Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 12 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Volume 12 is a gripping, exciting, pulse-pounding volume of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS”.  It just gets better and better!

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

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 12

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 21, 2010

Will 2015 bring an end to human history?! An urgent but mysterious messsage left by her mother Kiriko in 2002 finally reaches Kanna. But where is Kiriko, who developed the germ warfare weapons used on Bloody New Year’s Eve, and what is she doing now? Memories of New Years past flood the minds of Kenji’s friends and family. Will Yoshitsune’s clandestine actions eventually prove fruitful, or are they doomed to repeat the tragedies of the year 2000?

Meanwhile, Otcho and Kakuta are busily trying to track down Kiriko’s former colleague, Dr. Yamane. Unexpectedly, their search leads them to the very neighborhood that Otcho, Kenji, Maruo and the rest of their childhood pals grew up in. Can a visit to their old school shed new light on a bizarre incident that happened when they were all in the sixth grade?

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 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 12, we learn what has become of Kenji’s friend Maruo who has been missing since New Year’s Eve.  Maruo has now become an assistant to Japan’s most popular singer Haru Namio who appears to know much about Maruo’s pain and plight of wanting to get back at “The Friends”.

Meanwhile, Otcho and his manga-artist friend Kakuta go to Otcho’s old high school to investigate the details on the night their friend Donkey saw something suspicious (a ghost?) at their school a long time ago.  Meanwhile, Yoshitsune and Kiriko are hoping to get more details from Koizumi Kyoko who is being pursued by “The Friends” but also because she saw the true identity of “The Friend” while under their virtual machine.

But the biggest revelation is the identity of “The Friend” (or is it him?).

“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 12 (spoiler-less summaries):

Chapter 1: New Year’s Eve - It’s another New Year’s Eve, 15 years since Kenji and friends tried to prevent the Friend’s Armageddon and a time for those who survived the massacre to salute their fallen friends.

Chapter 2: Shrine Visit - We learn of what Maruo has been doing in the last 15 years and that he has been an assistant to the very popular singer Haru Namio.

Chapter 3: Suicide Bomber - Otcho and Kakuta do some investigating on Dr. Yamane.

Chapter 4: Secret Message - Otcho remembers a special message given to him by Yamane when they were children.

Chapter 5: Library - Otcho tells Kakuta about the day Donkey discovered something scary and alarming at school.

Chapter 6: Science Lab - Yukiji and Yoshitsune try to help Kyoko with her memory of what she saw in the virtual machine.

Chapter 7: By the Light of the Alcohol Lamp - Otcho and Kakuta discover someone waiting for them inside the classroom.  Who is this mysterious man?

Chapter 8: The Men Who… - The mysterious man turns out to be Yamane who tells Otcho that he has been trying to escape the Friend’s for a very long time and what type of job he was doing.

Chapter 9: Gunshot (1) - Haru was able to meet the Friend and see his true identity which alarms Maruo.

Chapter 10: Gunshot (2) – Yoshitsune and Yukiji remember important details surrounding their past.

Chapter 11: Gunshot Explained – Could it be?…The Friend has come to kill Yamane, Otcho and Kakuta?  Meanwhile, Kanna arrives to the school and has a memory from the past.

Chapter 12: Friendly Face – It’s January 1, 2015 and Maruo has just arrived to see Kana but both hear gunshots?  Who dies?

The suspense continues to build with the latest volume of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS”.

For so long, many have wondered what happened to Maruo and finally, this latest volume shows us that despite meeting financial success, since the massacre, Maruo continues to mourn for Kenji and friends.

Also, this latest volume gets down to business as we learn of what Yamane has been doing with “The Friend”, more details on Kanna’s mother Kiriko (who had been missing) and also, a major revelation when the man, who may be “The Friend” is unmasked.  I’ll just say that I was surprised when the mask came off and who the person ended up being.  Wow!

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.  There was some major revelations but you can tell that things are going to continue to build and eventually leading us to hopefully the storyline that we all have been waiting for… what happened to Kenji?

Volume 12 is a gripping, exciting, pulse-pounding volume of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th CENTURY BOYS”.  It just gets better and better!

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!

Kingyo Used Books Vol. 2 by Seimu Yoshizaki (a J!-ENT Manga review)

Nostalgic, informative and delightful… “Kingyo Used Books” is a manga series features individual chapters that show how manga has influenced the lives of many people.  Highly recommended!

© 2005 Seimu Yoshizaki/Shogakukan. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: Kingyo Used Books Vol. 1 (金魚屋古書店)

STORY AND ART BY: Seimu Yoshizaki (芳崎 せいむ)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHOGAKUKAN, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Viz Signature

RATED: T for Older Teen

RELEASE DATE: October 19, 2010

A war story about the lives of three men – passed along by a man with the same name. A mysterious little girl discovers the work of a children’s author through manga. A sentimental tale set in a working-class neighborhood of Osaka. Who loves the other more the mother or the father? Poetic manga released at the start of every summer. For women and children only? And a popular science fiction story inspires young boys to take a train ride.

Nostalgic, informative and delightful…”Kingyo Used Books” is a unique manga series that focuses on how manga has changed or influenced the lives of people.

I’m sure there are forms of entertainment that have inspired people, may they be movies, animated shows, books, etc. But when you think about the culture of Japan, manga (Japanese comic books) are a big part of their culture. Before I became interested in manga back in the early ’90s, I grew up reading Marvel, DC and other independent comics from other publishers but at the time, the stigma of American comic books are of titles that people grew up with as a child and read and discarded when they grew older.

Things have changed today as these comic books now target the same audience that grew up with them and reflect that demographic but because of today’s distribution and availability, it only attracts a niche audience who seek it.

While in Japan, there is manga for everyone. Men, women, children… featured in magazines, featured in newspapers and it’s a big part of the culture that people have grown up with them and unlike the US, it’s everywhere. Go into a store and you can see many people reading manga, walk down the street and you can find a used-manga store, pick up a newspaper or magazine, you will see manga featured. Manga is a big part of that culture in Japan and I can easily say that it’s been part of my life for over 20 years.

Recently I have read “Kingyo Used Books” (known in Japan as “Kingyoya Koshoten”) by mangaka Seimu Yoshizaki (creator of “Aka-chan to Tenshi”, “Tekekinesis Yamanote TV Cinema”, “Ugokashiya”, “Dekaguru”). She began “Kingyo Used Books” back in 2004 and with ten graphic novels currently published in Japan, two volumes of the English translated manga have now been released in the US courtesy of Viz Media as part of their Viz Signature line.

The main storyline of the manga series revolves around a used bookstore known as “Kingyo Used Books” and how manga has influenced the lives of those who visit the store. Each chapter is a different storyline featuring different characters but with the staff of the book store remaining the same, as they try to help their customers.

Here is a spoiler-free synopsis of each chapter:

• CHAPTER 8: His View – A high school president is not so thrilled about his life but life changes for him when he finds a copy of Osamu Tezuka’s “Adolf ni Tsugu”.
• CHAPTER 9: Yes or No – A story of how the Sedori named Okadome met Kingyo Books’ Naoki Shiba.
• CHAPTER 10: The Other Side of the Window – A young girl who ran away from an adult watching over her, ends up at a woman’s home and wants the woman to read her Miyazawa Kenji’s “Mangakan”.
• CHAPTER 11: A Bundle of Papers – Natsuki-san of Kingyo Books tries to find her way and a purpose of working at the book store and takes part in a Used Book Fair to sell manga.
• CHAPTER 12: Dad Again - Natsuki-san’s father is visiting her and wants her to meet men who can be potential suitors and is introduced by Naoki a manga titled “Jarinko Chie”..
• CHAPTER 13: One Percent Man – A story about men who like love stories from the manga “Chiisana Koi no Monogatari” but one guy is afraid to buy it because others may not perceive him as a man.
• CHAPTER 14: Star Traveler – The song of the manga king lets his friend borrow a copy of the manga “Ginga Tetsudo 999″.
• I Want To Be Happy (Bonus Manga) – Billy and his grandfather meet a girl who wants to know what the mark on Shogakukan manga means.
• Kingyo Used Books Notebook – A section in which each manga that is featured in each chapter is further explained and how they are popular among manga collectors.

Last year, I was gushing about how “Oishinbo” was a manga series that made me so happy because it was so different, it was realistic in setting and dealt with how food influences people and the manga would even go further by letting people know more about the food and even give out recipes for people to try out at home.

So, to find another manga that definitely has a similar vibe of touching upon the nostalgia of manga, how it has influenced people but to also give information of these classic manga and its availability at used book stores and such, that was pretty awesome!

When it comes to entertainment…may it be books, animation, movies, video games or whatever, some people have a connection to these stories and some that really touch people more than they think. While the first volume seemed to be more dramatic and emotional, volume 2 tends to have stories in which the finale of the story may make the reader read the story all over again to see if they miss something.  Some may feel the stories don’t make sense while those who delve deeper into the meaning may understand it.  So, in someway, like an arthouse film with a non-traditional ending, you get some of that with a few of the chapters.

Also, making things a bit different compared to the last volume is the reappearance of characters.  The Kingyo staff primarily Natsuki and Naoki appear more in this volume and also we get to see Okadome, the sedori making a re-appearance not once but twice. And one storyline about him.  But I do like how the manga ends with the final chapter that deals with the Leiji Matsumoto manga “Ginga Tetsudo 999″.

Overall, “Kingyo Used Books” continues the storylines of how manga has helped or changed the lives of people.   And for me, manga has had an influence in my life and to read this series was so delightful and enjoyable and I know it has influenced the life of many others, not just in Japan, but for people all over the world.

Nostalgic, informative and delightful… “Kingyo Used Books” is a manga series features individual chapters that show how manga has influenced the lives of many people. This first volume has won me over and I can’t wait for the third  volume. Highly recommended!

Bleach Official Bootleg: Color Bleach Plus (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Fun and informative!  A special one shot featuring many one or two-panel color sketches featuring the characters of “Bleach” and an informative data guide book for those who are interested in the captains and assistant captains for each of the Thirteen Court Guard Companies.  If you are a hardcore fan of “Bleach”, “Bleach Official Bootleg: Color Bleach Plus” is definitely recommended!

© 2007 Tite Kubo. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: Bleach Official Bootleg: Color Bleach Plus

STORY AND ART BY: Tite Kubo (久保 宣章)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHUEISHA, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shonen Jump Manga

RATED: T for Older Teen

RELEASE DATE: August 10, 2010

An indispensable guidebook to the Soul Society, Color Bleach+: The Bleach Official Bootleg takes you behind the scenes in the shadowy world of the Soul Reapers. All 13 Court Guard Companies are covered in great detail and even popular how-to columns are reprinted inside, making this an essential manual for any Bleach fan. The book includes 72 pages of full-color manga.

“Bleach”… It’s definitely one of the most successful anime and manga titles in Japan and well-known to anime/manga fans all over the world.

“Bleach” has a strong fan following and since its run began back in 2001, series creator, writer and illustrator Noriaki “Tite” Kubo has been hard at work, continuing to crank chapter after chapter for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan and with the success of the series extending out to films, OVA’s, feature films and video games and other merchandise, one wonders if Kubo has the time do anything else.

So, as Kubo wrote in the introductory panel to “Bleach Official Bootleg: Color Bleach Plus”, Kubo said, “One day the ‘V Jump’ editorial department asked me to do ‘a one-page, one panel rough sketch of something I wasn’t able to draw while working on the regular series’.  For the first two that I drew, I followed the instructions and kept them to one panel, but before I knew it they had grown to seven panels and even to a two-page manga…it’s already been two years since I was strangling myself over that first series.  But a graphic novel has been released at last.”.

“Bleach Official Bootleg: Color Bleach Plus” is one of those titles that probably shouldn’t be thought of as regular manga but more as a bonus for fans of the series.

The first half focuses on “Illustrated Manuscript of Daily Idleness” which are color illustrations of the characters from “Bleach” and are one or two-pagers that deal with several topics.  For example, a scene of the Kurosaki family eating Korean BBQ.  In “Nanase Ise’s Valentine’s Day”, Captain Shunsui Kyoraku wants to have Valentine’s Day with her. Another features Renji and Kaien talking about what happens if their Zanpaku-to breaks.  Another with the female soul reapers talking about “Jump Festa” or New Year’s at the Kurosaki’s or New Year’s at the Shiba’s.

Pretty much, hilarious one or two pagers that are not canon with the series but just Tite Kubo having fun with the characters.

The second half of “Bleach Official Bootleg: Color Bleach Plus” is probably what many of the hardcore fans will enjoy and that is “The Complete Guide to the Thirteen Court Companies”.  A guide to all the Captains and Assistant Captain soul reapers.  Each character is featured with their battle data, character data, special notes and more.

Also, included is information on the Thirteen Court Gard Companies and what each Captain is looking for in hiring new soul reaper candidates.  A “Seiretei Report” featuring the real story of the intrusion of Ichigo Kurosaki to the Soul Society, a “Soul Reaper ABC Lesson” which is a general FAQ on soul reapers answered by Shuhei Sensei and finally a “Renji Abarai’s Let’s Do Shikai!!”, a guide to Zanpaku-to.

“Bleach Official Bootleg: Color Bleach Plus” concludes with a “Soul Reaper Academy Entrance Examination Question” quiz and a Thirteen Court Guard Companies Aptitude Test.

Overall, “Bleach Official Bootleg: Color Bleach Plus” is a pretty fun, informative book and for hardcore “Bleach” fans, the guide to the soul reapers and the Thirteen Court Companies is well-worth it.  It’s a pretty diverse book with a lot of fun and information and definitely a wonderful resource for fans of the popular manga and anime series.

Definitely recommended!

Honey Hunt volume 5 by Miki Aihara (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

More surprises are in store in the latest volume of “Honey Hunt”.  If you are a J-Pop or entertainment/pop culture fan, you will definitely want to pick up Miki Aihara’s “Honey Hunt”!  It’s addicting, emotional, dramatic, fun and just a wonderful manga series worth checking out!

Image courtesy of © Miki AIHARA/Shogakukuan, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: Honey Hunt Vol. 5

STORY AND ART BY: Miki Aihara (相原実貴)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shojo Beat

RATED: T for Older Teen

As Yura’s friends gather to celebrate the premiere of the first episode of her TV show, she’s nowhere to be seen. Having taken up Q-ta’s offer of a hot springs vacation, Yura finds herself alone with him in a luxurious hotel room. Is she prepared to go all the way with Q-ta, or will her manager Mizorogi spoil the fun once again…?

For J-Pop fans, whenever you can find manga that showcases Japanese dramas and Japanese music, it’s a rarity.  But for Miki Aihara, her last four volumes of “Honey Hunt” is a solid manga series that revolves around Japanese entertainment and pop culture.

I really enjoyed Miki Aihara’s “Hot Gimmick” manga series and I’m enjoying “Honey Hunt” even more.  Mainly because it is less dysfunctional and because the storyline revolves around the Japanese entertainment industry.

With a total of four volumes now available in the US courtesy of Viz Media under its Shojo Beat imprint, volume 5 is now here and the storyline starts to heat up even more because, not only is there a love triangle, now it seems there is a love square and possibly three guys vying for Yura’s attention.

For those not familiar with “Honey Hunt”, the manga series focuses on Yura Onozuka, a daughter of the very popular and beautiful actress Yukari Shiraki and popular musician Takayuki Onozuka, the first Japanese to win an Academy Award. Yura is quite normal and despite being the daughter of a popular actress and musician, she does not hone their entertainment skills and there is a lot of pressure and expectation from her teachers and students at school because of her talented parents.

While her father is staying in New York and her mother is always working, Yura confides to her friend/tutor Shin. Her best friend and a guy she thinks she’s attracted to. One time, while both were watching an interview on television with Yura’s mother Yukari, she sees how talented of an actress she is because she is able to lie about being a great mother despite having a busy schedule as an actress.

We seen Yura’s life made upside down with her mother’s announcement that she is divorcing her father. To make things even worst, her mother is sleeping with the guy that she likes. So, An infuriated Yura promises herself that she will get back at her mother, by being a better actress than her. And under the direction of her father’s manager Keiichi Mizorogi, Yura scores her first major part and that is for a major ramen commercial. In volume 2, Yura begins her try at acting and scores an audition for a popular ramen company which she gets the part.

The problem is Yura has her first reading for a drama based on her ramen character and she reads with major actress Rinko Koizumi (who doesn’t like Yura, because of her mother). While this is happening, we start to see Q-ta Minamitani (the popular singer of the music group Assha) starting to develop feelings for Yura while his rival/brother Haruka (popular singer of the idol group KNIGHTS) who is in the same commercial with Yura, doesn’t like all the attention she gives to Q-ta. With both brothers taking an interest in Yura, her manager Keiichi who is putting all his time and energy in making Yura a star has had enough. He now wants to make sure that Yura does not have any distractions but can he prevent Yura in seeing Q-ta?

And at the end of volume 4, Yura decides to leave with Q-ta without her manager knowing and lies to him.  Will their be ramifications for her lying to Keiichi?

Volume 5 shows us what happens when Yura runs off with Q-ta for the night but most of all, the question of why Yura’s mother is so cold to her is finally revealed in this new fifth volume of “Honey Hunt”.

Here is a spoiler-less summary of each chapter of “Honey Hunt” Vol. 5:

• CHAPTER 20 - Yura has run out with Q-ta for the entire night and Yura’s manager Keiichi is starting to worry.
• CHAPTER 21 - Yura returns back home but will her manager be upset with her?
• CHAPTER 22 – Yura’s drama ratings have surpassed her mother and now her mother is starting to worry.  The real reason why Yura’s mother despises Yura is revealed.
• CHAPTER 23 – Yura gets offered a new drama job but now her career may come to a halt when Q-ta does something that no one expects on live TV.
• CHAPTER 24 – The ramifications of Q-ta’s announcement is felt and Yura is shocked how it will affect her career.  Meanwhile, Q-ta’s brother Haruka is upset that his brother would try to damage Yura’s career.

Wow!  This fifth volume of “Honey Hunt” was very dramatic but as expected from Miki Aihara manga, there is always a love triangle…but a love square?  This will be interesting.

But I have to admit that the biggest shocker was in regards to Yura’s mother and beautiful actress Yukari Shiraki.  After reading this chapter of how Yura was mistreated, emotionally abused by her mother and made to feel like she was nothing and would do anything to hurt her daughter (not physically) was a big shock and if anything, I can see readers really getting behind Yura’s character and hoping that Yura surpasses her mother.  The revelation of how Yura was treated as a child and even called stupid and dumb by her own mother and her saying that in public was a shocker but the reasoning behind it was surprising.  I never expected it and once again, Miki Aihara continues to pull of the surprises!

If you have invested your time in reading of this manga, you definitely get a good idea of how things are in the Japanese entertainment industry and for those who do follow J-Pop stars and why relationships are usually squashed by the management, this latest volume can show how relationships for younger talent can easily cause problems.  May it be one aligned with a rival advertiser or competitor or whichever it may be, Yura is going to have to learn quick and I like how Aihara wrote the chapter about ramifications, responsibility and how her manager once again, saves her.

As for the artwork and character designs, I really enjoy Miki Aihara’s artwork on her previous manga series “Hot Gimmick!” and “Honey Hunt” is no exception. Also, the way that Miki Aihara draws the characters and incorporates that modern Tokyo street style into character’s fashion is pretty cool and I dig that!

Overall, “Honey Hunt” volume 5 is another captivating, deeply emotional but addicting volume that is definitely recommended!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 11 (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. 11 features major revelations of Kenji’s sister Kiriko but also what happened to Mon-chan. Highly recommended!

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

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 11

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

Is the Friend really Kanna’s father?! Will she still be able to stand up and fight, despite this anguishing news? Meanwhile, Koizumi Kyoko and Sadakiyo have gotten away from the Dream Navigators by the skin of their teeth, but as Yoshitsune once warned, these people will chase you to the ends of the earth… With Kanna in shock over the truth of her paternity, will she have the strength to go and rescue Koizumi?

Also, back in the summer of 2002, Mon-chan succeeded in tracking down Sadakiyo and got him to commit to paper the truth about the Friend’s identity and his actions. But to prove his loyalty to his trusted Friend, Sadakiyo took measures to ensure that the “Mon-chan Memo” stayed hidden. What exactly was “the Lie of 1970″ and how far will the Dream Navigators go to prevent it from being revealed?

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 storylines 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 11 (spoiler-less summaries):

Chapter 1: Depths of Despair - Kanna reminisces of a discussion she had on New Year’s Eve 2000 with her Uncle Kenji.

Chapter 2: List of Ingredients - Continuing Kanna’s last day with her Uncle Kenji back in New Year’s Eve 2000.

Chapter 3: The Lie of 1970 - We learn that there was some interesting dealings behind-the-scenes that the Friend is not aware of and that others knew about “The Lie of 1970″.

Chapter 4: Old Aquaintance - Sadakiyo talks to Kyoko about the day Mon-Chan met up with him.

Chapter 5: Heart and Soul - Sadakiyo talks about what he did to Mon-Chan the night he was with him.

Chapter 6: Space Aliens - The Friends try to get Kyoko Koizumi, meanwhile Kanna and friends work quickly to save her.

Chapter 7: Sadakiyo’s Decision - Kanna reunites with her Uncle Yoshitsune and Sadakiyo gives them the final notes from Mon-chan.

Chapter 8: Ruins - Kanna heads to the location where her mother had supposedly stayed at.

Chapter 9: Godzilla - Kanna discovers information that relates to her mother.

Chapter 10: Mother’s Words – Kanna is shown film footage taken of her mother and a dire message she had given.

Chapter 11: Yamane-kun – Otcho tries to look for Dr. Yamane.

Chapter 12: Science Lab Memories – Otcho meets up with a colleague who knows Yamane and tries to get information on him.

Finally, we get to know a little bit about Kiriko Endo.

For so long, we were teased that the Kanna’s father is the leader of the Friends but we never knew what Kiriko had to do with this cult.  We knew that she study microbiology and worked on bacteria, we knew that she left Kanna behind with Kenji and had not reappeared.  So, no one knew if she is dead or alive but this latest volume does let us know that everything leading up to the New Year’s event, she had some involvement.

As like before when Kanna was younger and the friends were after her then, the more they want her and Kyoko now.  Kyoko mainly for her virtual reality experience in unmasking the friend but unfortunately, she’s so bubbleheaded that you don’t know how she even will be able to help the rebellion.

If anything, what I enjoyed about this chapter is that we are starting to see all the original members return.  Yoshitsune, Otcho, Yukiji and even a story about Mon-chan and also a return of Sadakiyo.

The 11th volume of “20th Century Boys” features more action and suspense and also new revelations that many people have been waiting for and definitely will have some major impact in the next volume.

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 eleventh 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. 09 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Engrossing and highly entertaining.  “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. 9 is a Kanna-driven storyline and is definitely setting things up for an explosive volume 10.  Highly recommended!

(C) Image courtesy of 20 SEIKI SHONEN 7 by Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 09

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

The year is 2014, and Neo Tokyo is completely under the control of the Friend. Kanna has decided to stand up and avenge Kenji – will she be able to muster up enough support for her cause? Kanna makes her way to a mafia-operated casino and quickly finds herself at a high stakes table. Is she lucky (and smart) enough to turn the odds in her favor at the bizarre and fast-paced game of Rabbit Nabokov?

While Kanna marshals her forces, Koizumi Kyoko experiences true horror at the reeducation camp known as Friend Land. Going back in time in their “Virtual World,” she meets Kenji and his pals as boys in 1971 and sees something that is strictly taboo: the Friend’s childhood face! Will she live to report back on the Friend’s identity?

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 storylines 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.

Volume 9 takes place 14 years later after the New Year’s Eve incident. A new prophecy has emerged and that a crowd will gather around and the savior will be assassinated.  Meanwhile, for Kanna, she is not aware of this new prophecy but she is trying to get as many people gathered together in hopes to prevent an assassination as she believes the pope is the target.  And the only way to stop it is by getting as many people to gather together and fight against the Friends.  But how will Kanna manage to fill the area with hundreds of people?

Meanwhile, Kyoko is close to finding out the identity of the Friend…or does she?

“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.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 9 (spoiler-less summaries):

Chapter 1: Don’t Look - Kyoko wants to find out the true identity of the Friend but Fukube must stop her before it’s too late.

Chapter 2: Nightmare - Kyoko finds herself in the past and about to come into contact with the Friend and find out his identity and Fukube must make a decision that may work or may kill Kyoko.

Chapter 3: Playing for Real - Kanna tries to win some money at the casino.

Chapter 4: Rabbit Nabokov - Kanna needs to raise more money and the only way she can is by playing the game, Rabbit Nabokov.

Chapter 5: ESP - Kanna makes a gamble to find out how she can bring masses of people to a location.  Also, we learn about Kanna’s special abilities.

Chapter 6: Confession - Kanna goes to confession and the revelation of a second prophecy.

Chapter 7: The New Book of Prophecy - Mon-chan explains to Yukiji about the second prophecy and what he was able to dig up.

Chapter 8: Pulpit - A large number of people begin crowding around a church and Kanna asks for their help.

Chapter 9: Savior - Yukiji thinking that Kanna may be assassinated tries to get to the church in time to help her.

Chapter 10: Assassination – A Friend comes to assassinate Kanna but she gets help from a close friend of her Uncle Kenji.

Chapter 11: Fatal Bullet – Otcho finds out who made the final shot and a revelation from the New Prophecy of who is to show up.

Volume 9 is a Kanna-driven storyline that gives us an idea that she is a special person who has special abilities.  Not only is she clairvoyant but she also has the similar ability of the Friend, that she can also bend spoons at will.  But as she tries her best to create a crowd to protect the pope from assassination, a new prophecy is revealed and speculation of who will be the savior and who will be assassinated.

Although there are two chapters dedicated on Kyoko Koizumi and this virtual world that she was able to tap into, you are kind of left in the dark and hopefully we learn more in volume 10.

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 ninth 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!

IKIGAMI – THE ULTIMATE LIMIT vol. 6 by Motoro Mase (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

“Motoro Mase’s ‘IKIGAMI – THE ULTIMATE LIMIT’ definitely gives us a unique perspective on a alternate Japan where the government instills fear of death as a means to obtain a peaceful society. Vol. 6 focuses on Fujimoto who must decide whether or not he can trust the woman he cares about.  “Ikigami – The Ultimate Limit” is absolutely captivating with its well-done artwork and compelling storyline. A manga series that is highly recommended!”

Image courtesy of © 2005 Motoro MASE. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: IKIGAMI – THE ULTIMATE LIMIT Vol. 6

STORY AND ART BY: Motoro Mase

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shojo Beat

RATED: M for Mature (Parent Advisory – Explicit Content)

Dear Citizen: You’ve no doubt noticed that the world is a troubled place. People are apathetic, lazy, unmotivated. You’ve probably asked yourself, “Why isn’t anything being done to stop this systematic decline?” Well, you’ll be happy to know measures are being taken. We, your government, have decided society needs a wake-up call. So beginning today, we will randomly select a different citizen who will be killed within 24 hours of notification.

We believe this will help remind all people how precious life is, and how important it is to be productive, active members of society. Thank you for your attention and your cooperation and participation in this new program.

Contains Episode 11: Life Papers and Episode 12: The Truth Exposed. Even if I die, I leave something alive behind.

Motoro Mase’s ‘IKIGAMI – THE ULTIMATE LIMIT’ definitely gives us a unique perspective on a alternate Japan where the government instills fear of death as a means to obtain a peaceful society.

The manga series focuses on the character of Fujimoto who works for the government and his job is to notify people with an “Ikigami” notice that they will die within 24 hours.

The premise of the story is that when a citizen enters elementary school and receives their immunization shots, the National Welfare Immunization is given. Among the immunization shots given to children, 0.01 percent of the shots contain a special nano-capsule. About 1 in 1,000 citizens are injected with the capsule and when they are between 18-24 years old, the capsule ruptures on a predetermined date and they person will automatically die.

The Japanese government believes that because citizens never know who has been injected with the capsule, they all grow up wondering if they will be the one that dies and so, this forces the individual to take life more seriously and become socially productive.

Since the law for the National Welfare Immunization was passed, crime and suicides in Japan have fallen and the Japanese concern of birth rates have increased (note: In reality, Japan is concerned that their population is shrinking as many couples are not wanting to produce offspring and worry that Japan will not be productive in the future unless this is changed now. Also, the crime and suicide problems of Japan have steadily grown).

In the nature that someone does die, their family of the deceased is paid a pension but if by any chance, the person who commits a crime after receiving their Ikigami, the family will be denied the pension but also will be liable financially towards the crime committed by the deceased and in effect, will be ostracized by the community and will be forced to relocate.

Also, if anyone voices their disdain publicly about the National Welfare Immunization, they will also be dealt with and will be injected with the capsule.

The first four volumes of “IKIGAMI – THE ULTIMATE LIMIT” have shown us how the Ikigami has affected many lives and how people went on to live their final day in their life. Some who wanted to share their final moments with love ones to those who wanted to destroy others.

Also, throughout the manga series, we have seen “the messenger” Fujimoto starting to question his job and the morality of the “Ikigami”. Is it all wrong? How does he really feel about it? The problem is that the mere discussion or questioning against the National Welfare Immunization is illegal and can land him in big trouble. His boss has been quick in preventing of discussing his thoughts about the immunization and his job because of the ramifications Fujimoto may face. But in volume 5, there are new revelations which can make Fujimoto a hero or will cause him great trouble.

The last volume concludes with Dr. Kubo, the woman that Fujimoto has taken a liking to telling him that she’s against the National Welfare Immunization.  But the problem is that there is no telling if she is working for the National Welfare Police and trying to trap him (because of his occasional thoughts against his line of work) or that she is really against the whole policy.

In volume 6, episode 11 titled “Life Papers”, a young man named Kazuma Yamazaki is trying to survive.  Having to live with an abusive uncle (due to his parents dying at a young age) for many years, Kazuma has finally managed to find ways to survive and support himself.

He may not earn a lot of money but at least he’s out of the house and away from danger.  Kazuma doesn’t have his home place to stay at, so he usually pays to stay at a 100 yen booth which has a recliner, Internet, TV and DVD player.  And while going on the Internet, he visits Akane’s Blog.  A blog site about a girl named Akane who was supposed to graduate college, pass the bar exam and become a lawyer but her family’s company has went bankrupt.  So, she has been trying to survive and stays at the K&M Ward, which happens to be the place where Kazuma is staying for the night.  And sure enough, he thinks he knows who the blogger is.

While the day is going as usual, Kazuma receives an ikigami via his cell phone with a message that he is to die at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow.  And now Kazuma thinks of how he wants to live his final day but he comes up with an idea, while noble, is against the policy of the National Welfare.  The plan is using the Ikigami (which stores, restaurants and establishments must honor and give anyone who has received a death notice whatever they ask for) and make copies and distribute them to those who need it and possibly find a way to help the blogger Akane realize her dream.

For episode 12 titled “The Truth Exposed”, Fujimoto has decided if he will either team up with Dr. Kubo and act against the National Welfare Immunization or to report her as a social miscreant.  Meanwhile, a television producer’s son named Michihisa Higuchi has been given an Ikigami and while Fujimoto had delivered him the notice, Fujimoto is held at knifepoint and  Michihisa wants to go on a live television to talk against the Social Welfare Immunization.  Will the government allow that?  Also, an unlikely person comes to the rescue of Fujimoto.

“IKIGAMI – THE ULTIMATE LIMIT” vol. 6 once again hits a homerun with another wonderful and intriguing story by Motoro Mase and this time, a volume that features more on the Ikigami messenger, Fujimoto.

Especially now that the storyline is showing more progress into the life of Fujimoto and learning more about what happens to government officials who begin questioning their job role and also what happens to “social miscreants”.  Fujimoto learns that the woman he has been fancying is anti-National Welfare Immunization and wants to recruit him.   The problem is that Fujimoto’s boss has warned them that there are people outside who will take his criticism as a sign of being a social deviant and thus he better be careful what he says in public.  For Fujimoto, the woman that he had cared for…is she really against the National Welfare Immunization or is she working for them and trying to trap him?  Fujimoto must make a difficult decision.

Meanwhile, the other two storyline is quite intriguing as one episode shows a person who is to die by ikigami trying to use it for a good, despite his actions being illegal and similar to volume 5 which shows people who are rising up to the occasion to go against the National Welfare Immunization, in this episode, we get to see an actual member of the anti-National Welfare Immunization reacting to his ikigami.  Very fascinating storyline, especially when you find out who will come to Fujimoto’s rescue during the hostage situation.

From Mase’s character designs and artwork to the overall storyline, this is definitely a manga series that is worth recommending. It’s a serious and compelling manga series but just so captivating to see how people deal with death. And definitely a unique storyline that anyone can get into and really enjoy.

“Ikigami – The Ultimate Limit” is highly recommended!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 08 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Engrossing and highly entertaining. “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. 8 features Kyoko Koizumi as she must survive “Friend Land”. Highly recommended!

(C) Image courtesy of 20 SEIKI SHONEN 7 by Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 08

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

As boys, Kenji and his friends came up with a bunch of stories about an evil organization bent on world destruction. As adults, someone is now turning their fantasies into reality! What really happened on Bloody New Year’s Eve?

 

Kenji, Otcho and Maruo have just driven their dynamite-loaded truck under the robot… where they see what a poor relation to the giant robot they dreamed up in their childhoods it actually is: just two legs with caterpillar treads, held together by an enormous hot air balloon, with cloth hanging down to disguise the underside.

 

Meanwhile, at the meeting of the government’s crisis control committee, Manjome Inshu unveils the Friend’s benevolent plan to distribute worldwide a vaccine against the virus being spread by the robot. The Friends, he says, have been developing such a vaccine since the terrorist germ attacks of 1997. At the same time, the Friends will contribute a monument they were building for their headquarters to serve as a blockade against the robot. The Friends are saving the day! Or are they?

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 storylines 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.

Volume 8 focuses on high school student Kyoko Koizumi who attends the same high school as Kanna and has decided to do her report on “Bloody New Year’s Eve”.  What she is unaware is that any student who pries into what happened during that day are taken to the amusement park known as “Friend Land”, where many students are either killed or re-programmed.

Meanwhile, Otcho and Kakuta who have escaped prison discuss what happened on Bloody New Year’s Eve and what Otcho saw that day, the last day he saw Kenji.

“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.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 8 (spoiler-less summaries):

Chapter 1: Decision - Otcho tells Kakuta of what happened on “Bloody New Year’s Eve”.

Chapter 2: Robot - Otcho tells Kakuta about the robot that attacked the city

Chapter 3: Kenji’s Song - Kanna tell’s Chono about her uncle Kenji and his music.

Chapter 4: The Bus - Because Kyoko is writing a report on “Bloody New Year’s Eve”, she must go to Friend Land.

Chapter 5: Friend Land - Kyoko arrives in Friend Land and is afraid that the room is bugged.

Chapter 6: Escape - Kyoko tries to escape from Friend Land and is greeted by an older Yoshitsune who tries to help her.

Chapter 7: Request - Yoshitsune needs Kyoko’s help in trying to find the identity of the Friend.

Chapter 8: Score - Kyoko uses Yoshitsune’s training in order to help fool the Friend’s.

Chapter 9: Savior - Kyoko reaches the bonus stage which will bring her back to 1970 via the virtual world.

Chapter 10: Plan – Kyoko meets Kenji and friends when they were younger.

Chapter 11: Hanging Hill – Kyoko visits a haunted house with Kenji and friends.

Chapter 12: Voices – Yoshitsune fears that Kyoko’s life may be in danger and he may disconnect the virtual world which may hurt Kyoko.

With the latest volume 8 of “20th Century Boys”, the reader is given insight of what took place when Kenji and friends tried to enter the Friend’s giant robot.  But the primary storyline centers around student Kyoko Koizumi who is brought to Friend Land and is paranoid that something bad will happen to her.

Fortunately, she finds the aging Yoshitsune who works at Friend Land but happens to have his faction staying underneath the park to monitor Friend activities.  But hoping to use Kyoko in order to find out the identity of the Friend, while the other story arc features Kyoko reaching the bonus stage and going to the virtual world and find Kenji and friends.

Which makes people wonder, how can someone know so much about what had taken place with Kenji and friends at the time?  Is the Friend, someone they know and hung out with?

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 wonderful eighth 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!

I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow – Volume 1 by Shunju Aono (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Enjoyable, hilarious and fun! A 40-year-old man quits his job in order to find himself.  By the time he figures it out, he wants to become a manga artist/writer.  Can the lazy Oguro manage to get a manga published?  Definitely a rare manga to see in the U.S.!

© 2007 Shunju Aono/Shogakukan. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow – Volume 1

STORY AND ART BY: Shunju Aono (青野 春秋)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Life begins at 40… even for pathetic losers. Shizuo Oguro is living his dreams… sort of. A complete waste of a human life until now, 40-year-old Shizuo breaks free from the corporate rat race and charts himself a fairly random and new career course: to become a published manga artist. Sure, he lacks the talent, discipline, or any other skill necessary to become a success in the manga industry – but that’s not enough to stop Shizuo!

Story and art by Shunju Aono.

Once in a while, I get the opportunity to read a manga that comes out of nowhere and just surprises the hell out of me.

A storyline that relies on no supernatural storyline, nor the characters being the top of their class, very rich or very beautiful or handsome.  If anything a storyline that is very close to reality and for those who do read manga, these type of storylines let alone a series are often a rarity to see released in the U.S.

Here we are with “I’ll Give It My All..Tomorrow” (Ore wa mada Honki Dashite Nai dake) by Shunju Aono is one of those manga series.

Aono won the “Young Magazine 45th Chiba Tetsuya Award” in the Newcomer’s Category in 2001 and in 2005, won the 17th Ikkiman Ikki Newcomer’s Award and debuted with “Somato” (Kaleidoscope) which would eventually become his manga series “I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow” and is featured on Ikki Magazine and has had three graphic novels released each year since 2007.

The story revolves around a man named Shizuo Oguro who just turned 40-years-old.  He’s a single father with a teenager named Suzuko and lives with his father.  He also just quit his corporate job which he had worked as a Subsection Chief for over 15 years and is now trying to find himself.

Now, jobless and lazy, Oguro sits at home playing with his Sony PlayStation 2 and because of is lack of doing anything, angers his father.

That is until Oguro decides that his goal in life is to become a manga artist.

The problem is that Oguro is not an artist, nor does he have the focus to write a good story and each time he submits one to a manga publisher, it’s not the right content they are looking for (their nicest way to reject him).

But Oguro is determined to create a manga series and to step things up in his life by working a fast food job that will allow him to make a little money but work on his new passion in trying to create a manga.

In the first volume of “I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow”, here is a non-spoiler breakdown of each chapter:

• Kaleidoscope – Shizuro Oguro decides to quit his job and find himself.
• I Just Haven’t Gotten Serious Yet, That’s All – Oguro decides to become a manga artist and to find someone who will publish it.  Meanwhile, he starts to hang out with people much younger than himself after working at a fast food restaurant.
• Chapter 1: O Time, Stop Thy Relentless March! - Troubles arise at the fast food place and the young supervisors ask the older Oguro to take care of the problem.
• Chapter 2: It Taste Best When It’s Starting to Go Bad - Oguro has a body odor problem and he also starts to become a friend with the new fast food employee Ichinosawa (who has a criminal record).
• Chapter 3: Wrestling with your Doubts…and Winning - Oguro explains his manga goal to his new friend and tries to get it published once again.
• Chapter 4 – Give Me Wings – Bummed out that another manga story has been rejected, Oguro has hit a slump.
• Bonus Story: To Live - Oguro befriends a suicidal woman.
• Extra Poem: “I’m Fine” - A poem by Shunju Aono.

Overall, “I’ll Give it My All…Tomorrow” is quite an interesting manga.  It’s protagonist is pretty much a lazy bum who plays video games all day long but he does show enthusiasm at times in trying to create a manga.  If anything, he’s not a hikikkomori (depressed unsociable people who stays indoors all the time) as he is able to get out, hang out with people of all age groups, having sex with prostitute but despite having a social life, he is a guy that suffers from bad body odor and emits the aura of laziness.

So, it’s interesting to see the life around him.  His daughter who wants to study abroad and makes a job decision which shocks her own father.  Then there is Oguro’s father who is always on his case to do something with his life.  But it’s interesting to see the people that Oguro associates with.  May it be a person with a criminal record, a depressed and divorced father or a suicidal woman, he tends to attract interesting people into his life.

If anything, “I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow” is a rare treat to see here in the US.  The manga is different in not just storyline and its characters but also Aono’s style of illustration and for those wanting to try something more realistic but also humorous and odd, this is one manga series I can easily recommend.

It’s important to note that because Aono has only released three volumes thus far since 2007 (makes you wonder if Aono and the character Oguro have something in common), the second volume will be released in the US in December 2010 and the third possibly by Summer 2011.  So, because of that, it’s one of those manga series that won’t take a bite out of your monthly budget.

Definitely give this manga series a chance!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 07 (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Gripping, addictive and a wonderful manga series thus far! Vol. 7 features Otcho and Kakuta doing all they can to escape from the high security prison. Highly recommended!

(C) Image courtesy of 20 SEIKI SHONEN 7 by Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: 20th CENTURY BOYS vol. 07

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

Out in the middle of Tokyo Bay, a man called Shogun is trying to break out of Umihotaru Prison, a maximum-security island fortress, so he can save the world. Accompanied by a frightened young manga artist, these two men are prepared to risk everything as their daring escape plan grows deadlier by the minute. However, the prison authorities will do whatever it takes to return Shogun and his reluctant companion to custody.

Shogun’s ultimate goal: Tokyo, where a girl he calls the “final hope” lives, but a murder in Kabuki-cho has triggered a chain reaction of terror. Can Shogun reveal the truth about the false peace created by the Friends? And what are the facts behind the disaster that took place in the final moments of the 20th century?!

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 storylines 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.

Volume 7 takes place 14 years later after the New Year’s Eve incident. Otcho is serving time in a prison and has repeatedly tried to escape with no success. But when he and manga artist Kakuta focus on escaping the prison, Kakuta wants to make sure Otcho’s story is told and the truth of what happened that New Year’s Day is featured in his manga if they managed to survive their escape.  Meanwhile, we are introduced to high school student Kyoko Koizumi who has chosen to write about the well-known terrorist Kenji Endo for her homework and meets someone who actually knew Kenji quite well.

“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, Kanna’s distrust of the police pushes him away.

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.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 7 (spoiler-less summaries):

Chapter 1: Escape- Otcho and Kakuta try to escape from prison.

Chapter 2: Air - Otcho and Kakuta are close to escaping but notice that a heavy search is taking place throughout Japan.

Chapter 3: Landing - Otcho finds a way for he and Kakuta to escape.  Otcho remembers a time when Kenji beat him in a competition.

Chapter 4: Expo of Dreams - Otcho talks about a story when he and Kenji were supposed to go to a Japan Expo in 1970.

Chapter 5: Koizumi - High school student Kyoko Koizumi chooses to write her assignment on Japan’s most notorious terrorist Kenji Endo.

Chapter 6: Kamisama’s Autograph - As Kyoko goes to learn more about Kenji, she meets someone who actually knew Kenji quite well.

Chapter 7: The Truth - Otcho explains to Kakuta and Kamisama to Kyoko about what really took place on New Year’s Eve.

Chapter 8: Control Room - Otcho continues his story of what happened on New Year’s Eve 2000.

Chapter 9: Face-Off - Kenji and Fukube discover a man who may be responsible for unleashing the robot attack in Tokyo.

Chapter 10: Fukube – Fukube takes on the assailant who may be responsible for the robotic destruction in Tokyo.

Chapter 11: Charge – Maruo and Kenji decide to go after the giant robot.

Volume 7 focuses on the present time (2014) and is a Otcho-driven storyline as he tries to escape from prison, meanwhile manga artist Kakuta learns more and more from Otcho of what took place on New Year’s Eve 2000.  The seventh volume also introduces us to a new character named Kyoko Koizumi who chooses to write about Kenji and meets Kamisama who also tells her of what happened back then.

This latest volume continues where vol. 5 left off and gives us insight on what transpired on New Years Eve 2000 as Kenji and friends tried to put a stop to the Friends.  Giving us insight to why Otcho and Kamisama look up to Kenji as a hero and how intent he was in stopping them but also a tragedy that hit Kenji and friends on that day.

If anything, the story of what took place on New Year’s Eve 2000 is just beginning and will continue in the vol. 8 but for the most part, this volume is action driven in the sense that the chapters focus on Otcho and Kakuta’s escape from prison.

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 seventh 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!

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