Film: 20th Century Boys: Complete Saga
Release date: 31st May 2010
Release date: 31st May 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 437 mins
Director: Tsutsumi YukihihkoStarring: Toshiaki Karasawa, Etsushi Toyokawa, Takako Tokiwa
Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi/Mystery/Fantasy
Studio: 4DigitalFormat: DVD
Country: Japan20th Century Boys is adapted from the highly popular sci-fi manga by Naoki Urasawa. With the series’ three films released in just twelve months, it was a truly brave exercise with so many fanboys ready to pounce on any shortcomings.
Chapter 1: The Beginning Of The End. In 1969, Kenji, an elementary school kid and his friends built a secret base during their summer holidays. They fantasized about having to fight villains who were out to conquer the world and wrote their ideas in the Book of Prophecies. Years later, in 1997, Kenji becomes a convenience store manager and leads a regular life after giving up his dreams to become a rock star. His sister has run away, leaving him to bring up her daughter, Kanna. His mundane life is suddenly turned upside down when one of his old classmates dies mysteriously and an entire family in the neighbourhood disappears. At the same time, a religious cult and its mysterious leader, Friend, emerges and a strange chain of events duplicating exactly what is described in the Book of Prophecies follow. Is this the beginning of the end of the world? Who is Friend? Soon Kenji and some of his old classmates are being dragged into events which will change everything.
Chapter 2: The Last Hope. The year is 2015, Fifteen years after the world is nearly destroyed, people now believe that Kenji and his friends were satanic terrorists and Friend, the mysterious cult leader, is worshipped as the savior of the world. Kanna, Kenji's niece, is now in high school, and she resents that the history textbooks tell a fabricated account of the fateful day. She is forced to participate in the ‘Friend Land’ program to be re-educated when she is deemed to be anti-social. While in the program, Kanna uncovers clues to Friend's real identity, and the shocking discovery of The New Book of Prophecies!
Chapter 3: Our Flag. 3 years after the events of Chapter 2, Friend predicts the end of the World will occur on 20th August. Our heroes must join together once more, enter the walled city of Tokyo, save humanity and finally unveil the true identity of Friend...
20th Century Boys is a mammoth effort, adding up to over nine hours of screen-time. The story takes place over decades, and takes in countless characters, which, at times, are difficult to keep track of - although it starts off quite inconspicuous.
We are introduced to Kenji Endo, who has recently had to give up his position as guitarist of a popular rock band to look after his mother and niece after his sister mysteriously ran away. The put-upon Kenji manages a convenience store, with his niece Kanna always on his back, while his mother reads the paper aloud while minding the till. However, Kenji’s mundane existence is about to change in ways he couldn’t possibly imagine. Things start small – the discovery of a weird symbol etched on walls, which is oddly familiar - before the disappearance of whole families from the neighbourhood, including that of an eminent professor of robotics.
20th Century Boys is shot in a very low-key style, as if we’re watching a soap-opera, with lots of interiors and tight claustrophobic shots. However, the style opens up as the story develops, taking in more and more elements, while the flash-backs to 1970 are given the idyllic feel of an endless summer.
The whole trilogy’s momentum hangs on the central mysterious identity of Friend, and his Machiavellian schemes for world domination. The initial chapter lets you think you’ve figured things out, but then pulls the rug from under you in the closing moments. Chapter 2 deepens the mystery, as it becomes clear the man we thought was Friend may have only been a lackey - or maybe not.
20th Century Boys is packed to the gills with characters. Luckily each usually comes with a handy bit of exposition to remind you, and filling in what they’ve been up to while off-screen.
Although based on a manga series, don’t go into this expecting wall-to-wall action – even with the promise of Giant Robots! There are a number of decent action sequences throughout, but most of the running time is taken up with confrontations and revelations about the past.
The production design of the series is excellent, made to reflect Friend’s fragile state of mind - chapter 2 opens in the year 2015, and Tokyo looks pretty different with the sky filled with airships and the existence of Friendland, a Disney-gone-mad rehabilitation centre. Chapter 3, set in 2018, shows Tokyo redesigned back to its look in 1970.
You could form a comparison with the Lord Of The Rings trilogy – both feature a disparate group of individuals who separately try to take down an oppressive regime. 20th Century Boys also shares one of that trilogy’s main criticisms – the ending, which culminates in a cathartic epilogue which plays out over the end credits. However, stay tuned because there is another fifteen minutes which finally brings closure to the whole story.
An incredibly compelling story, which spans generations and draws in myriad characters. 20th Century Boys is a wonderful example of live-action manga. MOW
Chapter 1: The Beginning Of The End. In 1969, Kenji, an elementary school kid and his friends built a secret base during their summer holidays. They fantasized about having to fight villains who were out to conquer the world and wrote their ideas in the Book of Prophecies. Years later, in 1997, Kenji becomes a convenience store manager and leads a regular life after giving up his dreams to become a rock star. His sister has run away, leaving him to bring up her daughter, Kanna. His mundane life is suddenly turned upside down when one of his old classmates dies mysteriously and an entire family in the neighbourhood disappears. At the same time, a religious cult and its mysterious leader, Friend, emerges and a strange chain of events duplicating exactly what is described in the Book of Prophecies follow. Is this the beginning of the end of the world? Who is Friend? Soon Kenji and some of his old classmates are being dragged into events which will change everything.
Chapter 2: The Last Hope. The year is 2015, Fifteen years after the world is nearly destroyed, people now believe that Kenji and his friends were satanic terrorists and Friend, the mysterious cult leader, is worshipped as the savior of the world. Kanna, Kenji's niece, is now in high school, and she resents that the history textbooks tell a fabricated account of the fateful day. She is forced to participate in the ‘Friend Land’ program to be re-educated when she is deemed to be anti-social. While in the program, Kanna uncovers clues to Friend's real identity, and the shocking discovery of The New Book of Prophecies!
Chapter 3: Our Flag. 3 years after the events of Chapter 2, Friend predicts the end of the World will occur on 20th August. Our heroes must join together once more, enter the walled city of Tokyo, save humanity and finally unveil the true identity of Friend...
20th Century Boys is a mammoth effort, adding up to over nine hours of screen-time. The story takes place over decades, and takes in countless characters, which, at times, are difficult to keep track of - although it starts off quite inconspicuous.
We are introduced to Kenji Endo, who has recently had to give up his position as guitarist of a popular rock band to look after his mother and niece after his sister mysteriously ran away. The put-upon Kenji manages a convenience store, with his niece Kanna always on his back, while his mother reads the paper aloud while minding the till. However, Kenji’s mundane existence is about to change in ways he couldn’t possibly imagine. Things start small – the discovery of a weird symbol etched on walls, which is oddly familiar - before the disappearance of whole families from the neighbourhood, including that of an eminent professor of robotics.
20th Century Boys is shot in a very low-key style, as if we’re watching a soap-opera, with lots of interiors and tight claustrophobic shots. However, the style opens up as the story develops, taking in more and more elements, while the flash-backs to 1970 are given the idyllic feel of an endless summer.
The whole trilogy’s momentum hangs on the central mysterious identity of Friend, and his Machiavellian schemes for world domination. The initial chapter lets you think you’ve figured things out, but then pulls the rug from under you in the closing moments. Chapter 2 deepens the mystery, as it becomes clear the man we thought was Friend may have only been a lackey - or maybe not.
20th Century Boys is packed to the gills with characters. Luckily each usually comes with a handy bit of exposition to remind you, and filling in what they’ve been up to while off-screen.
Although based on a manga series, don’t go into this expecting wall-to-wall action – even with the promise of Giant Robots! There are a number of decent action sequences throughout, but most of the running time is taken up with confrontations and revelations about the past.
The production design of the series is excellent, made to reflect Friend’s fragile state of mind - chapter 2 opens in the year 2015, and Tokyo looks pretty different with the sky filled with airships and the existence of Friendland, a Disney-gone-mad rehabilitation centre. Chapter 3, set in 2018, shows Tokyo redesigned back to its look in 1970.
You could form a comparison with the Lord Of The Rings trilogy – both feature a disparate group of individuals who separately try to take down an oppressive regime. 20th Century Boys also shares one of that trilogy’s main criticisms – the ending, which culminates in a cathartic epilogue which plays out over the end credits. However, stay tuned because there is another fifteen minutes which finally brings closure to the whole story.
An incredibly compelling story, which spans generations and draws in myriad characters. 20th Century Boys is a wonderful example of live-action manga. MOW
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