The conspiracy is in the details.
Naoki Urusawa is famous not only for his gripping stories, but his very unique art style. His characters are all very expressive and none of them appear generic. Usually, Urusawa’s character designs are such that (even though the setting is in Japan) readers can easily identify archetypes that can be seen in real life anywhere and, possibly, be equitable to people the reader might know. Not only the characters, but also the settings are in such detail that, were it not for some distinct cultural aspects, seem to have a feeling that this story could be taking place in any major city in the world. There are no extra stories or doodles in this book as most manga authors tend to include, because they aren’t needed. Urusawa leaves no unnecessary gaps to pad with filler content that most readers wouldn’t pay attention to anyhow.
In the end, only questions.
This is a story that will get its claws deep into you. Just when you think that you have something figured out, the plot twists around and you’re left clueless again. That is the mark of a truly well written mystery. The characters’ personalities are so humanistic and the settings so real that readers will find this enhances the manga’s story because it brings everything home, to a certain degree. All this combines to make 20th Century Boys an indisputable classic among modern manga.