Disclaimer: This Review will not be Spoiler-free, it will contain parts which spoil major or minor plot points in the story of 20th Century Boys so please read with caution.
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Story Synopsis:
20th Century Boys is the story about a group of friends which write a book the so called "Book of Prophecy", in this book they note every major event which will eventually lead to the demise of humanity in the year 2000. From huge robots which are powered by nuclear energy to their group saving people it is all written down there. Many many years later they grew up got married, got kids, simply do adult things but their past catches up to them when a "cult" emerges, with the same symbol they used back when they were kids. Why would anyone of their group this, and who is this mysterious leader called "Friend"? This is what is to uncover in this dark, mystery, thriller manga.
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My Thoughts:
This is a really complex story, things that happend in the past and how they affect the future. People who were part of this Group back then and who were involved with how their childhood played out, with the Dark energy that is added through the Person of Friend who almost has like an Aura around him just like Johan Liebert. How they slowly uncover the Mystery and the sacrifices they need to make in order to that are absolutly thrilling to read, no Manga or Anime had me on the edge of my seat longer then 20th Century Boys, it is absolutly fun to read.
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Antagonist and Protagonist:
I already said some words to Friend but i havent really said much to Kenji the MC of 20th Century Boys. Kenji is also really interesting as a Character almost like a Hippie who wants to make the world a better place with his Music that he plays alone in sidestreets with his trusted acoustic guitar. Kenji isnt even really in the Focus for that much of the story almost like his place gets taken by Friend who is the main focus of the Manga, that is why his development may go unnoticed but really he turned out great in the end. And then there is Friend, he is not only my Favorite Antagonist (at the point of writing this review) he is also such a Menace, a pure maniac who wants to see the World burning, all that based on the childhood trauma he got and which of course is linked to the friend group that Kenji was in.
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Artstyle:
The Artstyle really is pretty much the same as it was in Monster too. Urasawa is a Genius not only on paper but also behind the pen, the characters design was elevated on a higher level then it was in Monster which was a pleasant surprise for me. Here are some examples of the Artstyle:
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And that is pretty much it, i could have written some more but i dont wanna overdo it, the manga is absolutly great in my eyes and i hope i could show that with my Review but for now this is the End, So see you next time.
