I don’t think the manga for 20th Century Boys is in the States yet, which is truly a pity. I remember hearing that the author, Urasawa Naoki, requested that it be released in America after Monster, his previous work, had been completely translated due to his changing drawing style. The manga is a delight, as are most of Urasawa’s works. He loves to give shout outs to his favorite movies, books and bands and it’s neat to see how he works them into his stories. He’s also a superb storyteller.

The live action movie is just as delightful as the manga. It’s amazing how wonderful a casting job they did. The majority of actors look exactly like their manga counterparts. It borders on eerie. The movie does a good job of bringing across the painful nostalgic feel the manga had; half of the story is told in flashbacks of the main characters when they were children in the 1960s. Even being from a different country and an era I wasn’t alive in, it still effectively brings across the bitter sweetness of childhood memories and how horrifying it truly is when childish fantasies start to become warped into a nightmarish reality.

I guess I should give a brief summary of the plot. Ahem. This Urasawa work was thought up when he was in a Stephan King frame of mind and blasting the oldies channel full blast on the radio (Just a logical guess). The hero of the piece is Kenji, and to put it nicely, he’s something of a loser. He manages a convenience store that used to be the family sake shop after he failed as a vocalist in a band. Not only is he struggling to keep the store afloat, but he also has to take care of his mother and raise the child his sister abandoned before her mysterious disappearance. After the death of an elementary school friend, Kenji remembers his childhood circle of friends and their adventures. Then he gets a letter from his dead friend containing nothing but an almost forgotten symbol of their group, the very symbol being used by a cult that is gaining rapid popularity. Also Kenji and his friends’ “let’s pretend” games are starting to come true and it all has something to do with the cult’s charismatic leader, Friend.

The first installment of the movie, it’s a three-parter like Death Note, is a fair adaption of the manga. The pacing and storytelling aren’t as tight by Death Note standards, but it’s still an enjoyable watch. The other complaint I have is that for a story that’s so reliant on music, the soundtrack was a little lacking. The manga had better music in the background for goodness sake! If you’re a fan of Monster, mysteries and/or old school anime I would really recommend this. Also make sure to pick up the manga whenever it’s released! It’s a great read!