20th Century Boys volume 1, by Naoki Urasawa

[rachelmanija]

rilina and oyceter have been telling me for ages that this is the Best! Thing! Evar! But reading manga online gives me a headache, so I waited for it to come out in English.

Now the first volume is out in English. Wow, it really is the Best! Thing! Evar! And the plot is so compelling that headache or no, I think I'm going to have to read ahead, and then snap up the print releases for a leisurely re-read.

I can't imagine this not being one of the best things I read all year. And if you've never read manga before, this might be a good one to start with. Buy it now!

Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Volume 1: The Prophet

Half the fun of reading this is the intricate, fractured way that the story jumps from past to present to uncertain times and possibly stories-with-the-story, letting the reader try to assemble the pieces. And another quarter or so is the way that I had no idea whatsoever where it all was going. So I won't reveal too much.

A group of Japanese boys form a secret club in the sixties. These scenes are suffused with a nostalgia that's both bright and dark, like a Ray Bradbury story: children and childhood can be cruel, but it was a time when anything seemed possible, everything was new, and friends were forever.

Years later, one of the boys has died mysteriously. Is it connected to a bizarre cult? Why is the club's secret symbol turning up everywhere? And what do rock music and giant robots have to do with it all?

I have no idea, but this is the most compelling, weird, and evocative thing I've read in ages. The weaving together of the American modern myths of salvation through rock music and the Japanese modern myths of giant robots, plus cross-cultural iconic themes like apocalyptic cults, is brilliant. Though most of the story is very male-centered, a woman shows up at the end, in a hilariously memorable scene, whom I suspect is one of the main characters, and I love her already.

The art is somewhat similar to Urasawa's moral thriller Monster, but a little more realistic and less cartoony: the characters are very expressive, but (deliberately) not pretty.

Spoil me for further events and be squashed by a giant robot. But feel free to discuss volume one in spoilery detail in the comments.

Comments

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

This is without a doubt the best manga I've ever read. And it only gets better!

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

Yup. Best. Manga. Ever.

(My household has Naoki Urasawa's rock album. As a guitar player, he makes a pretty good manga artist.)

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

I thought the name sounded familiar as the person who did Monster! Which I still have not read.

This one sounds really cool too. I am a fan of giant robots and apocalyptic cults and stories-within-stories.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

20th Century Boys is possibly your ideal manga: structurally complex, smart, funny, stuffed full of pop-culture references, and full of the longings of boys and men for success and love and a place to be themselves.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

OneManga has it, but holy crap, it's long! And then there's a 21st Century Boys finale, it seems. With a spoilery first chapter title that I probably shouldn't have read. I'll keep it in mind as something I'd like when I want to read a shitload of manga.

[m00nface.livejournal.com]

A couple of the covers are also spoilery, so be careful not to peek ahead!

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about manga, but my goddaughter likes it. Do you think this would be accessible to a thirteen-year-old?

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Accessible yes, enjoyable, maybe not. A lot of it is very thematically adult, about the changes that come between childhood and adulthood, the loss of youthful dreams, etc. Plus you lose a lot if you don't understand how mind-blowing some events of the sixties were.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

I don't know anything about the sixties!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Oh, there's plenty of context; I just meant that a thirteen-year-old would get that part less than someone your age. I didn't live through the sixties either.

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[oyceter]

I know! Isn't it just? And you know the best part? You are only on volume 1!! It gets exponentially BETTER.

[m00nface.livejournal.com]

It is ABSOLUTELY the best thing ever! I've been reccing this to everyone I know for the past three years or so, and words cannot express how glad I am that they can finally read it for themselves! I have the whole series in Japanese, and re-read it whenever I can. Such an intriguing story, such three-dimensional characters, such a suitable, appealing art style, so beautifully executed all around. This is my favourite manga of all time.

[m00nface.livejournal.com]

Also, although the story is male-centred right the way through, it passes the Bechdel test with flying colours, plus the few women who are involved are central, kick-ass and INDIVIDUAL. You know, like male characters get to be all the time?

everybody says it's just like rock and roll

[raucousraven.livejournal.com]

It's... I... Oh, I love this manga so, so much. And I'm rather envious that you get to experience it in all its amazing crazy glory for the first time!

[heyoka.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, I've only paid any attention to this manga because my favorite Japanese band has a cameo in the first movie. :P But now that it's being released in English, I may have to give it a shot. My geek friend in Finland has really been getting into it! (she started reading because of that same band cameo ;P)

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

I am so glad this is out. quixotic_sense recced it to me forever ago, and I could not read it online for the life of me-- the pages just wouldn't hang together.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

Yay! You are finally reading it! And as Oyce said, it not only gets exponentially better--it pulls off that trick several times in a row. I love it so much.

ETA: Can't. Type.