A flag on the moon.
Manga creator Naoki Urasawa has come to be known for two things in his work: highly detailed and unique artwork, and deeply involving and ever-twisting stories. All the characters are visually unique and illustrated such that they retain their key physical features in either age they’re depicted. Not only that, but they are so deeply developed that each character comes alive with personality and you begin to get the feeling of reading a memoir rather than a manga. The layout of each page is done in a simple block format that’s reminiscent of older Western comics or works by the manga master, Osamu Tezuka. Each background is so highly detailed that it really brings the settings and atmosphere of the manga to life and lends a sense of seriousness to the story. The author didn’t really include anything in the manga beyond an initial who’s who page of the characters and their relationships to one another, but there is a nifty page in the back from the manga’s translator pointing out old 60’s Japanese pop-culture references.
“If you know this symbol, you’re a real friend!”
20th Century Boys is a manga grabs your curiosity from the onset. Seemingly random events are tied together by almost insignificant details and get quickly woven into an intricate tapestry of mystery. The first volume raises more questions as it goes along, and few get answered. But it’s interesting at how the manga switches seamlessly between the current time period and the boys’ childhood memories. You couldn’t have the current drama of present events without the light-hearted youth of the past, and it’s those memories that give you certain subtle clues as to what exactly is going on. 20th Century Boys is another classic manga in the making, and it’s layered and suspenseful story and excellent art put it on par with such titles as Akira (the manga, not the movie) and Phoenix. Fans of deeply suspenseful series surely won’t be disappointed with Urasawa’s latest creation.