×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
20th Century Boys


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Manga
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
JoshuaStChristopher



Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 351
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 10:48 pm Reply with quote
I did a search, but I didn't find any threads listed for this series (unless I just missed it).

Anyway, awesome, awesome manga. It's by Naoki Urasawa, the guy behind Monster. Now I love Monster, but I found this even better. Keep it goin' for 20th Century Boys, people.

taken from the 20th Century Boys fanlisting wrote:
When Kenji was a kid (in the late 60's-70's), he and his friends made up great adventures, fantasizing about themselves being the heros who would save everyone from a deadly terrorist attack upon the world. Now we're in the year 1997: Kenji left his rock band and all his dreams many years ago, and now works at a convenience store with his mother, also taking care of his niece, Kanna - since his sister disappeared misteriously some time ago, after being involved with a strange cult.

Everything changes when one of Kenji's childhood friends supposedly commits suicide, and when terrorist attacks begin to occur in exactly the same way they all imagined to be. It all seems to be related to that new Tomodachi cult that's getting more popular every day... Besides, to make things a little more complicated, the Tomodachi cult symbol is the same symbol Kenji's childhood friends used so many years ago to identify themselves, to call themselves true friends. So... it's obvious that the leader of the cult, the person behind the terrorist attacks who knows every idea they plotted when they were kids, must be one of them - but who? Kenji feels a lot responsible because most of the evil terrorist plans were originally his ideas, and because of that he will do his best to save the world for real. But he will be able to do it?



This is Kenji.


And the symbol of "Friend."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
milcor1



Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Posts: 337
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:46 pm Reply with quote
I'm your toooooy, your 20th century boooooy.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
godakame



Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 112
Location: Disney World
PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:42 am Reply with quote
If I was bored with the first 1 and a half vols, should I even bother reading the rest? I can't seem to muster enough strength to continue it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
JoshuaStChristopher



Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 351
PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:45 am Reply with quote
godakame wrote:
If I was bored with the first 1 and a half vols, should I even bother reading the rest? I can't seem to muster enough strength to continue it.


Was there not enough fighting for you, or something? Kidding. Some people just have different tastes, and you obviously don't like this type of manga. I was hooked after a few chapters. If you weren't, I wouldn't bother with the rest.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Kagemusha



Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 2783
Location: Boston
PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:00 am Reply with quote
JoshuaStChristopher wrote:
godakame wrote:
If I was bored with the first 1 and a half vols, should I even bother reading the rest? I can't seem to muster enough strength to continue it.


Was there not enough fighting for you, or something? Kidding. Some people just have different tastes, and you obviously don't like this type of manga. I was hooked after a few chapters. If you weren't, I wouldn't bother with the rest.

Disagree. After about volume 3 (can't remember the specific) location 20th kicks into standard-Urasawa mode and becomes fast paced, even more-so than Monster. Personally I liked the slower start. It introduced the characters and their problems in an almost nostalgic way, dropping small hints at the insane, earth-shattering plot that reveals itself. 20th has always stuck me as a better manga than Monster, both in terms of my personal taste and execution. The characterizations are better, the thrills are more suprising and for lack of a better word, it has more heart. The flashbacks become a welcome beakon of hope when compared with the grimness of the modern world. Monster's lighter scenes always struck me as corny diversions from the real story; Tenma warms an old man's heart, Tenma teaches a mercinary how to love etc. These aren't really a big deal, but for a manga that everyone (especially Viz' packaging) takes so seriously as literature they're a bit out of place (maybe the reason I like his cold-as-ice PLUTO so much).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
shamelessfanboy



Joined: 28 Mar 2006
Posts: 48
PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:39 am Reply with quote
So is it the general consensus that this manga's quality took a dive after spoiler[the more recent timeskip]? Because I know I think so, but I don't see nearly as much bitching about it as I would expect. Normally there's no shortage of bitching on forums whenever people feel a popular manga goes downhill in the least bit... Where are all the other bitter nerds? ...or am I just alone in thinking that 20thCB ain't like it used to be?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
JoshuaStChristopher



Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 351
PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 6:18 pm Reply with quote
shamelessfanboy wrote:
So is it the general consensus that this manga's quality took a dive after spoiler[the more recent timeskip]? Because I know I think so, but I don't see nearly as much bitching about it as I would expect. Normally there's no shortage of bitching on forums whenever people feel a popular manga goes downhill in the least bit... Where are all the other bitter nerds? ...or am I just alone in thinking that 20thCB ain't like it used to be?


I don't think it took a dive at all. I thought spoiler[the first timeskip] had a bit of a drop in quality, but the newest one I like. In fact, I think it's all building up to something really cool. We just have to wait now until Urasawa finishes it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
v1cious



Joined: 31 Dec 2002
Posts: 6199
Location: Houston, TX
PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 8:19 pm Reply with quote
i've read like 15 volumes of it. great manga, but it kinda loses something after the spoiler[time skip] maybe it's just me, but i hate stories that do this. all in all it's worth the time to read.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
hanachan01



Joined: 11 Dec 2005
Posts: 504
PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:04 pm Reply with quote
I'd like to read this since I love Monster, but even though Viz licsensed it, Urasawa won't let it be released until after Monster is complete in the US. Sad I'm not sure if I can find scans because of this. I plan on reading Pluto soon though.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
coolerimmortal



Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 522
PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:02 pm Reply with quote
hanachan01 wrote:
I'd like to read this since I love Monster, but even though Viz licsensed it, Urasawa won't let it be released until after Monster is complete in the US. Sad I'm not sure if I can find scans because of this. I plan on reading Pluto soon though.


Oh, the scans exist, and they're pretty easy to find. I won't say anything else, though...the mods might smite me.

Anyways, 20th Century Boys is great. The story has suffered a quality drop since the last skip, but it's still very good. It's on hiatus until next year in Japan...I look forward to the conclusion.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Cirbo



Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 8
PostPosted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 11:47 pm Reply with quote
I love this manga and can't beleive he's taking a break NOW. I don't know, I personally found the spoiler[time skip] interesting especially seeing all their reactions to spoiler[bloody new years eve] Now the spoiler[second time skip is purely amazing to me, while it seems far-featched that HE would still be alive it really is giving the story momentum]

Speaking of Yabuki Joe: Did anyone else feel like an idiot spoiler[ for not expecting his living. They had told us so many times he'd be alive. God told him he would use that laser gun. And in a later chapter he said that he would find out what donkey had seen in the science room]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
HellKorn



Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 1669
Location: Columbus, OH
PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 12:38 pm Reply with quote
JoshuaStChristopher wrote:
I don't think it took a dive at all. I thought spoiler[the first timeskip] had a bit of a drop in quality, but the newest one I like. In fact, I think it's all building up to something really cool. We just have to wait now until Urasawa finishes it.


Contrastingly I found spoiler[the first timeskip] to be handled much better in that the pacing wasn't thrown off and Urasawa still had the same idea and direction, while spoiler[the second timeskip] seems to be much slower and it felt as though we were seeing "plot twists" come out of nowhere.

I will admit that the recent chapters have indicated that we're about to encounter something even more eventful than spoiler[the revelation of who was Friend back in volume twelve.] But until volume twenty-two is scanned and part two begins next year (most likely by the time the scans are finished part two will be out, ironically enough), we'll be left in the dark if Urasawa can really pull 20th Century Boys into a truly memorable finale.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
LightYagami



Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 257
Location: around the midwest
PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 11:52 pm Reply with quote
I know that this might be an old question but why did Urasawa put the series on hiatus for a year? And after this year long break will Urasawa plan on releasing Pluto at a faster pace? Or does he have another series that he is currently planning out in the works?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Cirbo



Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 8
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 2:35 am Reply with quote
If I remeber correctly, all he said was that he was going to "disapear for a while" not sure what this means, it's just all I know
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mumei5



Joined: 25 Jan 2006
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 11:55 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Disagree. After about volume 3 (can't remember the specific) location 20th kicks into standard-Urasawa mode and becomes fast paced, even more-so than Monster. Personally I liked the slower start. It introduced the characters and their problems in an almost nostalgic way, dropping small hints at the insane, earth-shattering plot that reveals itself. 20th has always stuck me as a better manga than Monster, both in terms of my personal taste and execution. The characterizations are better, the thrills are more suprising and for lack of a better word, it has more heart. The flashbacks become a welcome beakon of hope when compared with the grimness of the modern world. Monster's lighter scenes always struck me as corny diversions from the real story; Tenma warms an old man's heart, Tenma teaches a mercinary how to love etc. These aren't really a big deal, but for a manga that everyone (especially Viz' packaging) takes so seriously as literature they're a bit out of place (maybe the reason I like his cold-as-ice PLUTO so much).


I disagree with that; I felt like Monster's plotting felt much tighter and more cohesive. As a thriller, I like 20th Century Boys better, but as a drama - and for characters that I sympathize with - I think Monster is far better. And I felt as though those "diversions" were as important to the show as any other episodes, in that they usually showcased one of the important themes of the show, but I agree that they weren't necessary.

This may be a by-product of comparing the 20CB manga to the Monster anime, however. I like the 20CB manga more than what I've read of the Monster manga so far, so I may end up liking a 20CB anime more. At this point however, the order is Monster (anime), 20th Century Boys, Monster (manga).

Oh, and - this is Monster spoilers - spoiler[Johan looks better in drag than Friend ever will. Wink].
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail AIM Address
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Manga All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group