20th Century Boys

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Alternative Titles

English: 20th Century Boys

Synonyms: 20 Seiki Shounen, Nijuu Seiki Shounen, Nijuusseiki Shounen, 20thCB

Japanese: 20世紀少年

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 22

Chapters: 249

Status: Finished

Published: Sep 27, 1999 to Apr 24, 2006

Genres: Mystery, Drama, Historical, Sci-Fi, Psychological, Seinen

Authors: Urasawa, Naoki (Story & Art)

Serialization: Big Comic Spirits

Statistics

Score: 8.95¹ (scored by 45,514 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #12²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #39

Members: 120,712

Favorites: 11,955

8.95

Ranked #12Popularity #39Members 120,712

MangaBig Comic SpiritsUrasawa, Naoki (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /22

Chapters: /249

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Synopsis

As the 20th century approaches its end, people all over the world are anxious that the world is changing. And probably not for the better.

Kenji Endo is a normal convenience store manager who's just trying to get by. But when he learns that one of his old friends going by the name "Donkey" has suddenly committed suicide, and that a new cult led by a figure known as "Friend" is becoming more notorious, Kenji starts to feel that something isn't right. With a few key clues left behind by his deceased friend, Kenji realizes that this cult is much more than he ever thought it would be—not only is this mysterious organization directly targeting him and his childhood friends, but the whole world also faces a grave danger that only the friends have the key to stop.

Kenji's simple life of barely making ends meet is flipped upside down when he reunites with his childhood friends, and together they must figure out the truth of how their past is connected to the cult, as the turn of the century could mean the possible end of the world.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

20th Century Boys won the Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 2001, an Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2002, and the Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2003. The series' combined storyline won the Grand Prize at the 37th Japan Cartoonist Awards on May 9, 2008.

VIZ Media published the series in English under the VIZ Signature imprint from February 17, 2009 to September 18, 2012. VIZ Media licensed the series in 2005; however, at Urasawa's request, it was rescheduled for release after Monster finished its English publication due to a change in art style over time. The series has also been published in Brazilian Portuguese by Panini Comics/Planet Manga since September 2012.

The series was adapted into a trilogy of live-action films which released in Japan between August 30, 2008 and August 29, 2009.

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Related Manga

Spin-off:	20 Seiki Shounen: Ujiko Ujio Sakuhinshuu
Sequel:	21st Century Boys
Side story:	20 Seiki Shounen Tanteidan

More characters
Characters

Endo, Kenji

Main

Friend

Main

Endo, Kanna

Main

Ochiai, Chouji

Supporting

Sada, Kiyoshi

Supporting

Koizumi, Kyoko

Supporting

Minamoto, Yoshitsune

Supporting

Kaminaga, Kyuutaro

Supporting

Hattori, Fukubei

Supporting

Setoguchi, Yukiji

Supporting

More reviewsReviews

Aug 16, 2007

249 of 249 chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

daimira (All reviews)

260 people found this review helpful

20th Century Boys is about a group of men (and one woman) who, when they had been children, had been best friends, sharing a "secret base" in an overgrown field: a sanctuary where they could read manga, listen to music, and hide from the most evil twins in history, Yanbo and Mabo. One day, their "creative genius," Kenji suggested they bury a time capsule, fill it with their treasured possessions, and agree to unearth it only when the earth was in grave danger, for they would then save it.

Years later, they find themselves leading ordinary, unglamorous lives, their dreams of greatness long-buried under the dust of adult pragmatism. But then strange deaths caused by a mysterious virus begin occurring, and murders and disappearances occur one after another. Then one of their number becomes one of the dead, and all the clues point Kenji to a mysterious man who calls himself "Tomodachi (Friend)," who uses as his sign a symbol known only to Kenji's circle of friends.

As the scale of damage and the number of deaths rapidly increase, Kenji realizes that all the terrors are occurring as he had once set down on paper, in a story he and his friends had written, and buried in the time capsule they had sworn over.

20th Century Boys is difficult for me to summarize without giving too much away, but even if I were to divulge half of its secrets, we would still not be anywhere near solving the mystery of "Friend" and of his motives.

At first glance, 20thCB seems to be a crude shounen manga that would probably not appeal to everyone, judging by the artwork alone. But it is not. True, there are no pretty boys or girls to easily fangirl (or boy) over in this series, but this kind of story does not need exaggerated, surreal beauty in its artwork to survive. This truly is a graphic novel, where the plot moves with speed, certainty, and intelligence rather than rely on hundreds of feathers and cherry blossoms to depict angst and drama. The art is actually pretty polished as well, the inking clean and deliberate, and the panels arranged simply but effectively. Like movies these days, many manga artists tend to rely on "special effects" or glamorous art rather than plot to attract readers, but 20thCB has enough plot that any eye candy would just be a bonus.

Character development in 20thCB is also something I liked. Kenji grows and changes as the series progresses, and so do the other characters. The dynamics between the friends are believable, and their heroism so simple and understated.

I can't really find much to say about this manga, simply because it's so good and interesting and I probably wouldn't be able to do it much justice. But if you're looking for a fast-paced intelligent plot, masterfully created characters, and a mystery that can have you at the edge of your seat, then give this series a chance.

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Jan 6, 2009

249 of 249 chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

MagEarwhig (All reviews)

215 people found this review helpful

Story:
While the whole "saving the world" kind of storyline isn't anything new, it does it so well that it makes the reader so engrossed in the story and not want to stop reading. The switch between timelines are done so well that it hardly leaves you confused on what is going on. There are so many twist and turns in the story which makes nearly every chapter such an enjoyable read.

Art:
The art is quite detailed and even as the art was already quite good from the start, as it goes on it steadily improves. I have to say Urusawa's distinct art style definitely is read more

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Dec 8, 2007

249 of 249 chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

Master10K (All reviews)

109 people found this review helpful

20th Century Boys is a Seinen, Sci-fi, Psychological manga that takes storytelling to a whole new level.

From the beginning of the manga it is already clear what already happened and so the story just basically reveals, bit by bit, explaining the events that took place. However you have to be prepared for some major plot twists. What is so interesting about the story, is that it is set in different timelines (Childhood Era, Adult Era and Friend Era), which gives more insight into the characters and events that took place. However it is very hard to follow these different timelines, because it feels like reading read more

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Jan 18, 2011

249 of 249 chapters read

Overall Rating: 6

Sheepdude (All reviews)

83 people found this review helpful

The originality and success of 20th Century Boys owes itself to creator Urasawa Naoki's creativity and drawing talent. This is the kind of manga that you can get excited about and engross yourself in its story. Small boys in a little town dream big about saving the world and becoming defenders of justice, but the one thing they couldn't imagine is how their ideas will end up affecting the future.

Art

The art is great. The characters and environments have a consistent and interesting style, and the drawings are a pleasure to look at. Urasawa-sensei does a great job at keeping the physical look of the characters read more

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	Poll: 20th Century Boys Chapter 249 Discussion Darkreaper70 - Oct 1, 2008	49 replies	by YamiBoy »» 2 hours ago
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