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.

My Argument For Why The Imagination Is Just As Real As Physical Reality.

'"Are you real or are you in my head?"
"What's the difference."'
Taken from 'An English Monster' by Lloyd Shepherd.

I got most of what I have written in this post through rambling through a country park by myself in the early evening... and I'm only writing this for the sheer fun of rationalizing supposed irrationality.

This might sound bizarre.

I'm going to say something that might sound funny... the imagination is just as real as the physical world that we are aware of through our senses... and here is my line of reasoning.

"What the heck Ed?!"

...Yeah I know but hear me out.

Firstly I am going to say that physical reality is just as much an illusion as the imagination and science proves this... yes I know it sounds weird. Matter is vibration... matter is loads of vibrations that are slowed down to a certain frequency to be precise(or summing or nuffing). So that means that what you are seeing, feeling, touching, tasting right now... is nothing but a field of energy, vibrations that your consciousness is interpreting and making into something that you can process and understand... quantum physics.

Right... so now that I have told you the first part of my argument I can now finish off by writing the second part of this delving into the fantastic...

Think of something in your imagination right now. Think of a chair or a table or a fictional character, anything. Now tell me what that picture is made of. Surely it is made up of electric signals that your mind has put into form.

So when we think about it, the world out there in the physical world is just as real as the imagination...

Physical world is made of of vibrations... an energy field interpreted by your mind.
The images of the imagination are made up of electric signals that your brain has made into something that you can see with your mind's eye.

So what is more real... vibrations or electricity?... equally as real as one another.

Duh Duh Duuuuuuuuuunnnnnnn!!!!!!!

Freaky stuff!

It is obviously very silly to take all that I have said as fact because then you might be seen as a little bit crazy... something to think about I suppose.


Over and Out.
ED.


An Add On...

It has occurred to me that the senses that you use in order to be aware of the physical world cannot work in the so called 'world of the imagination.' You may find it hard to smell or touch the table or chair that you may be imagining.
Perhaps we are observers of the world of imagination and we have literally taken things from this world and written it down or created a script or play from the ideas and concepts that we take back with us from this world that we can see through our mind.

A Quick Story. An Unknown Legend.

I haven't posted for something like a month... I was busy trying to levitate and eventually achieved my goal... which finally means I can start posting again.

In my spare time I have been volunteering at a nearby museum as well as acting out selfless self- glorification in my life. The people that work with me are incredibly friendly and while chatting with one of them I found out about a 92 year old man (whose name I won't mention) who they knew. They told me his story about what he got up to during the second world war when he was young. After hearing the story I thought that it was so unique and so amazingly amazing that I have decided to tell it to you, whoever you are who happens to be reading this blog right now. You will be amazed. I am calling him "Old Man"...

"Old Man was in the navy during the war serving on a ship...obviously. In the bay in which he was stationed a lot of bombs were being dropped in the sea, the type of bombs that would blow up ships (they may be called sea mines... I'm not well versed in military shizzle). It was his job to go off ship and recover and deactivate these bombs that were being dropped in the sea. While he was off ship doing his job, his ship was hit and sunk. He was found and taken to a prisoner of war camp. He stayed at this camp for seven months until he found a way to escape and run away. He tried to travel in the direction of Britain by himself. He was found and captured again and then put into another camp where he stayed for a few more months but just escaped again. He continued to travel in what he thought was the general direction towards allied territory or Britain... and was captured by enemy soldiers again, put into a prisoner of war camp... again... and escaped... again. He continued to travel and survive by eating what he could, usually falling asleep in a bush or some other place that he could use as a shelter. One day he woke up and heard an uncomfortable sound of rustling in the bushes. He knew that if he was captured this time then he would definitely be shot. He came out of his cover with his hands up. The soldiers he saw were Americans driving in a vehicle which stopped right in front of him. When he asked these men what was happening he found out that he was a mere ten miles away from where the D Day landings were taking place."

I don't know if he had to fight in D Day or not... I assume not. I thought that it was a brilliant story and I felt that this unknown mans story should be told on this blog.

There are really some great characters out there... you could literally make a film out of what he did or write a very entertaining book.

Over and Out.
ED.

My Letters to Some Fictional Characters Who I Consider To Be Mates (Part 1).

I have written some letters to some characters that I feel have influenced me in some way, have some connection to or just think are really interesting. Some of these may be considered strange choices but... you know.
Here we are...


Dear Apollo (God),

I wish to thank you for what you have taught me. A few months back I found my old book on world mythology and looked you up after years of absence of having experienced your 'presence'. I'm glad that you have finally visited me in reverie form. 

I read something called 'Hymn to Apollo'... written in the days in which people actually worshiped you and I must say that this sums up what I think,

"You are caring about all the source and the end
You make everything bloom!
It is thine all Natures Music to Inspire,
With your various- sounding harmonising lyre."

I think that you and we should meet up some time and you can help me to bring a revolutionary movement of making everyone see some form of goodness every day in their lives. I also think that you should bring Bacchus along with you... that would be a right laugh.

I know that you play a lyre... and you are a god so I am guessing you are a very good musician by default. What type of music do you like? I ask this because you have never told me. I doubt that you would like heavy metal... I think that Hades is the guy that is more likely to listen to that. I'm guessing your favorite music is Folk Music, Classical Music... maybe some Acapella shizz. Am I right?

I could write you a massively long letter asking you lots of questions about your condition, what it is like to bee a god and so forth, but instead I have written this letter to say thanks for the good times... and thanks for helping to grow potatoes and the rest of the stuff that humans farm.

Talk soon man. Keep shining boy.

Yours Sincerely 
Ed.

Gaining Ground.

I wrote this short thing ages ago. I can't remember why I wrote it or for what reason but I am just going to write it down on this blog post anyway. Yeah I know... I'm being a bit "lah dee dah" perhaps... whatever.

Gaining Ground.

1.
Humanity has created civilisation since the beginning of prehistory.

2.
Dead cities makes rubble, makes dirt and on that new systems are built upon.

3.
Each Empire of History is a step on Babels side in the hope that we might touch Heaven.

4.
Next one up is transcendence beyond our instincts, touching the stars, defying the nature of indifference, the mathematical inevitability that shapes our actions.

5.
I wonder how animal we look to them as we climb pouring libations to be blessed, measuring how far we have fallen, born to ascend.

6.
Knowing that the gate of Instinct is locked against access to the Mount of Assembly we climb artificially to rest in the Eternal Garden that we glimpse only when we sleep.

Over and Out.
ED.

Thoughts And The Monthly Record.

"To these "rational" scientists imagination equated daydreaming and was therefore unnecessary. Just like a grumpy school teacher who tells off a school boy for staring out of a window, science shouted at us to pay attention without actually realising what powers imagination had. Science was brilliant at saying what was happening now, but what of the future? Inventions and human development are 99 percent the work of dreamers and imaginative people."

After spending my time doing 'stuff' and various other necessities and pastimes I have decided to keep a 'thought book.' You know those thoughts that just bubble up when you have nothing better to do, thoughts that you may think are ridiculous and not worth much attention or development... well I have decided to record down as many thoughts as I can for a month or so. Each page that I write thoughts on I will fold in half so I won't be able to see anything on the paper... and then after the month has gone I can look back on the thoughts I have written down and see what happens.

I will write down anything that comes to mind, as long as I am able to record them down at the time that I think them or if I remember them...

...And then I will write down some of these thoughts in a month on this blog.


Over and Out.
ED.

Arthur Machen.

                               This will be framed on my wall in the very near future.

Over and Out.
ED.