20th Century Boys Vol. 2

I have come to firmly believe that Naoki Urasawa is a story telling genius. I am simultaneously reading two of his series presently, Pluto, and of course what I am reviewing today, 20th Century Boys.

The second volume in the series continues, obviously, from where the first left off, meeting Yukiji. We learn a bit more about Kenji, and their relationship with each other and the plot thickens as old mysteries are revealed while new ones are set in motion.

I find it amazing how Urasawa is able to make me, the reader, emote, whether good or bad, for each character in the story, even the minor ones. The persona's all draw you in to the ever expanding story, nay, mystery. They engage the reader like very few manga can. And when you find yourself actually caring about what happens to the protagonist, you know you have found something special.

However I have to give special recognition to the translator, Akemi Wegmuller. Translating such a dialogue intensive book can not be an easy task, and keeping the depth and range of emotions conveyed throughout the story must be infinitely harder, yet I find that he pulls it off gracefully. To be fair, I have not (nor am able to) read the original Japanese version but I find it hard to believe that the translation varies too much.

Another aspect I am enjoying with 20th Century Boys is the art and art style. Every character is so distinct in their appearance that at times it feels like these people could have really existed. It's as if I could reach on to the page and shake the hands of Kenji and the gang. You can easily imagine what their real life counterparts would look like. No brush stroke is wasted, and it shows. This is a beautifully drawn manga to which I am the proud owner.

The cover paper quality is also above part, at least to my finger tips, though the actual page quality, while thick enough not to allow any bleed through is yellowish in tone, but I can't tell if that was intentional or not.

And lets face it, when the only bad thing I can think of saying is in regards to the yellowish hue on the paper...

Rating: 10/10

From the back of the book:

The Friend, an enigmatic cult leader who plans to destroy the world, declares, "The cosmos has begun choosing those who are true friends." Meanwhile horrifying incidents are taking place: the emergence of a mysterious virus, the revelations of a man on the run... Kenji tries to find out who this Friend is but the answer is still far ahead. The footsteps of doom slowly creep closer and a shadow falls over the city...

Yukiji remembers who came p with their group's enigmatic symbol: Otcho. She also discovers that, nine years earlier, Otcho had been working in Thailand but mysteriously vanished. Could Otcho be the mysterious Friend? Also, a legendary detective is hot on the trail of the Shikishima kidnappers, but the clues he uncovers lead him dangerously close to the Friends cult. Is his life now in danger as well?