to the split up of his friends back in 1971…a man he calls the “King of Evil”.
• Chapter 4: Intruder - While Yoshitsune and Kyoko are in 1971 via the Friend’s virtual machine, someone else has entered and is moving towards Yoshitsune and Kyoko’s position.
• Chapter 5: Seeing Things - In the real world, people think they have spotted someone they know, while in the virtual world, Yoshitsune and Kyoko realize they are back on the day when Donkey went to the lab and saw something that freaked him out.  Who was it that Donkey encountered on that day?
• Chapter 6: Spoon Bender - The spoon bender revealed and Yoshitsune and Kyoko watch as Donkey prepares to enter inside the school.
• Chapter 7: Science Lab 1971 - The intruder of the virtual room is getting even closer to Yoshitsune and Kyoko at the elementary room, with no choice but to warn them, Kanna enters the virtual room.
• Chapter 8: Brush with the Past - Kanna enters the virtual room but instead of being near Yoshitsune and Kyoko, she ends up in the bedroom of her uncle Kenji when he was a young boy.
• Chapter 9: What Donkey Saw - The revelation of what Donkey saw inside the lab room that day.
• Chapter 10: Twisted Memory – While Yoshitsune and Kyoko watch alongside with Kanna on who entered the laboratory, what they see is Friend’s number two, Manjome enter the room.
• Chapter 11: My Summer Vacation – Another intruder has entered the virtual room and while Kyoko was able to be brought back, Yoshitsune runs into his past self in the virtual world.
• Chapter 12: A Boy and a Dream – With Yoshitsune being rescued from the virtual world, Kanna is still in there and she finds herself talking with Donkey.

It seems that I tend to always say with each review that each volume of “20th Century Boys” gets better and better, but its the truth. Naoki Urasawa is a wonderful mangaka and along with his wonderful artwork, his stories are well-crafted and he knows how to entice the readers with suspense.

Volume 14 is primarily a Yoshitsune, Kyoko and Kanna as they enter the virtual world of 1971, to find out that the virtual world is modeled exactly as things were back then.  In other words, it’s more than just the virtual world, it’s like they are going back in time.

But what makes this volume a bit different from the past volumes is the fact that it gets into more character development of Yoshitsune’s character.  We know that Yoshitsune was the shy boy of the group but what we don’t know is that there was a time when all friends of Kenji ended up going their own different direction because their hideout was destroyed.  The big reveal was who was responsible for the hideout being destroyed and of course, later in the chapters, what took place inside the laboratory when Donkey jumped off the school building after his encounter of whatever inside the lab.

In a way, this latest volume is slightly emotional was Yoshitsune realized that as a child, he was literally forgotten by his friends as they all went on to do things on their own.  May it be work at their family’s store or had different interest but for Yoshitsune, the hideout was the string that brought everyone together and just reliving the pain that he once had to go through, and then meeting with a young version of himself was touching.

Also, to see Kanna go back and meet people of that time period including a younger version of her Uncle Kenji and Donkey.

There are a few major questions that were answered in this book, mainly of what took place back in 1971.  But also, setting things up for vol. 15 as everyone seems to have spotted someone mysterious.  Who can it be?

Featuring wonderful illustration and awesome storytelling, which Naoki Ursawa is known for, “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys Vol. 14″ is awesome!  With eight more volumes left in the manga series, I can’t help but be excited of how things will end.

Another volume that is highly recommended!

VIZ MEDIA NOMINATED IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES FOR THE 2011 WILL EISNER COMIC INDUSTRY AWARDS

Naoki Urasawa, NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS and HOUSE OF FIVE LEAVES Nominated

San Francisco, CA, April 8, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announced today that two of its manga titles and one creator have been nominated in several categories for the 2011 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards for a total of 4 nominations, as announced by Comic-Con International on April 7, 2011.

Named for pioneering writer and comic artist Will Eisner, the awards recognize exemplary comics, graphic novels and other pop writings, and are given each year as part of the annual Comic-Con International convention. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 22nd during Comic-Con, at which VIZ Media will be a major exhibitor and participant in the programs offered. VIZ Media titles are consistently nominated for the Eisner Awards, and in 2008, took home the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Japan for TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE, by acclaimed creator Taiyo Matsumoto.

The nominated titles from VIZ Media are:

HOUSE OF FIVE LEAVES, by Natsume Ono
·         Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Asia

NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS, by Naoki Urasawa
·         Best Continuing Series
·         Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

In addition, Naoki Urasawa is nominated for Best Writer/Artist, for his work on NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS.

“We are thrilled that VIZ Media has several nominees for the prestigious Eisner Awards,” states Alvin Lu, SVP and General Manager, VIZ Media. “The Eisners highlight the best in the comics industry each year, and we are honored to be considered among such a diverse group of nominees.”

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 10 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Engrossing and highly entertaining. Definitely one of the must-buy, must-own manga titles available right now! “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys” is a manga series that continues to capture your attention and never feels like it’s getting old! Vol. 10 is a Kyoko Koizumi-centric storyline but we do have major revelations of who she saw in the virtual game room and also Kanna finding out her connection to “The Friend”.  Highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2003 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 10

STORY AND ART BY: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

RELEASE DATE: August 17, 2010

It appears that Kanna’s ambitious gamble has paid off as the leaders of the local Thai and Chinese mafias agree to both call a truce and offer to back her up. This doesn’t sit too well with Yukiji, though, who is furious that Kanna would risk her life in such a brazen way. But one thing seems certain: when it comes to fighting the Friends, there’s no limit to how far Kanna will go.

Meanwhile, Koizumi Kyoko begins following Kanna in an attempt to tell her about everything she learned while at Friend Land. Her behavior, however, does not go unnoticed by the Friends, and a menacing dream navigator suddenly appears to inform Kyoko that she will need to go to Friend World for further reeducation. Luckily for Kyoko, there are no immediate spaces available, but will she have enough time to get help from Kanna and Yoshitsune before her number is called?

For so long, readers of the Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” have wondered about Kenji Endo’s sister Kiriko. Why she left her daughter behind? Why she went missing? But now we get some of those answers in the latest 11th volume!

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 manga classic. And now the the seventh volume of the popular manga series has been released by Viz Media.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” follows a group of friends when they were as children and the present time as adults. When these friends were children, they played a group of super heroes who would take down evildoers. But first, they needed to come up with their own storyline of the bad things the evil side would do and how they, as superheroes would have to conquer evil.

This plot of what the evil group would do was written down in a little guide which they called “The Prophecy”. As for the group, they devised a symbol of their group. But now many years later, this symbol has re-emerged as the symbol of a religious cult who may be behind terrorist activities.

Kenji and friends tried their best to stop the Friends but something happened on December 31, 2000 and fourteen years later, Kenji and friends are seen as the terrorists and the Friends have now further permeated into society worldwide.

As the stories from 2014 have focused on Kanna as a teenager who will never forget her uncle, a few of Kenji’s friends have turned up. Some missing, some alive and some dead. One of the friends, Otcho (Samurai), has been kept in a high level security prison and put into an area that is pitch black and where he will never escape or see sunlight.

The story now takes place 14 years later after the New Year’s Eve incident. A new prophecy has since emerged and the Friends are after Kanna and Kyoko. Both are on the run. Volume 11 focuses on Kanna and Kyoko’s plight. We also learn details on what happened to Mon-Chan and the discovery of what had happen to Kiriko all these years. This latest volume features major revelations of Kanna’s last moments with Kenji on New Year’s Eve but also Kiriko’s experiments and who she worked for.

“20th CENTURY BOYS” features the following characters:

Kanna Endo: The daughter of Kenji’s missing sister. She is now a 17-year-old teenager who tries to keep her missing uncle Kenji in her memories by listening to his music (rather loudly) and works at a restaurant and is very protective over her friends and her living area. Has street smarts and adopted her guardian, Yukiji’s fighting spirit and not afraid of anything.

Yukiji: The only member of Kenji’s group who wasn’t part of the New Year’s Eve devastation as Kenji left young Kanna with her to raise in case if something went bad. Yukiji is the guardian of Kanna.

Chono Shohei – A freshman detective following his grandfather’s footsteps of being a great detective and to have the name “Cho-san”. Is always interested in Kanna but she and him are like fire and water and as he tries to get along with her, he now believes in Kanna that there is corruption in the police.

Mariah – A transvestite friend of Kanna who is trying to help her.

Ujiko Ujio – Manga artists who are neighbors of Kanna.

Kakuta - A manga artist who was friends with Ujiko and Ujio who has been given prison time for his manga work which goes against the rules by “the Friends”.

Kamisama - The homeless man who had visions of what Kenji should be doing and would relay it to him but 14 years later, somehow he has become a millionaire.

Kyoko Koizumi - A high school student who selects Japan’s notorious terrorist Kenji Endo as the historic figure for her homework. She finds herself in Friend Land.

Otcho – One of Kenji’s friends who escaped from prison to reunite and help Kanna.

Yoshitsune – A friend of Kenji who used his position as a cleaner at Friend Land to spy on the Friends.

Mon-Chan - One of Kenji’s friends who died while trying to gather information on the Friend’s conspiracy.

Sadakiyo – A childhood acquaintance of Kenji who always wore a mask. At first he is thought of as the Friend but he is a guy who is the director of the Friend museum and works with them.

Manjome Inshu – Top cadre of the Friends organization and head of the Friendship and Democracy Party.

Director Takasu – A Dream Navigator at Friend Land.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 10 (spoiler-less summaries):

Chapter 1: Truce - As the Friends and police search for Otcho, did Kana’s plan to reunite the two gangs and have them call a truce work?

Chapter 2: Crossroads - Kyoko Koizumi continues to have nightmares of the face she saw in the Friend’s virtual game world.

Chapter 3: Surveillance - Kyoko realizes that the Friends have been following her.

Chapter 4: New Teacher - Kyoko receives a mysterious call…

Chapter 5: Horror Explained - Kyoko finds out who her new English teacher is and what she sees is a major shock.

Chapter 6: Collector - Kyoko’s new English teacher Sadakiyo  takes her to his place.

Chapter 7: Hearing Voices - Sadakiyo keeps Kyoko at his home and he begins to freak her out.

Chapter 8: Friend’s Room - The Friend’s go after Sadakiyo but Sadakiyo has one thing he must do first.

Chapter 9: The Faceless Boy - Sadakiyo talks about why he wore the mask and how he became friends with the “Friend”.

Chapter 10: Faceless No More – Kyoko and Sadakiyo go to visit his old teacher.

Chapter 11: Thunder – Kanna learns the truth about who the “Friend” really is.

With the 10th volume of “Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys”, this volume is more Kyoko Koizumi-centric as the majority of the all chapters are about her.  But with her storyline, two major plot lines are revealed.  One, who was the face that she saw in the virtual game world and two, what relation “The Friend” has with Kanna.

Although, the latter is no surprise to the reader, as earlier volumes have shown us that Kanna’s mother (Kenji’s sister) was in a relationship with a man who is the friend and they had a child, the fact that her father is “The Friend” is revealed to her for the first time.  But also, we get to see how Yukiji has pretty much accepted Kanna as her own daughter and loves her as one as opposed to a friend of Kenji who raised her because he asked her to.

But the main storyline involves the identity of Sadakiyo, the young boy who was always wearing a mask.  In many ways, his character was a red herring because earlier on, we thought this boy with the mask was “The Friend”. But he turns out to be a person who had a deep connection with the Friend and it is revealed in this volume of what connection the two have.

Similar to an earlier volume which was Kyoko Koizumi-centric, some may be disappointed that the other characters were not as featured as much but in this case, it’s hard to be upset because we do get a little of Otcho, Yukiji and also Kanna but the revelations that are featured in this volume are quite important to the storyline and to see Sadakiyo seeing things in a new light because of Kyoko is quite intriguing.

Of course, this storyline continues in volume 11 and it will be interesting to see how the storyline continues.

As always, Naoki Urasawa knows how to grab the attention of the reader. His artwork and how he is able to capture the sense of action and emotion through the pages is magnificent and so far, this series has been engrossing and highly enjoyable thus far.

Needless to say, readers are being setup for something huge and I definitely can’t wait for the next volume. Overall, a gripping and exciting tenth volume of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS”. If you haven’t started already and you are looking for a deep, well-drawn, well-written manga series, Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” is highly recommended!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 13 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Volume 13: 16 years after the bloody New Year’s Eve, chaos has now returned but this time it has been unleashed throughout the world.  This latest volume of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” is fantastic!  Definitely one of the best manga series out there and if you want suspense, mystery and storylines that are so addicting, you can’t go wrong with this manga series!  Highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2003 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 13

STORY AND ART BY: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on February 15, 2011

The Friend is dead.  As the news spreads around the world, the members of the Friends’ executive committee are faced with a dilemma: Is it all over, or will the events predicted in the New Book of Prophecy still be carried out?  Otcho insists that things are not over at all, and that is exactly what his old nemesis – Number 13 – tells the fractious Friends’ committee, where quite a few members are prepared to call it quits.  Soon thereafter, certain members begin disappearing, one after the other.

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 manga classic. And now the the seventh volume of the popular manga series has been released by Viz Media.

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” follows a group of friends when they were as children and the present time as adults. When these friends were children, they played a group of super heroes who would take down evildoers. But first, they needed to come up with their own storyline and scenarios of the bad things the evil side would do and how they, as superheroes would have to conquer the evil bad guys.

This plot of what the evil group would do was written down in a little guide which they called “The Prophecy”. As for the group, they devised a symbol of their group. But now many years later, this symbol has re-emerged as the symbol of a religious cult who may be behind terrorist activities.

Kenji and friends tried their best to stop the Friends but something happened on December 31, 2000 and fourteen years later, Kenji and friends are seen as the terrorists and the Friends have now further permeated into society worldwide.

What we know of December 31, 2000… Many lives were lost and although Kenji and his friends did what they can to stop the Friend’s giant robot from killing people in the city. They were blamed for it and since then have been reviled as the terrorists who massacred innocent people (when it was actually “the Friends” who were responsible).

And 15 years later, the Friends have used the massacre to grow their cult and to take control of society, politics, law enforcement and have their foot in the door worldwide.

But for friends of Kenji who survived that fatal day, they will continue to do what they can to defeat their friends in the honor of their friend Kenji and save the world. The last volume featured Kanna, who is now a teenager who will never forget her uncle and is investigating any details or leads to her uncle Kenji but also her mother and possible father.

In Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS” volume 13, the story continues after the surprising death of “The Friend” who was gunned down by a former member of his circle.  But the biggest shock was the big reveal of who the Friend was…Fukube, one of Kenji’s classmates and a member of his circle… or was he?

With Kenji’s friends united once again, Yoshitsune, Maruo, Otcho and Yukiji try to remember if Fukube was even one of their own when they were kids.  Also, revealed is the connection between Japan’s popular singer Haru Namio and Kenji and also Kanna learns the truth about her mother Kiriko.

Meanwhile, internal strife hits the Friend’s Committee very hard and many vie for the position of their fallen leader.

“20th CENTURY BOYS” features the following characters:

Kanna Endo: The daughter of Kenji’s missing sister. She is now a 17-year-old teenager who tries to keep her missing uncle Kenji in her memories by listening to his music (rather loudly) and works at a restaurant and is very protective over her friends and her living area. Has street smarts and adopted her guardian, Yukiji’s fighting spirit and not afraid of anything.

Yukiji: The only member of Kenji’s group who wasn’t part of the New Year’s Eve devastation as Kenji left young Kanna with her to raise in case if something went bad. Yukiji is the guardian of Kanna.

Chono Shohei – A freshman detective following his grandfather’s footsteps of being a great detective and to have the name “Cho-san”. Is always interested in Kanna but she and him are like fire and water and as he tries to get along with her, he now believes in Kanna that there is corruption in the police.

Mariah – A transvestite friend of Kanna who is trying to help her.

Ujiko Ujio – Manga artists who are neighbors of Kanna.

Kakuta - A manga artist who was friends with Ujiko and Ujio who has been given prison time for his manga work which goes against the rules by “the Friends”.

Kamisama - The homeless man who had visions of what Kenji should be doing and would relay it to him but 14 years later, somehow he has become a millionaire.

Kyoko Koizumi - A high school student who selects Japan’s notorious terrorist Kenji Endo as the historic figure for her homework. She finds herself in Friend Land.

Otcho – One of Kenji’s friends who escaped from prison to reunite and help Kanna.

Yoshitsune – A friend of Kenji who used his position as a cleaner at Friend Land to spy on the Friends.

Mon-Chan - One of Kenji’s friends who died while trying to gather information on the Friend’s conspiracy.

Keroyon – Also known as “Froggy”, one of Kenji’s friends who got married and is now living in the USA.

Sadakiyo – A childhood acquaintance of Kenji who always wore a mask. At first he is thought of as the Friend but he is a guy who is the director of the Friend museum and works with them.

Manjome Inshu – Top cadre of the Friends organization and head of the Friendship and Democracy Party.

Director Takasu – A Dream Navigator at Friend Land.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 13 (spoiler-less summaries):

• Chapter 1: Missing From Memory - Kenji’s friends hear about “The Friend” and his true identity and they try to figure out if he was even part of their group when they were younger.
• Chapter 2: Friend’s Death - Kenji’s friends all reunite for the first time in 15 years.
• Chapter 3: Round Table - Internal strife at the Friend’s Committee when they find out about The Friend’s death.
• Chapter 4: Reunion - Kakuta reunites with his fellow manga friends.
• Chapter 5: Revelation of 2003 - Otcho tells Kanna the truth about his mother Kiriko and Yamane-san.
• Chapter 6: The Real Thing - The connection of Haru Namio and Kenji is revealed.  A virus is unleashed around the globe.
• Chapter 7: Beginning of the End - Kyoko Koizumi helps her friend check on her boyfriend who isn’t returning his message and finds all these people dead in the apartment complex.
• Chapter 8: Revenge of the Frogdoom (1) - The story shifts to the United States to Kenji’s old friend Keroyon aka Froggy and his teenage son who discover a boy nearly dying.
• Chapter 9: Revenge of the Frogdoom (2) - The boy tells Froggy about the story of how he was vaccinated by Kenji’s sister Kiriko.
• Chapter 10: A Quiet Town in Germany – A story about how Kiriko was living in Germany and trying to develop a vaccine and hiding out.
• Chapter 11: Creeping Fear – Chaos as many people who are healthy are trying to evacuate.  Meanwhile, Kyoko discovers who was responsible for killing her friend’s boyfriend.
• Chapter 12: New Command – A member of the Friend’s who was responsible for killing many by infecting people with the virus with poisoned fish goes after Kyoko and her friend.

It seems that I tend to always say with each review that each volume of “20th Century Boys” gets better and better, but its the truth.   Naoki Urasawa is a wonderful mangaka and along with his wonderful artwork, his stories are well-crafted and he knows how to entice the readers with suspense.

Each chapter continues to build with more mysteries and more shocking storylines and if you thought volume 12 was fantastic, volume 13 is excellent.

Nearly every character featured from the original, earlier storyline pre-2000 are featured in this 2016 storyline as we see reactions to the death of “The Friend” but then seeing the chaos that goes within the committee as those who vie for the top position in order to take the place of “The Friend”.  Some who are for it, some who are against it but all of a sudden, members of the committee are being killed one by one in accidents.

Meanwhile, we get to learn more about Kenji’s sister Kiriko who was a mysterious character throughout the series but we start to realize that her reasons for leaving Kanna behind were important.  Where Yamane-san was responsible for creating a killing virus, it was Kiriko’s job to create a vaccine, an antidote.  But Yamane has gone so far to create one killer virus that even she is not sure if she can stop it.

So, literally the storyline goes through one chaotic scene with people feeling the shock of the death of “The Friend” and then all of a sudden, chaos in the world as people are dying of a new virus with no antidote or vaccine.

While we get to see the reunion of Kenji’s friends, we also get to see the reappearance of Froggy, who is now living in the United States and I get a feeling that we will see more of him in future volumes.

Volume 13 of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” once again is exciting and a marvelous volume that I can’t wait for volume 14 because this latest volume leaves us with a cliffhanger and to see so much chaos, we wonder how are group of underdogs will manage to stay alive and continue in fighting the Friend’s and whoever unleashed the virus in the world.

With nine more volumes left of this popular manga series, this series really goes all out with this 13th volume and if you have not picked up this manga series yet, I’m telling you right now, this is one of the best out there and I highly recommend it!

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