20th Century Boys

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

This is an unique manga. It have been thought in a very insighful way, looking for the actual state of the society (in the time the manga was created) and, based on that, predicted a possible (and very plausible) world. Putting into the scene topics like sects, government, secret organizations, propaganda and mass control/surveillance. Many things that occurs in the manga has already happened in the real world, what makes this work look mysterious and somehow like a prophecy.

Nostalgia is something that is present in every arc of the manga, it is the pillar of the plot and what motivates the situations. The characters are ... guided by this feeling. Talking about the characters, I don't find them like very well developed characters aside from the main one. They all follow an archetype or very simple back-stories, something that is not necessarily bad. But I wish they were expanded more.

Something that I found annoying was the lack of dynamism on the final arcs, I think he didn't know very well where to guide the events to and dragged and went in circles for some chapters. Aside from that, I understand now why this manga is so popular and a referent to many works that came later.

The following review also includes the sequel “21th Century Boys”, since in my opinion, it is not a sequel in the strict sense of the definition, but rather corresponds to the last two volumes of the story published as an epilogue.

It is in Spanish and English (translated with the support of DeepL).

The version read is the one licensed by “Planeta DeAgostini Cómics”.

English

If there is a particularly remarkable element in Urasawa's acclaimed story, it's the invitation to the reader to make an effort to unveil its mysteries, few similar works come to mind in this regard and most of them are visual novels. A tangent ... aspect in the same but that arouses interest in those who are fans of collecting clues and clues to make conjectures. Once the reading is over, I invite you to search the internet for the numerous fan theories about the central mystery of the story “Who is a friend?

However, although that denotes skill in the writer, it could only be the central element when the work is exclusively addressed to the writer, i.e., the presence of an elaborate mystery doesn't in itself supplement a thematic approach by means of its characters. And in that section Naoki delivers... as far as you are willing to make concessions.

The story is complex in presentation and narrative, stretching over 3 decades with different characters in their own arcs that occasionally intersect. Still, most have the same particular element in common, childhood, a high school summer where different memories were forged that will have an unforeseen effect on the future, linking them back together to strive to unravel the sequence of events.

And that is where the first “acceptance” by the reader begins. The story is presented with verisimilitude from its drawing or in its different dilemmas, which facilitates the acceptance of its implausible premise, about a world conquest based on tricks and gimmicks, in which apart from a few main characters, few perceive the deception or take it as a threat. True, the latter implies making the plot even more complex without providing any purpose, but as part of the premise that it is, I accept it to be the narrative starting point.

What I don't quite agree with is the fortuitous connection of almost every character to the protagonist, Kenji. Numerous times someone who is introduced is revealed to have made contact with him at a certain point for some reason, it could be put down to some thematic idea of “how someone normal can influence so many people”, but if so, we already have the other recurring characters making that position clear on a constant basis. There was no need to use those other secondary characters for the same purposes, notable to the contrast of the other secondary characters present in different contexts and reasons that do contribute to a more globalized view of the scope of events.

Nor have I been a fan of his sense of rhythm, I clarify that this is the first work I read by Naoki, my other connection with his work is the Monster anime, one of my favorites, so I don't know if he usually works like this. I refer to the almost abuse of the cliffhanger to keep the interest, what at the beginning absorbs the reading and invites to continue reading, tires in the long run, especially when it is not solved immediately but is continued with some time jump or narrative and will not be mentioned until 20 chapters later where, in addition, it will be subtracted from importance.

It's true that this positioning of pieces is what manages to build its mystery, it has been the repetition of the artifice that ends up detracting value, noticing even more when being close to its end is still presented and through another abused resource, the flashback of the sudden memory of something that was and had not been remembered until that particular moment. And it can be accepted as coherent, again it is up to the reader to make that acceptance or not.

These shortcomings were a burden to a set of elements with marked potential, the set of characters each has an arc and idea, although not all end up reaching port, it is understandable given its narrative ambition. The general sense of the narrative falters, even though I can appreciate the approach on responsibility and how someone common can inspire others, in certain characters where it should be evident, Urasawa gave more importance to the construction of the mystery, so contrary to close plots and provide a connection, it opens some mystery, another prophecy, a new misunderstanding.

A constant promise that is never fulfilled.

There are three other interesting aspects of the work. The first is the verisimilitude of its narrative being a point of contrast to the events, there are several “supernatural” facts in the story whether psychic powers or predictions of the future, which constitute another point of interest that fans can argue about how real is what is presented. For the purposes of the narrative they are approached as trickery and deception, although at certain particular moments they are taken as real by the characters and even used to their advantage, so the story has an unbiased stance on them.

Due to Naoki's characterization of the bygone era and by a couple of other characters, there is some homage to the manganime of his childhood. It's nice to see mention of the shows, series and authors that built the foundations of the industry, and that surely influenced him to pursue writing stories himself. And given the events of the story it also serves the purpose of reflecting how the programs we watched as children are capable of influencing us all our lives.

In the same vein, the story provides a tribute to music, be it Rock, Enka or the simple act of singing for the sake of it, in the sense of expression and individuality. It takes center stage during the final phase of the story, yet I consider it halfway through what could have been a stronger message. Again, the eagerness to construct a mystery got in the way of what would have been a valuable reflection.

Although there are other considerable aspects of “addressed”, I consider them to be used for the purpose of the topics already mentioned, such as bullying, sense of belonging or biological experimentation. In any case, they are correctly treated for their respective moments, and because not necessarily every element in a story must lead to a reflection of it.

And then there's the cult of personality addressed through contrast, obviously it's friend who comes to mind, yet we have Kenji right there. Kenji is “Friend” to his friends. So readings and observations can be made according to the events reflecting a thematic intention, to know if intentional, whose depth is again proposition of the one who analyzes and the reader.

What I can not leave in doubt is Urasawa's talent in the construction of tension, there are particular moments of the story that have a fundamental importance in the narrative and are those who best exhibit this quality, whether in the present or past, are made up of different character points, and the omission of information in the particular moment to wrap it with even more expectation before the next panel, constituting the sequences of events that will be remembered by his fans.

I emphasize that I value this dedication in specific moments of the narrative that, given their importance, deserved this narrative presentation, unlike other less transcendent ones that wear out the artifice and accustom us to surprise.

Being my first work read by the author, along with admiration for his writing, I can add his drawing along with the sense of illustration and movement. He knows when to include wide panels to emphasize the moment, to focus on the facial expression of a character, to represent the character in the middle of the scene, not wasting any element in the panel but all of them are directed to what he wants to be that scene. And by this sense of action he manages to represent the tension he is planning.

Ultimately, my opinion is in the convergence of different elements that I highly appreciate, be it its drawing, the homage to the time when the manganime industry was consolidated, the power of music or the consequences of our actions, in front of a mystery and the need for tension that takes precedence over the characters, logic or having given us a more meaningful reflection.

Spanish

Si hay un elemento especialmente destacable en la aclamada historia de Urasawa es la invitación al lector en esforzarse en develar sus misterios, pocas obras similares se me ocurren al respecto y en su mayoría son novelas visuales. Un aspecto tangente en las mismas pero que despierta interés en quienes son fanáticos de recopilar pistas e indicios para realizar conjeturas. Una vez finalizada la lectura invito a buscar por internet las numerosas teorías de los fanáticos acerca del misterio central de la historia “¿Quién es amigo?”.

Sin embargo, aunque aquello denote habilidad en el escritor, sólo podría ser el elemento central cuando la obra está exclusivamente dirigida al mismo, es decir, la presencia de un elaborado misterio no suple por sí misma un abordaje temático por medio de sus personajes. Y en ese apartado Naoki cumple… hasta donde estés dispuesto a realizar concesiones.

La historia es compleja en presentación y narrativa, se extiende a lo largo de 3 décadas con diferentes personajes en sus propios arcos que se entrecruzan ocasionalmente. Aún así, la mayoría tienen el mismo elemento en particular en común, la infancia, un verano de secundaria donde se forjaron diferentes recuerdos que tendrán un efecto imprevisto en el futuro, volviendo a enlazarlos para esforzarse en desvelar la secuencia de acontecimientos.

Y es ahí donde se parte en la primera “aceptación” por parte del lector. La historia es presentado con verosimilitud desde su dibujo o en sus diferentes dilemas, lo cuál facilita que se acepte su premisa tan inverosímil, acerca de una conquista mundial a partir de artimañas y trucos, en el que aparte de unos pocos personajes principales, pocos perciban el engaño o le tomen de amenaza. Cierto que lo último implica complejizar todavía más la trama sin brindar algún propósito, y como parte de la premisa que es, la acepto para ser el punto narrativo de partida.

Con lo que no termino de comulgar es la conexión fortuita de casi cada personaje hacia el protagonista, Kenji. Numerosas veces alguien que es introducido se revela que en cierto momento por alguna razón estableció contacto con el mismo, podría achacarse a alguna idea temática de “como alguien normal puede influir a tantas personas”, pero de serlo, ya tenemos a los otros personajes recurrentes dejando en clara esa posición de forma constante. No había necesidad de utilizar a esos otros secundarios para los mismos propósitos, notable al contraste de los otros secundarios presentes en diferentes contextos y razones que sí aportan a una visión más globalizada del alcance de los sucesos.

Ni tampoco he sido fanático de su sentido del ritmo, aclaro que está es la primera obra que leo de Naoki, mi otra conexión con su trabajo es el anime de Monster, uno de mis preferidos, por ende no conozco si así trabaja normalmente. Me refiero al casi abuso del Cliffhanger para mantener el interés, lo que al principio absorbe a la lectura e invita a seguir leyendo, cansa a largo plazo, especialmente cuando no es resuelto de inmediato sino que es continuado con algún salto temporal o de narrativa y no será mencionado hasta dentro de 20 capítulos en donde, además, se le restará de importancia.

Bien es cierto que ese posicionamiento de piezas es lo que consigue construir su misterio, ha sido la repetición del artificio lo que le termina restando valor, notándose todavía más cuándo estando cerca de su final se sigue presentando y a través de otro recurso abusado, el flashback del recuerdo repentino sobre algo que fue y no había sido recordado hasta ese momento particular. Y puede ser aceptado como coherente, nuevamente depende del lector realizar o no esa aceptación.

Estos defectos fueron lastres a un conjunto de elementos con marcado potencial, el conjunto de personajes tiene cada cuál un arco e idea, si bien no todos terminan de alcanzar puerto, es comprensible dada su ambición narrativa. De flaquear es en el sentido general de la narrativa, aún cuando puedo apreciar el abordaje sobre la responsabilidad y en que alguien común puede inspirar a los demás, en ciertos personajes donde debería ser evidente, Urasawa le brindó más importancia a esa construcción del misterio, así que contrario a cerrar tramas y brindar una conexión, abre algún misterio, otra profecía, un nuevo malentendido.

Es una constante promesa que nunca se cumple.

Hay otros tres aspectos interesantes en la obra. El primero es la verosimilitud de su narrativa siendo punto de contraste a los sucesos, hay varios hechos “sobrenaturales” en la historia sean poderes psíquicos o predicciones del futuro, lo cuales constituyen otro punto de interés del que pueden discutir sus fanáticos acerca de qué tan real es aquello presentado. Para los efectos de la narrativa son abordados de truco y engaño, aunque en ciertos momentos particulares son tomados de verdaderos por los personajes e incluso los usan a su favor, así que la historia tiene una posición imparcial respecto a los mismos.

Debido a la caracterización de Naoki de la época pasada y por otro par de personajes, hay cierto homenaje al manganime de su infancia. Es agradable ver la mención a los programas, series y autores que construyeron los cimientos de la industria, y que seguramente le influyeron a él mismo a dedicarse a escribir historias. Y dados los sucesos de la historia también sirve al propósito de reflejar cómo los programas que veíamos cuando niños son capaces de influirnos toda la vida.

En la misma línea, la historia brinda un homenaje a la música, sea el Rock, Enka o el simple acto de cantar por el bien de hacerlo, en sentido de expresión e individualidad. Toma protagonismo durante la fase final de la historia, aún así le considero a medio término de lo que podría haber sido un mensaje más contundente. Nuevamente, el afán en la construcción de un misterio se interpuso de lo que hubiese sido una valiosa reflexión.

Pese a que hay otros aspectos considerables de “abordados”, los considero de utilizados para el propósito de las temáticas ya mencionadas, estando el Bullying, sentido de la pertenencia o la experimentación biológica. De todas maneras me son correctamente tratados para sus respectivos momentos, y porque no necesariamente cada elemento en una historia deba conllevar hacia una reflexión del mismo.

Y también está el culto de la personalidad abordado a través del contraste, evidentemente es amigo quien nos viene a la mente, sin embargo, tenemos a Kenji ahí mismo. Kenji es “Amigo” para sus amigos. Así que pueden realizarse lecturas y observaciones según los sucesos reflejando una intención temática, a saber si intencional, cuya profundidad es nuevamente proposición de quien analiza y del lector.

Lo que si no puedo dejar en duda es el talento de Urasawa en la construcción de tensión, hay momentos particulares de la historia que tienen una importancia fundamental en la narrativa y son quienes mejor exhiben está cualidad, sea en el presente o pasado, están conformados por diferentes puntos de personaje, y la omisión de la información en el momento particular para envolverlo de todavía más expectativa ante el siguiente panel, constituyendo a la secuencias de sucesos que serán recordadas por sus fanáticos.

Recalco que valoro esta dedicación en momentos puntuales de la narrativa que dada su importancia se merecían esta presentación narrativa, a diferencia de otros menos trascendentes que desgastan el artificio y nos acostumbran a la sorpresa.

Siendo mi primera obra leída del autor, a la par que la admiración por su escritura, puedo sumar su dibujo junto al sentido de la ilustración y el movimiento. Sabe cuándo incluir paneles amplios para enfatizar el momento, enfocarse en la expresión facial de un personaje, representar al mismo en medio del escenario, no desperdiciar ningún elemento en el panel sino que todos están dirigidos a lo que quiere ser esa escena. Y por este sentido de la acción consigue representar esa tensión que planifica.

En últimas mi opinión está en la convergencia de diferentes elementos que tengo en alto aprecio sea su dibujo, el homenaje hacia la época que se consolida la industria de manganime, el poder de la música o las consecuencias de nuestras acciones, frente a un misterio y necesidad de tensión que se antepone a los personajes, lógica o el habernos brindado una reflexión más significativa.

*Spoiler free - Rapid Review*

Perhaps the most over-rated manga ever.

This manga is *extremely* over-rated. Despite having good characters that are properly characterised and play off each other well, the manga fails to support the plot with a paper-thin mystery that should have only lasted 100 chapters. It's a hodgepodge of many ideas that don't support each other and the resolutions of plot points are really boring. Which, is exactly what this manga is, boring. The art is decent and certain scenes look great, the actual story is so random and bad that I really cannot recommend this manga to anyone. It's a shame this manga ... is heralded as a "rite of passage" to be a "proper manga fan", because this is such elementary writing. And the entirety of the mystery plots are a joke. It's like, 10 different genres stuffed into a single story and it just doesn't work. Period. Trying to be so many things at once is a detriment.

I'd say 3-4 out of 10, but the admittedly novel, albeit failed, approach and some scenes jump it to a 5/10.