Coming from the same mangaka as Monster, expectations from 20th Century Boys were sky high. And boy oh boy it did hit the marks well enough. Keeping his distinctive style of webbing up an apparently abstruse mystery, bathing us in captivating rays of bewildering thrill from time to time, he narrates a compelling storyline with quintessential skill. Not to forget how the substantial amount of references were used to good effect from time to time. Stretching from the ever evolving world of music to world events and swooping down occasionally into the world of well known names in Japanese anime/manga entertainment(like Ashita no Joe, Cyborg 009, Planet Mask, Tetsujin 28-go, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, etc.), the list goes on to show the amount of work that was put in the 249 chapters spanning a time period of roughly 46 years. And the supernatural elements. This is the first time I’ve come across a Japanese anime/manga that neither uses it as a base to crawl upwards, or use it casually or inadvertently just for the cheap entertainment value.
‘I hated shoujo manga, so I only read shounen manga. In real life, there were no perfect boys who always pop up in shoujo manga. In real life, there were no princes riding on white horses.’- Yukiji
Story- Storytelling is reminiscent of Stephen King’s style in ‘IT’ in the first quarter and goes on to encompass several timelines centering around the same set of major characters. Each timeline however has it’s own set of riveting characters that adds to the charm of this sporadic swapping narrative. Beginning with simple childhood fancies of a certain friends circle in the 60s it takes us to the rising fascism with glimpses of a near post-apocalyptic world from time to time. flutters from nostalgia to hype, drops a few doses of simple but enjoyable humour, then goes back to presage a disaster. An aberrant form of delish amusement. This guy has mastered the art of believable ridiculousness and complementing it with keeping us guessing upto the final chapters. There were few arcs that leave you disappointed cause you realise it was all so simple and predictable, and the next moment you are back to wracking your brains to figure it all out. Waves of childhood dreams, ambition, hopes crash against the darker elements of regrets, disappointments and failures.
‘So this is what it looks like… when our fantasy became reality…’- Kenji and Otcho
Characters- Each of the major protagonists goes from well defined simple tetrahedrons in the beginning; to a more varied and quirky forms as more edges added to them, consummating the development that drives at a desultory pace. On the antagonists side, an esoteric philosophical doctrine monitored by the sibylline and enigmatic leader. As the story gives out plausible hints to the identity and purpose of the oracular events and the conspiracy plaguing the time, the readers are encouraged to scrutinize the interpersonal relations between the old childhood group of associates at several time periods to come up with their own theories. Revisiting the characters, especially at indispensable times, makes way to see deeper into their psychology. Not to overlook the side characters: Each of them distinctive and individualistic, some of them with a mesmeric backstory supplementing the desire and motivating impulse in relation to the event at hand.
‘People should walk the way they want to. Wouldn’t that be the right kind of world for everyone?’ - Tamura Masao/ #13
Art- Although readers may feel skeptical of the artstyle earlier, you’ve gotta admit- it does it’s job well. It manages to draw out the requisite expressions apart from sending out the menacing or creepy vibe when needed. Quite often, it flips from being hilarious to eldritch in a single page, maintaining the convincing surrealism. Going through the manga incites such a wide variety of emotions- you’ll be smiling one moment, biting your nails the next, praying after a few seconds, hyping the next panel and so on. As far as backgrounds are concerned, they are top notch in trying to maintain a rational view of the future rather than going overboard with the few sci-fi and supernatural elements.
‘Becoming adults means forgetting and moving on to the next thing.’ - Kami-sama
And let’s not forget the laid-back OST accompanying the manga, pretty much intensifies the overall experience, other than the theme song of the manga itself: 20th Century Boy by T.Rex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6fMWguYVME
‘I’m singing a song. I said, I’m singing a song. And when someone is singing a song… don’t shoot them.’- Kenji
If one does go pedantic on the manga, it is easy to see that the ending was a bit rushed and does fall out of place compared to the rest of epic tale. And dragging on the major entrancing factors to the sequel, the denouement feels a bit incomplete and a low quality bait to read the horrible sequel of 21st Century Boys(Note: Don’t give into the temptation. Nope).
Apart from that, it is such an unputdownable page turner. Talk about harmonized chaos. The characters go a long way from being happy-go-lucky to reach the peak of human determination and keep pushing forward, crawling through the dirt oppressed but never faltering. Old comrades separate, go their own ways, only to come back together as their fates entwine once again. By the end of it, you may eventually add to the chorus of-
‘Guta La La
Suda La La’-
Kenji
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xdY10RhB0s)
Overall rating- 8.7/10
