Should You Read: 20TH CENTURY BOYS
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2021
- A short look at 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa.
Kenji is your average everyday guy. Working in a convenience store to support his sister's baby and his mother. One day, things start to take a dark after he discovers a symbol that he and his friends use to use as kids. A symbol now connected to missing person. Whatever is happening goes much deeper than what's on the surface. Linking to conspiracies, murders, government, and this mysterious character simply known as "Friend".
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If you're into some other recommendations, try this playlist:
• Should You Read
Need a second opinion?
• This Manga Is A Must R...
Like Naoki Urasawa? Try Billy Bat! One of my all time favourites:
• The Billy Bat Story: J...
Cheer, Cheer. 
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Hey man can you do an in-depth review of this series like you did with billy bat I'd love to see you do it for this masterpiece.
I 100% agree.
The entirety of youtube is so "anti spoiler" analysis and i been wanting a deep dive on this series for years.
Also that Night in the Woods OST!
I also agree
That's honestly great to hear, I've been working on just that! There is absolutely a need for some spoiler looks at 20th Century Boys on RUclips. It'll probably be a while before it comes out though. My script is already 50 pages and I've still got bits to finish...
@@SeaGee Could you also include some parallels between Kenji and the author Naoki Urasawa himself, and the contexts of the arts and literatures referenced in the manga?
Noted! Will add that to the list
The manga that made me think about manga in a new way. The manga that made me aware of the little stuff like panel composition. I know 20cb is a bit polarizing but I think it's a masterpiece.
That's awesome! I love when series can broaden your horizons on what's possible in manga. Glad 20cb was one of those for you
Polarizing? Never heard of that. In what circles?
20th Century Boys is my favourite manga it's such a enjoyable read the mystery that it presented and the way that it kept the suspense without ever giving the feeling that it's dragged is incridible.
Naoki Urasawa really is a genius
I'm very glad you made a video about 20th Century Boys. Reading it was truly one hell of a ride.
Thanks! This is a series that desperately needs some more play on RUclips
Also, I really like your choice of manga you've been discussing. Hope to see more gekiga, left field, and alternative manga stuff. Subbed!
Thanks! We'll be sticking with 20th Century Boys for a while. Still a lot to talk about here!
wait what? this came out a week ago? i recently finished 20th CB and its now my favorite manga of all time (urasawa proving hes the goat once again) and i was looking for some videos about it and i ran into your video! great to see someone talking about this masterpiece lately
Glad to hear people are still finding this manga! Always great to hear more people checking it out
Bought volume 1 of the perfect edition on a whim a couple years ago and never cracked it open. Still have yet to open it up because I'm still trying to read/collect Pluto. Also read the first few chapters of Asadora and Master Keaton and was stunned by the masterful understanding of comics craft. It sounds kind of silly but Urasawa is probably my favorite mangaka who I haven't read a full series of.
You're in store for some great stuff when you get to go deeper into these series!
20th Century Boys is one of my favourite, an all time great!
You deserve more view man. Great video
Thanks, you're too kind!
After watching Monster, it became my favorite anime of all time, dethroning my previous favorite, HunterXHunter. So I started looking into other Urusawa works and found 20th CB, Pluto, Billy Bat, and his other works. I decided to start with 20th CB. The only thing I knew before reading it was that the villain wears a mask with a weird symbol, so I went in completely blind. After reading it, I can definitively say that it was a compelling mystery. Even though I tend to drop manga out of boredom since I don't like the medium, the many twists and turns in finding out who Friend is definitely kept me reading until the end. I also like how the end of almost every chapter is a cliffhanger, which makes you want to read more. With all that being said however, I still cannot call 20th CB a masterpiece like I do with Monster. In hindsight, it feels like something is missing. Something integral to making it a masterpiece. It does have compelling characters and side characters, but personally, most of them didn't feel as compelling as Monster's characters. Well, besides Kenji, Otcho, God, and Kanna. I feel those characters were perfect. But then some other side characters, like Kenji's other friends, will get less development and backstory compared to characters like Otcho, which just feels a bit weird to me.
I can say without a doubt that I believe Friend is a weaker villain overall than Johan. I would argue that the mystery behind Friend is just as intriguing, if not more so than Johan's. I also think that Friend's presence as an overarching villain/mastermind matches that of Johan. Where Friend falls short however, is in conviction and motive, when compared to Johan. After finishing 20th and 21st CB, I can say that finding out who Friend was is satisfying in a way, but I still do not understand his motive or why Friend is who he is. It felt like Friend did what he did just for the sake of doing it, or perhaps out of spite. After finishing Monster, Johan's motives and goals aren't immediately apparent, but after analyzing the story, Johan's motives and goals become clear.
Regardless of the varying opinions on 20th CB, I believe most would agree that it's ending, 21st CB included, is rushed and weak. Monster's ending felt perfect, not too rushed, weak, or drawn out. 20th CB builds up to an epic ending, but then it kind of drops the ball, with Friend's identity still being a mystery, and a happy ending kinda shoehorned in. 21st CB did make it feel more complete, but the ending still felt weak to me.
Despite all this, I still do like 20th CB. It definitely feels like an Urusawa work. Overall, even though the story can get very weird and confusing at times, it's not too outlandish in retrospect. My biggest gripe is still the ending though. That ending made 20th CB a 9/10 for me, compared to Monster's 10/10. I know I'm comparing 20th CB to Monster a lot, and that's probably why I don't see it as a masterpiece, but after something like Monster, I'm gonna be comparing it to 20th CB consciously or unconsciously.
Some very good points there! I know I was in a similar boat coming to this series for the first time. I loved Monster and went looking for more of the same. 20cb seemed like the next best thing but I kept comparing it back which overall hurt my enjoyment of the series. There are some genuine criticisms I have of the series regardless (like the ending), but perhaps coming in fresh from Monster was the biggest thing against the series.
There's still a lot to love here though. Like you say, the mystery is fantastic and really compelling. Those starting chapters do such a phenomenal job of getting you into the whole plot. All in all, I totally get where you're coming from. I'm glad as a manga it still managed to keep you engaged the whole time so you could appreciate the entire story
I'm in the same situation now, i just finished monster last week and now is struggling to find a better anime as monster has set some high standards now
@@vd8614 psycho pass is kinda like a futuristic version of Monster. It's definetly not as good as Monster but the villains are similar in a way so you should give it a try
At last. The goat SeaGee covered my favorite Naoki Urasawa work. My life's complete
Thanks mate! It's finally time to go down the 20th Century Boys rabbit hole. Trust me, there's a lot more coming
Sounds so damn good, just like Monster, I haven't finished 20th century boys yet. But I will after this one! Sounds like something that would pick my interest for some good time.
I hope you enjoy it Faust! Just be wary of spoilers. This series is a big mystery and is such an engaging read when you don't know what's coming next. And yeah with 250+ chapters will probably keep you interested for a while!
@@SeaGee i most definitely will. It sounds so good. And I'm grateful for your recommendations!
The only mangaka who's not even a single manga failed to entertain me. Such a talented story writer
Man made 4 banger straight. MONSTER, 20th century boy, Billy Bat and Pluto
My favorite Manga. The best work of the GOAT.
Monster>>>
but both are goated
@@mightdai7489 W
Yea totally recommend, currently on chapter 186 and shit is peak
Oh man chapter 186? So "that thing" just happened... What an iconic moment. Enjoy the rest of the series!
@@SeaGee Yea thanks
I just finished it...might be my favorite manga ever. It pains me to know it will never gain popularity because it will never get an anime adaption. The story is just too insane for it to get one.
Stoked to hear people are still finding and loving this series! I agree an anime adaptation would be wild. Though I reckon it would turn out better than the live action movies!
AHHHHHH 20TH CENTURY SEAGEE!!
While Monster is still my favorite Urasawa work, 20CB was very very good, it lost a bit of strength at the end, specially with a few misused elements that had much better potential, but its a masterpiece of a manga.... everyone should read it.... but while Monster feels like a wild trip that finally ends leaving you satisfied with the destination, 20CB for me felt like the ride there was much more fun than the destination itself...
@Just a regular slime. already did.... before I posted this.... still think the same, a very good ending just mmm I needed a bit more...
You should also listen to 20th Century Boy by Marc Bolan T. Rex.
Might have been jamming it on repeat while working on this video. Definitely recommend
I started reading it but dropped it once I realized the many similitudes with Monster.
Yeah a lot of parallels to make. Admittedly it is hard coming straight from that series because you do end up making a lot of comparisons between them
I was personally pretty let down by 20th Century Boys, although I’m not nearly as harsh on it as some of the detractors I’ve seen. Kenji was a pretty dull protagonist for me personally, which is why his absence for much of the story was felt as a positive for me. Kanna is a lot easier to like due to her energy and charisma, but it’s hard to deny that she lacks basically any and all depth as a protagonist. While the story was fun to see unravel, the antagonist’s motivation seemed really lame or even barely there and the story has the odd distinction of somehow feeling both bloated toward the middle and end and still seeming rushed at the conclusion. Another thing that irked me is that even though the supporting cast is much larger and arguably featured more than the one in Monster, their personalities are far weaker and far less memorable for me, whereas nearly every character from Monster stood out in at least some small way.
I was wondering what your thoughts on this series were going to be Condor! You mentioned previously that this series wasn't one of your favorites. I actually agree with a lot of your points. Though I personally find the all the characters really strong in this series, even Kenji. I love early Kenji in those first 49 chapters.
Do you feel like you would've enjoyed it more if this was your first Urasawa series? (I.e. before reading Monster)
@@SeaGee Most of my disappointment with 20th CB came from comparing it to Monster, so perhaps I would’ve enjoyed it more if it was my first. It’s also interesting how characters from Monster pop up again in 20th CB to a certain extent. Detective Chono is basically Suk and multiple characters resemble Johan in some way.
@Condor Yeah Urasawa does a bit of that. Similar characters popping up across different series of his.
I would be curious to see if that's a common thing. People who like this series less are coming from Monster and people who adore it had this as their first Urasawa story..
Should I collect monster, 20thcb, or Pluto?
Of the three, I'd put Monster as my number 1. The perfect edition books are real nice
where can i read it pls link or something??
Just search 20th century Boys online, this also works for other Manga
Is this you're favourite manga?
It's certainly among my favourites but doesn't claim the top spot
What's your favourite?@@SeaGee
Honestly I have no idea, I think I've got a lot of favourites for different things. Though Monster and Billy Bat by Urasawa would be good contenders for my #1
Should You Read: Goblin Slayer Light Novel
For me Goblin Slayer is a series that really sparks if you're into the adventure genre. People keep saying it is too gory, but it's what adventuring is.
"Don't be an adventurer if you expect the monsters won't attack you."
-Sun Tzu, Art of Adventuring.