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20 Seiki Shounen  
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Description
Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world.

Won the 25th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga.
Won the 6th Japan Media Arts Award Excellence Prize in the Manga division.
Won the 48th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shounen category.

Type
Manga

Related Series
21 Seiki Shounen (Sequel)

Associated Names
Мальчики 20-ого века
20 Seiki Shōnen
20世纪少年
20세기 소년
20th Century Boys
20thCB
Nijuu Seiki Shounen
Twenty Century Boys

Groups Scanlating
Manga-Heaven
Mangascreener

Latest Release(s)
v.22 c.9-13 (end) by Manga-Heaven (2135d ago)
v.22 c.8 by Manga-Heaven (2203d ago)
v.22 c.7 by Manga-Heaven (2221d ago)
Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin
22 Volumes (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?
Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter
N/A

User Reviews
20th Century Boys by cryptic
20th Century Boys by Master_M2K

Forum
2 topics, 5 posts
Click here to view the forum

User Rating
Average: 8.9 / 10.0 (1018 votes)
Bayesian Average: 8.84 / 10.0
10
 43% (438 votes)
9+
 30% (309 votes)
8+
 15% (156 votes)
7+
 5% (53 votes)
6+
 2% (24 votes)
5+
 1% (6 votes)
4+
 0% (4 votes)
3+
 0% (2 votes)
2+
 0% (3 votes)
1+
 2% (23 votes)

Last Updated
June 10th 2013, 10:53pm PST

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Genre
Action  Drama  Mystery  Psychological  Sci-fi  Seinen  Tragedy 
Search for series of same genre(s)

Categories

Category Recommendations (beta!)
Kiichi!!
Pluto
Cassandra
Chihayafuru
Akatsuki no Yona

Recommendations

Author(s)
URASAWA Naoki

Artist(s)
URASAWA Naoki

Year
1999

Original Publisher
Shogakukan

Serialized In (magazine)
Big Comic Spirits (Shogakukan)

Licensed (in English)
Yes

English Publisher
Viz (22 Volumes - Complete)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)
Weekly Pos #452 increased(+61)
Monthly Pos #500 decreased(-75)
3 Month Pos #434 increased(+4)
6 Month Pos #404 increased(+105)

List Stats
On 623 reading lists
On 889 wish lists
On 1972 completed lists
On 83 unfinished lists
On 278 custom lists

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Forum Posts
20th Century boys questions (spoiler) 709 days, 5 hours, 51 minutes ago
"20th Century Boys" Live Action 1390 days, 7 hours, 3 minutes ago

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User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]
 

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avatar
 I don't get it   
Rating: N/A
by Kamugin
January 11th, 2013, 8:51am
I'm reading this up to vol. 9 now and I'm still waiting something good to happen, besides any of the protagonists haven't got my affection yet, not even Kenji or Kanna. Also the "Friend" guy isn't fearsome, not for me. A villain is good when you want to see him/her dead. I want to see him dead, not because he is a very bad guy, but because he is tedious. These "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" like plots are a bit tiresome for me. I started reading this manga because the author is "a big star", the one who wrote Yawara and Monster, this is the first one I'm reading, also one of his most acclaimed works, but I have yet to see what is so good about it. A good manga should get the reader interested since the beggining or at least not after the first three or four volumes. Since the beginning the author is promising to the reader that something good, really interesting is about to happen and until vol. 9 he haven't fulfilled that promise. When I finish this, I'll come to change my comment, for the better I hope. At least there are "only" 22 volumes to read.

... Last updated on January 11th, 2013, 8:53am
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avatar
 Captivating   
Rating: N/A
by Choreboy
October 1st, 2012, 1:12pm
I've read many series with time skips, but never one who applied it so creatively. It is one of the most essential components of this series, if not the most, and is used masterfully. That said, this was a very compelling series about childhood friendships that constantly made you ponder and theorize who the true culprit was IMO. Looking back, I honestly can't believe I didn't catch on, but I'm glad the mysteries kept me fooled for some time. It's not like I scrutinized every every aspect of every character, either. I would recommend this series for anyone who enjoys seinen with mystery or a classic (I've never read another manga quite like it). It's not like most of the manga today, centered around repulsively unreal awkward & cliche romance, giant breasts on what's essentially a child (with way too much fanservice), over-the-top super powers, and blushing for no reason (I hate it because most of the time nobody would actually do so is most situations). Quite the breath of fresh air to me. **FOR THOSE WHO'VE READ THE SERIES IN IT'S ENTIRETY ONLY. THIS WILL RUIN YOUR READING EXPERIENCE IF READ BEYOND THIS POINT.**
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
I will add that some aspects were a bit too convenient because too many of the main characters that were thought to be dead were actually alive until the end. This made the ending a bit boring and I wouldn't have tagged this as a tragedy because of that fact. Still, it was a great manga and completely worth the time put in to reading it.


... Last updated on October 1st, 2012, 1:12pm
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avatar
 Good...   
Rating: 8.0 / 10.0
by nail80
June 5th, 2012, 6:46am
But not great.
Having read a number of Urasawa's works it's clear to see that the story telling is there, the art is as good as ever and the intricate plot devices still continue to exist.
But at the same time all of his works pale in comparison with the masterpiece that was Monster.
Like Monster it has an epic plot, but in trying to make a bigger, more intricate plot he loses track of the flow of the story. It's understandable but a pity. One timeskip was interesting, although not quite to my tastes, and the second timeskip was completely unnecessary. The tendency to develop several subplots at the same time was also kind of misused, it confused me at times instead of shedding light into the plot.
The characters were fairly interesting showing great development. This of course applies to the protagonists, not the endless flow of secondary characters. These were in and out and in again, no clear decision on their part. The flashbacks were very interesting and a good plot device. I loved to see parts of the mystery delivered slowly and the various misconceptions that derived from there. I was very interested in knowing who was the mastermind.
20th Century Boys is a very good manga, very good indeed.
But it's not as great as Monster
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avatar
 Another Great Work by Urasawa Naoki   
Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
by bull3thole
May 6th, 2012, 10:25am
The creativity for his works is so amazing. The plot draws you in just like his other mangas. There are a mass of characters mentioned in this manga that may be confusing but reading this manga all in 2 days will help you since you will be addicted to this manga. There are many flashbacks in this manga to help reminisce the childhood of the characters and how they were when they were young.

The things that made think that his other work "Monster" is better is that at times it seems like the plot is dragging at times. The mass of characters mention and the flashbacks are confusing at times.

Overall its a great manga that people should definitely read but I still recommend that people should read his other great work called "Monster".
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 One of the best out there   
Rating: 9.1 / 10.0
by Crenshinibon
January 23rd, 2012, 11:39am
It's been a long time, but I suddenly felt like writing a review for this one, so bear with me a bit.

I tend to be extremely harsh in my critiques, from a generalized standpoint at least. The first thing I see in any work are its flaws. I'm not going to lie, here. We're dealing with a piece that has many. With such an enormous cast, character development is often sudden and relatively unprovoked. Like a bad shounen title, characters that should have died magically reappear, though admittedly to ravenous applause. The endgame has some slightly short-sighted psychological portrayals (though I'll refrain on saying much more, let's say some motivations are a little ridiculous, though thematically relevant).

And yet. And yet and yet and yet. Nijuu Seiki Shounen will likely always be Urasawa's greatest work. It is to Monster what 2666 is to Bolano's The Savage Detectives, what The Brothers Karamazov is to Crime and Punishment. Nijuu Seiki Shounen is very much a work at the level of a magnum opus. It takes the insight Urasawa honed with Monster, the humor he mastered with Yawara!, and rolls it into something altogether new, strange, and wonderful. For all of its flaws, 20th Century Boys is unmistakably insightful, masterfully plotted, and utterly gripping. It is, in the end, exactly what the title implies: a work that truly deserves to be the end result of growing up in the 20th century.
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avatar
 Triple A !♥   
Rating: 9.5 / 10.0
by HeeMello
November 26th, 2011, 9:33pm
O.M.G !
I didn't sleep at night because of this manga lol . It made my heart beat so fast just to know who "Friend" really was . I got so into it that i even cried , got scared and other things . I really liked it ^u^
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avatar
 Hooks you till the end   
Rating: N/A
by tinman
October 26th, 2011, 7:14am
I must confess this is the first manga of Urasawa naoki I have read and what a potboiler it was ! I could go on about the style and the plot and the mind boggling character development but you probably heard that in one line this one is a mystery thriller manga of the very best kind . RECOMMENDED!
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 A MUST READ!   
Rating: 10.0 / 10.0
by pandapple7
August 17th, 2011, 8:15am
another wonderful series by naoki urasawa, my favorite mangaka of all time! this is by far my favorite of his stories and one of my favorites in general. such a wonderful story line, transitioning from past to future events so effortlessly and beautifully! his portrayal of children is so very innocent and believable and their growth as characters is the thing i most prize about urasawa. you'll fall in love with many of these strong characters and they will be sure to touch your heart...i will be reading this wonderful series again and again biggrin
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 A Masterpiece   
Rating: 10.0 / 10.0
by rayculz
October 21st, 2010, 5:09am
From Yawara! to 20th Century Boys ...

Urasawa sensei is one of the greatest mangaka I've ever know. The Plot, The Story, The Character, The Graphic is masterpiece. When I was shocked after reading one of his Masterpiece "Monster", this manga is also great too. Well, just read it and welcome to the world of Naoki Urasawa.
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 What hasn't been said?   
Rating: 10.0 / 10.0
by brown pillow
June 15th, 2010, 1:46am
Turckin. I think that's what it is-- like a turkey chicken. I'm near-positive that that hasn't been said. But other than that, I'd have to pretty much regurgitate what others've been stating below me: it's ****ing brilliant. A masterpiece. Well, most of them. As far as an epic (I know, I said it) goes, especially for Urasawa, it's magnificent. Not perfect, but come on - that's gotta be painfully obvious. Who even expects something to be perfect these days, any-who? The sheer quantity of characters would make you expect that, obviously, the quality of them would in turn be downsized, but because this series is so dag-nabbed long he has enough time to flesh them out.
As the characters, to me, aside from the settings, are the most important aspect of this series, I'm not going to comment on anything else-- especially the invisible core of it all: the mystery. So, if you're ever finding yourself bored and thirsty for a good mistree, and you're reading this, then the obvious choice to make is to read this monster. Lolwhogetsit.

... Last updated on January 28th, 2011, 1:35pm
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