20th Century Boys, Vol. 2

Rating T+ Genre manga Author Naoki Urasawa w/ cooperation of Takashi Nagasaki Publisher Viz Media External Links

Often times entertaining books and films are plot-heavy.  Character-intensive books and films, while usually a bit harder to get into, usually last longer and have a greater impact.  But when you have a piece of fiction that is both plot-heavy and character-intensive, then you have a classic on your hands.  It may be a bit early on to declare this, but I’ll do it anyway.  I think that as of this second volume of 20th Century Boys, we have a bona fide classic on our hands.

In volume 2, Kenji’s old friend, Yukiji, gets brought into the main plotline, as she tells him who came up with the symbol for the “Friend” cult.  It was their friend from back when they were little.  But is he really the leader of the “Friend” cult?  And if so, what is his motive or goal?  There are indeed a lot of questions that this volume brings up.  Also thrown into the mix is Kenji’s past with his sister.  We finally get a glimpse of what kind of person she was, and why she would leave her only daughter behind for her mom and brother to take care of, but like the many other things in this volume, the questions are no where near fully answered.  Also introduced this volume is a homeless man whose called Kamisama (god) by his friends.  He has prophetic dreams, and even though he hates when his companions make a fuss over him, he realizes the dreams have a tendency of coming true.

One difference between this volume and last volume is the emphasis on the past.  While last volume, we spent a great deal of time with Kenji as a child, in this volume, we only have flashes of childhood.  The story seamlessly and cinematically goes from past to present in the blink of an eye.  One thinks that this may cause information overload for the reader, but the writer does a good job of giving the reader information only when it is pertinent to the story.  Because of that, I never felt really lost or confused, and the jump in time only helped to develop the characters and advance the plot.  And that is something this volume does better than last volume: move the plot forward.  The story’s science fiction mystery nature is starting to show through, and it makes for a quicker read than last volume.

The art continues to be both distinct and grounded.  It has a very specific style, yet one that has some weight in the real world.  You won’t find the traditional sweat drops and pulsating veins here, but that only helps with the dramatic effect of the story.

Not only does the manga succeed as a wonderful piece of art and literature, but it succeeds as something incredibly entertaining.  There is never a boring moment in the story, and the author’s use of suspense is truly amazing.  Everything in the story seems to come together flawlessly, and yet it avoids feeling contrived or cheesy.  A definite must for anyone who read the first volume, and if you have yet to do so, then do so.  You will not be disappointed, for there may not be a better series release in America this year.  I just can’t wait for volume 3.