Review of "20th Century Boys" by Naoki Urasawa.

I have been reading an ongoing series of manga called "20th Century Boys" for about four years on and off and I have finally finished all of the twenty two volumes and the extra two volumes entitled "21st Century Boys." I feel that I have achieved some form of degree or achievement at finishing the last volume and think I should share this through blog form... and then review it so you may experience the thrills of this manga (and perhaps even pick it up and read it for yourself... because no one I know seems to have read it for some reason... the nerve).

As it says in each volume, Naoki Urasawa is seen as a national treasure in Japan. He has written and illustrated not only the 20th Century Boys series but he has also written another amazing manga series called "Monster", which tells the story of a doctor who saves a young child from death... only for the child to grow up and become a psychotic killer... which can only mean that it must be grown up, dark and complex. Pluto is another one of his great manga's, taking the children's comic character Astro Boy and adapting a story- line that is more for adults than children... he also performs in his own band and releases albums... as a hobby.

Right then, what is the manga series all about? It is a story that spans from the 1970's and finishes in 2015... but the story is non- linear and goes this way and that with the timeline (not as confusing if it sounds when you actually start to read through the volumes), Urasawa reveals what he wants at certain points and then returning again at the same point in time and the same situation to reveal something else that was missed the last time. There are literally hundreds of characters with their own subplots and branches of the tree of the main story... the whole thing is a complete mindflip.
The main story- line revolves around a group of friends who liked playing together as kids in the 1970's. They made a club house from reeds in a disused yard that they went to in order to meet and read manga together. They had dreams about being heroes, saving the world from a great evil that would overcome it and so they wrote down a series of prophecies about an evil that will engulf the world one day... and in their childish innocence they thought that they would defeat it. They called this note pad the 'Book of Prophecy'. The group call themselves 'Friends'.
They all eventually grow up and forget anything about a 'Book of Prophecy' until one day one member of that old gang hears rumours of a cult arising in Japan... a cult in which all members are called 'Friends'. The mysterious leader of the cult prophecies that the world is in danger and certain catastrophies will soon take place... unfortunate events that were written down in the boys 'Book of Prophecy' when they were kids...

The main mystery of the story for the first few volumes is who the cult leader, calling himself/herself the 'Friend'. As the lead character, Kenji, searches his past he begins to find which one of his childhood friends is the 'Friend'. His journey leads to rampaging giant robots, a killer virus that kills most humans and the rise of a great world power... oh yeah and a fake alien invasion to fool the world.

We live in an age in which comics, graphic novels and manga are seen as equal to the so called status quo of the prose book. Everyone should take advantage of all forms of storytelling... and comics and manga do storytelling brilliantly well. It took me until I was sixteen for me to get into the comic book, storytelling- through- pictures medium and I have never turned back (and never will god dammit *cough*).

The music fanboy in me was delighted to see references of various rock bands and blues artists which Urasawa has planted into the narrative; T- Rex is the obvious reference, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, Janis Joplin... and more.

A thoroughly good read... and the end of the story didn't at all turn out how I expected it.

I would give it a go if you like, especially if you are starting on the journey of manga appreciation. It oozes the idealism that exists in a lot of rock and roll.

Over and Out.
ED.