Publishing Information: VIZ Media, paperback, 216 pages, $12.99 (US), $16.99 CAN, £8.99 UK
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4215-2343-9 (ISBN-13)
20th Century Boys, a science fiction adventure series from famed manga creator, Naoki Urasawa, began with Kenji Endo. A hardworking, honorable man that some considered a loser, Kenji ran the family business (a convenience store). Some people, including his big-mouthed mother, thought that he wasn’t doing that well at it. Kenji also took care of Kanna, the infant daughter his sister abandoned before she disappeared. Kenji may have considered himself a failed rock musician, but he turned out to be the most important man in the world. Someone from his past was behind the rise of a bizarre religious cult called the Friends that was planning millennial doom.
On December 31, 2000, Bloody New Year’s Eve brought the world to the brink of destruction. Fourteen years later, Neo Tokyo is a thriving multiethnic, metropolis that lives under the shadow of the worldwide cult of the Friends. Now, Kenji’s niece, Kanna, finds herself caught in another Friends’ plot.
In Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Vol. 8 (entitled Kenji’s Song), the narrative focuses on Koizumi Kyoko, a student at the high school Kanna’s attends. Because of her history project on Bloody New Year’s Eve, Koizumi has earned herself an extended stay at the surreal, hellish theme park/re-education camp, Friend Land. There she meets a former friend of Kenji’s, which leads her even deeper into the secrets of the Friends. Meanwhile, still more of the events of Bloody New Year’s Eve and an incident from Kenji’s youth are revealed in two separate flashbacks.
As is usual with a Naoki Urasawa manga, 20th Century Boys is an absolutely fantastic read. Once you start, you won’t want to stop. Naoki spins this narrative from the point of view of multiple protagonists and antagonists, which can sometimes be confusing. The suspense, action, and breakneck speed of the narrative, however, delivers such joys that the reader will work hard not to be confused by the menagerie of characters. This manga jumps off the page like a summer potboiler.
A+
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