Comic Book Review: Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys Vol. 1

by Mike Favila, Editor

Having just won the 2013 Eisner Award in the category of Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia, Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Vol. 1 just came up for review. Although I’d seen the live action film, I’d never actually gotten a chance to read the original manga before. In many ways, I’m enjoying the story with fresh eyes.

20th Century Boys revolves around Kenji, a convenience store owner, and his many childhood friends, mainly Maruo and Yoshitsune. His life hasn’t quite evolved in the romantic way he envisioned and he’s stuck running the family liquor/grocery store, while taking care of his missing sister’s baby. When their friend apparently commits suicide, the whole group is slowly brought back together again.

All the while, a mysterious cult begins to gain traction within Japan. What unites these two disparate storylines? The cult uses all the same code words and symbols that Kenji’s friends used in childhood! For those that have never been exposed to this story, either through the films or the manga, it’s a creepy, imaginative thrill ride.
Even though the narrative is clearly more science fiction than horror, thinking about Friend just put shudders through me.

The story jumps back and forth in time, and the mystery isn’t afraid to ask another question without providing closure to the previous question. What really strikes me is how easily Urasawa goes between the mundane and the fantastical. Much like Kenji, I keep just getting jarred back and forth, trying to decide whether I’m expecting something to actually happen or whether events are happening too quickly for me to digest.

There is a huge cast of characters in 20th Century Boys, so it’s quite helpful that Viz Media provides a little cast guide (as seen below) at the beginning of the story.
Urasawa’s art is moody but very communicative, with lots of black to provide weight where color would normally be used to separate the different elements. While there is a lot of linework, it’s not wasteful or thrown around without purpose.

Overall, Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Vol. 1 still holds up as a landmark in manga. It’s reputation, while well deserved, doesn’t float the story and its endearing characters. If I didn’t know anything about its history, I would still be blown away by how engrossing the storytelling is.  I can’t wait to read the rest.

ComicsOnline gives Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Vol. 1 5 out of 5 apocalyptic plagues.

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