20th Century Boys
a review by dusk
a review by dusk
Yes, that quote will actually be relevant eventually.
Please note that this review is divided into two segments. The first one will be spoiler-free and will basically be me recommending it to someone who is considering reading it. The second one will contain spoilers and will be a story analysis with all of my praises and criticisms of specific aspects of the story. The conclusion will remain spoiler-free. The first "Spoiler-Free" section will contain images from early volumes that don't give away anything important. Whilst it isn't that much of a spoiler, if you are trying to be cautious I'd recommend just skipping to the conclusion. Also this is my first review so sorry if it's not that great.
#Story: 9/10
The story follows Kenji, a convenience store owner whose childhood friend mysteriously commits suicide. When a symbol that Kenji and his friends made in 1969 resurfaces as part of a cult, which worships an enigmatic figure simply named "Friend", Kenji and his friends reunite, vowing to take back the symbol.
The cast of characters were just a joy to experience the story with. They develop in natural ways throughout the story and are all so memorable, with all of their personalities being believable. Over the course of the story, I grew attached to all of them and was satisfied with the various conclusions given to them. They are given adequate space to grow and for insights into their backstory to shine.The mystery of "Friend" is executed almost perfectly throughout the entire story, with a new revelation being thrown in every few chapters. There are so many memorable scenes which have so much weight. Most of the story is brilliant, however after about 180 chapters I found that it had slightly decreased in quality. I felt like the dramatic moments had less weight, the story got much more convoluted and some personalities of the characters had been botched. I won't elaborate any further but once you reach this point I can guarantee you'll at least be able to notice the change. Despite this, the story was extremely captivating the whole way through and Naoki Urasawa consistently succeeds at almost everything. At some points I noticed my heart beating out of my chest, something which neither manga or anime has ever done to me before, something I thought was truly special.
#Art: 10/10
I have to admit, when I first started reading this, I wasn't a fan of the art-style. In fact, I almost stopped reading because the art was so foreign to me. However, I stuck with it, and by the end of the story, I wanted more. Some panels stuck with me even after I finished. The gore, while infrequent, is very impactful when used. It transcends previously great scenes to greater heights.
It would have been a 10/10 if the last arc was as good as the others, however everything else about the story was so immaculately put-together and the mystery was so captivating that I had found that it had manipulated me into binge-reading it, even the last arc which I consider inferior. And that is far from a bad thing. The the first and second arcs are probably some of the best things I've ever read in any manga.
I'm writing this section of the review assuming you have read both 20th Century Boys and 21st Century Boys. If you haven't already, I would recommend reading 21st Century Boys as it completes the story for better or for worse. I didn't really take much issue with it and I thought most of it was an enjoyable read and a worthy addition to the story, however the more dramatic moments felt unnecessary and were not as good as 20th Century Boys'.
#What I Liked (other than what was in the spoiler-free section)
This series executed most of its dramatic moments brilliantly. It's hard to describe in words, but Urasawa is truly a genius when it comes to building tension. Scenes such as the friendship party concert, the Pope's "assassination", and the Bloody New Year's Eve all His art was also great at setting the tone of the scene. The unnerving facial expressions from young Yamane and the shadows in places like the science room and the House on the Hanging Hill are examples where the art enhances the mood.
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The whole mystery of "Friend" was very intricately crafted, and was the main compelling factor of the story. The reveal of "Friend's" identity being Fukubei was satisfying and occurred at the perfect moment once the reader had completely forgotten about him.
#What I Didn't Like as Much
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I also had an issue with the fact that some characters suffered from an extreme case of plot armor (Sadakiyo and Kenji mainly). While I'm ok with Kenji surviving and liked Sadakiyo's redemption, I wish that they had at least given an explanation about how Kenji survived. I mean, it was never explicitly confirmed that either of them died, and it was viable that Sadakiyo survived the burning car, but it's incredibly unbelievable that Kenji could have survived an explosion of that magnitude.
Some sequences, whilst enjoyable in the moment, didn't really make sense afterward and were never elaborated upon later in the story. Again, this could just be me being dumb, but I never really understood why the policeman with the mole was assassinated at the church in Kabuki. I don't think it was every explained, as the Friendship Party themselves admit that they are the antagonists, and I doubt that their hitman would be considered in the New Book of Prophecy as a "Savior of Justice".
I know it seems like I wrote a lot of negative stuff here but that pretty much only consisted of minor nitpicks I had with the story. In the end, the triumphs far outweighed my grievances.
#My Thoughts on the Ending
I'll be using spoiler tags here for the sake of everyone who scrolled to the bottom to read the conclusion. I personally didn't have much of an issue with how things wrapped up between all of the characters.
#Briefly Regarding 21st Century Boys
As I said previously, this completes the story, for better or for worse.
While I don't think that 20th Century Boys is objectively the best manga I've read, I would say that it'll probably remain one of my favourites (edit over 2 months later: Monster is now my favourite). All of the main characters are memorable and the mystery is perfectly crafted with twists and turns around every corner. It succeeds at being unnerving, endearing, thrilling, and impactful. The art is refreshing and perfectly suits the tone of the story, with facial expressions really shining. They belonged to a great ensemble of characters who get suitable development and help propel a very interesting story towards its conclusion. Overall, I would definitely recommend reading it, and, despite the flaws in the final act, it's worth finishing. Also don't forget to read 21st Century Boys too. It will answer some questions you will inevitably have with the ending.Again, sorry if the review wasn't well-structured, especially in the spoiler section, but I hope it can be forgiven as this is my first review.
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