Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 1 The Prophet
Reviews
Apa jadinya kalau khayalan masa kanak-kanak yang terlupakan tiba-tiba "dihidupkan" kembali oleh seseorang yang tak dikenal? keseluruhan inti komik ini ada di kata-kata itu. Well, imho ini adalah salah satu manga terbaik yang pernah saya baca. twistnya, karakternya, ceritanya, dll~ recommended!
4 of 5 stars
4 of 5 stars
4.5 of 5 stars
4 of 5 stars
February 8, 2018: One of my absolute favourite manga series. Revisiting it brings back a lot of memories. Urusawa is sort of famous for creating complex thrillers with a touch of nostalgia, and this one is definitely one of his crown jewels. 20th Century Boys tells the story of a group of childhood friends who get to realize their old dream of saving the world years after they concocted tales of secret bases, giant robots, deadly outbreaks, and formidable evil. But now that the danger is more real than a child's silly play, they must figure out which one of their friends has become their greatest adversary and risk everything while doing it. First volume sets up the plot with a mysterious cult taking over the country. To the shock of our heroes, the cult is using the symbol that Kenji and his friends made up as children. One by one the gang gathers once more to figure out how their fantasies are linked to a string of terrible deaths and a secret organization. Because it's been almost 15 years since I last read this series, I recall no major plot points, so it's nice to still have that intrigue. I also love Yukiji's introduction. Can't wait to find out (again) what Donkey saw in the science room that night.
February 8, 2018: The second volume expands on the spreading influence of "Friend" among his devotees. Police can't be trusted. Germ warfare has been launched according to the rules of a childish game. God has prophetic dreams and shoplifts lunch box from the convenience store. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Kenji's sister might have had a dark secret when she disappeared. This series is so damn good..........
August 26, 2019: A very suspenseful volume. Here’s the problem of re-reading: I can’t recall if the reveal was done earlier in the series, or if I’m just remembering things from the past. Aren’t we supposed to know already who this guy is? So confusing!
Loveable! Think Stranger Things with emotional weight to the cultural references, and doubled in meaning (here we get the melancholy of adulthood), and a tacit defence of ordinary life against the extreme. Gets really good after volume 5, when the plucky underdog bit gets obliterated, Urasawa does a self-insert, and new themes unfold.
