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Thread: 20th Century Boys

  1. #1

    20th Century Boys

    Anybody else read/reading the 20th Century Boys manga by Naoki Urasawa (Yawara, Monster, Phoenix, Master Keaton)? It's fucking incredible. It's structured like Stephen King's It.

    Synopsis from wiki:

    In 1969, young boys Kenji, Otcho, Yoshitsune and Maruo build, in an empty field, a hideout they name their secret base, in which they and their friends can get together to share manga, stolen porn magazines and listen to a radio. To celebrate the event, Otcho draws a symbol for the base, that would represent their friendship. After their friends Yukiji and Donkey join the gang, they imagine a future scenario where villains would try to destroy the world, and in which the boys would stand up and fight; this scenario is transcribed and labeled "Book of Prophecy".

    The series itself opens in the late 1990s, where Kenji is a convenience store owner, finding solace in his childhood adventures as he takes care of his niece Kanna and his mother. After Donkey is reported to have committed suicide, Kenji stumbles upon a large cult led by a man known only as "Friend". The cult has a plan to destroy the world on New Year's Eve of 2000, (referred to in the latter half of the story as the Bloody New Year's Eve,) and the events that are currently unfolding are suspiciously close to the plan documented in the "Book of Prophecy". Kenji begins to recruit some of his older friends, including Otcho and Yoshitsune, in an attempt to stop "Friend".

    The series spans several decades, from 1969 to 2017, which in the chronology of the series, becomes 3FE (3rd Year of the Friend Era.) The series makes two distinct timeline cuts during the story; one from 2000 to 2014, and one from 2014 to 3FE. Several parts of the series are also told in flashbacks to previous events as the characters attempt to unravel the mystery of who "Friend" is and how to stop his plans of world destruction; most of the children's backstories through the 70s and 80s are told in this fashion.
    That may sound cheesy, but it's handled so well that it's anything but. Highly recommended.

  2. Augh, scrooge! You make me feel ashamed because you are keeping up with Urasawa releases much better than i am! i think i will order some mangos off of Bamazon tonight. 1 Black Jack and 1 either Pluto or 20th Century
    Donk

  3. i've been on the fence about 20th century boys. i think i may be a little more interested in pluto. how many volumes does 20th century run?

  4. Eh, 20th century is pretty good up till the first time jump, then it kind of falls apart IMO.
    You sir, are a hideous hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman.

  5. I've read most of the series, haven't tracked down the last volume yet. Bbobb's probably right, but the series does have that can't-put-it-down quality and it's a lot of fun to see how everything is woven together.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by rama View Post
    how many volumes does 20th century run?
    22 I think. Then there's a couple of sequel volumes called 21st Century Boys.

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