Better Than MONSTER?! ||20th Century Boys||

A review of 20th Century Boys (spoiler free until the end. I will warn you when)
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[@Jbeans666]

That’s why stand by me is my favorite film. Such a true depiction of what it’s like when ur young with friends. And how you grow apart as you get older.

[@Sammy-hw4lo]

[SPOILERS] The fact that the characters spent their entire lives running away and fighting friend is so sad. Not enough people talk about it.

[@timboned5305]

I'm 50% of a small business, and have very very limited "free time" and that's exactly why I appreciate Ryan. He reads these great mangas and stories, and relays that information/recommendations/warnings to the rest of us. I wouldn't know Monster or 20th Century Boys existed if not for this channel. Thanks homie, I do appreciate it.

[@invinciblemercenary510]

I subbed to him for Berserk related content a couple of years ago, but as time went on I’ve gotten to know more about other animes/mangas.

[@ROMANTIKILLER2]

Great manga: as a massive Monster fan, I was really excited to get into another of Urasawa's story and I found myself immediately captured by 20th Century Boys... and often rather confused, which is not necessarily a bad thing in a mystery series. I must say that years after reading it, I did not even remember who Friend actually was in the end, and yet I felt like that didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, because as you said Friend was more of a concept.

[@Dokgo22]

Pluto is also good

[@ROMANTIKILLER2]

@@Dokgo22 Just bought Pluto after finishing re-reading 20th CB. Looking forward to reading it. And I must say that the last third of the story felt much more disturbing this time, having read it in a post-pandemic world where some of the events looked a bit less sci-fi than they did when I first read the manga about a decade ago.

[@Dokgo22]

@@ROMANTIKILLER2 fucking legend 💪🏼

[@SunDogGod]

Friend is the friends we made along the way

[@k4yser]

Slept on it forever and read it last year. It's one of those Mangas where you get sucked in so strong, that once you finished the story, you feel a little bit empty for a short time.

[@Dionaea_floridensis]

First manga I read from cover to cover. Loved every page! So glad you're giving it a video

[@hymns6031]

I like the perfect edition+21st century boys ending and I don't think it takes away from the themes you're talking about. Still has different characters playing friend at different points, if anything it strengthens the themes of lost identify/copy of a copy and is ultimately much more tragic. Spoilers below: Fukube died as a child. Katsumata took over as the friend ever since. He took on the Fukube persona exactly. On Bloody New Years Eve Katsumata was the one who took the photo and went to the rooftop with Kenji. When “Fukube”(katsumata) says “it's not Sadakio” as he falls off the roof, he is acting and playing tricks like he always does. The one wearing the mask at that moment was another member of the Friends that katsumata asked to play the part for him temporarily. “Fukube” (Katsumata) survived the fall using his tricks, then changed clothes to hop on top of the robot to confront Kenji. In vol 12 we clearly see the friend get shot and killed by Yamane. This was another one of the friend's tricks. Katsumata did the resurrection trick right this time, something Fukube was not able to do. When Friend (katsumata) became president of the world he abandoned the Fukube persona as he already achieved what Fukube journaled/wanted. But having never had an identity of his own, he now questions "what would Fukube do?". Thus began the final act of the series. Katsumata died for real at the end of 20th century boys. Kenji played his song for the broken and dying katsumata because they wrote it together as kids. There are some small clues, like how young Fukube was never shown to be interested in music, yet several scenes illude to or show 20th Century Boy implying it must be someone else (katsumata). Long story short, The Friend indeed always was Katsumata. Hopefully this provides an explanation for the final chapter of 21st century boys.

[@KB-pj6sh]

You are correct, I absolutely loved it and it was always Katsumata from the beginning.... You just phrased it perfectly

[@solidjames5704]

Ok this actually helped a lot, i was so confused by that curveball, but this is a great explanation thanks. I think the original ending is the one I prefer, but this one at least makes sense now.

[@heibk-2019]

Imo it slightly holds an edge over Monster but they are both just legendary.

[@lebyandsmartiel318]

Not once has a story made me cry more than 20th Century Boys, the ending broke broke me and then put me back together. I have finally found time to start re-reading 20th Century Boys in the physical VIZ SIG prints and am already loving it more than my first readthrough. The way something from what would have been nearly a decade later in the story re-contextualising events and comments this early on in the manga is nothing but masterful story planning from Urasawa. If he can do one thing well, that one thing is writing struggling men who have to the fight the world and make it to the other side however possible. I think a good example of his talent as a story teller can be summed up in the way he came up with the original story: " In the case of 20th Century Boys, I was listening to some speech on television from someone at the United Nations, and in that speech, I just happened to hear a part where he said, “Without them, we would not have been able to reach the 21st Century…” And then I started thinking, “Who’s ‘them’? Who are those people?” And this happened when I was taking a bath, so I had to write that idea down as soon as I could." Cirone, D. and Wang, J.E. (2020) Naoki Urasawa - interview with creator of Monster, 20th century boys at Japan House Los Angeles (2019)

[@kaleid1014]

This manga is a rarity. I can usually speed read a lot of stories if they're engaging... except this one. I'm still stuck reading vol. 2 of Perfect Edition, like, I need to immerse myself in the story, to fully understand each and every panel.

[@righteousjudgment5506]

Definitely in my top 10 manga of all time.

[@daytimelantern6570]

I loved this story not as much as monster but the side characters was great Urasawa really knows how to write side characters although I'm torn on the ending in the original ending not knowing who the 2nd friend was great loved how it ties into not remembering parts of childhood really makes the character of friend even more tragic wasn't the biggest fan of the continued ending still a amazing story Urasawa is amazing creator

[@Perskk]

Yeah i enjoyed as well, but doesn't have that feel for me that monster did.

[@invinciblemercenary510]

I’ve always heard good things about 20th Century Boys, but never got around to it yet. Now is the time, no excuses!

[@Kruskfar]

Im gonna have to check this one out, who cares about spoilers

[@Dokgo22]

Personally spiloilers nvr impact a read thru for me if a story is good enough I still get hyped immersed and can cry

[@ClawCyber]

Yeah the ending with all extra stuff taken into account really soured my whole experience of reading. The live action is supposed to be an official version of events and I'm pretty sure they say or imply that fukubei actually died during the hanging incident, which doesn't make any sense if you've read the manga. It seems like the worst retcon of all time to give a reason for friend to have been the masked kid the whole time. The detective that got assassinated chou san I think, even cracked the code and figured out the multiple people who were friend. It was so close to being a masterpiece to me, and I guess if I ignore all the other stuff it is still really good, but I still put monster above it. All the way up to the end it was amazing, but with 20cb something about the last section felt lower quality than the rest

[@roodlofcalve9611]

i like this more then monster. Billy Bat is also really good but i dont really like the ending on that one

[@VermilionLobsterBack1226]

This is the first manga I finished

[@yeetusweeb5539]

Same

[@Shallabais100]

Im glad u mentioned the concfusion with the ending, my only real problem with it

[@scottgimple8107]

Friend is one of my fav villains in manga

[@Raidou10]

It's been a long time since I read this but this is still top 3 manga for me, I'm glad to see content on it being such a amazing rollercoaster of flashbacks spanning almost 50yrs. SPOILERS I agree that Friend is more of a childhood concept used to send our main cast to different parts of the world, rather than uncovering the identity as to who it is. The notion of Fukubei, Katsumata and Sadakiyo being forgotten kids makes more sense if they all took up the ideology of Friend rather it being Katsumata's sole idea to carry on what Fukubei would have wanted.

[@InfamyOrDeath-__-]

Yea I bought the first volume, I’ll have to buy the rest and then I’ll start to read it. The volumes are really nice, love how the cover has clear writing that you can only see when you turn it into the light, really nice looking manga.

[@Rappas24]

Why is there no anime for this?

[@FireHill20]

Good question

[@nathanzhou2065]

I think the concept might be too crazy to put in screen

[@roodlofcalve9611]

there are 3 live-action movies for some reason

[@VampireA1056]

Because I don't know if it would work as an Anime

[@Ash_Wen-li]

Songs would be copyright hell

[@dsranime3299]

20th Century Boys is easily one of the best mangas I ever read. It's in my Top 3 favorite mangas of all time and my favorite Naoki Urasawa work. Monster may be his most well known and well written manga, however I found the plot of 20th Century Boys more fascinating and more engaging, both are masterpieces but 20th Century boys always kept me interested in the story. I still some times like to listening to the Gutalala Sudalala song on youtube. I get emotional every time I hear it, it just reminds me of the feeling of reading this manga all over again.

[@Delicashilous]

Question, Did friend killed many People? Because for me it's very important a Villian needs to inflicts HUGE damage. Killing many many People, outsamrts EVERYONE, always 10 steps ahead etc. SPOILER: I saw a scene in one of the life action movies & friend detonated a bomb but idk if he killed many People. In Monster I was dissapointed johan chnaged his goal in destroying the world. And the deaths of the People in the whole town felt underwhelming cause most of them were off screen.

[@Dokgo22]

I would say a villain should cause impact and conflict with mc not necessarily damage context always matters tho and this varies for each situation.

[@Delicashilous]

@@Dokgo22 that is important too and implies outsmarting & mentally damage the Mc. Also physically damage on the Mc, when it's a Manga where people fighting physically.

[@TheDarkFlameHero]

When I thought Monster couldn't be beaten as the greatest mystery/suspense manga ever written and Johan being the best and scarier antagonist I never thought 20th Century Boys would be close... how wrong I was.

[@Gokuvsnaruto22]

Can you please read and review "The Fable" manga next? It's a very underrated seinen manga about a famously skilled hitman called "Fable" who stops killing for a year to try to integrate into society. You mentioned 20th Century Boys feeling like it could be a live action tv show and I got that vibe reading The Fable. I literally couldn't stop reading it after it got going. I know you have a massive backlog already, but trust me, you won't be disappointed.

[@dalzellk.williams6428]

OMG it really is a great book! You are so right about trying to figure out who friend is lol I had to read it again to see what I missed😊. This is great book for a group discussion.

[@VampireA1056]

It's about damn time...

[@munadiamajiet5281]

It is a great manga, but I just can't agree that it's better than monster. Monster is literally top 3 manga and anime for me.

[@SheydokGear]

20th Century Boys, is, for me... The best manga of all tim.e. An absolute masterpiece, and seeing it get the spotlight it deserves, brings nothing but joy.

[@dbzgtvaf]

I can actually say this without spoiling anything. And I think that's how amazing Urasawa-sensei is. The reason you do not like "Friend" in the epilogue is because like the character's in the series, he was not the "Friend" you believed in. An imitation, of an imitation, of an imitation of an imitation...

[@taikye]

This Manga is Wonderful!

[@sammalla5238]

Not better because it got too convulated at the end but still one of the best manga of all times

[@j4nk3n]

I literally didn't even realise 20thCB was written by urasawa, I kept hearing the series pop up but didn't look into it, now I absolutely need to!

[@Dokgo22]

He wrote Pluto another good series aswell as monster and 20thCB which is y he's considered the goat for many

[@j4nk3n]

@@Dokgo22 absolutely, iv read monster and always rated it highly, thanks for the heads up on pluto

[@ihavenoname.6078]

Ik you’re showing some good love to this manga. But if I can make a suggestion for what to read next and it would be great to make a video on. Is Dandadan. Trust me you’ll love it. It’s an experience! Keep up the good vids my man and have a good day!

[@James_baxte.r]

I read it in its entirety including 21st century boy an personaly for me it started out strong but fizzled out and just got convoluted as hell

[@Danny2113182]

Now do Pluto!

[@tokiuchiha8845]

Where can you find the manga online?

[@michaelbraxton137]

Great video man

[@GloriousKale]

Just finished the series so I could watch this video, I cried won’t lie

[@iAmLMF72]

Just started reading 20th century boys 👍🏻

[@patornzgd164]

Man if this got adapted into an anime, holy shit it would be awsome probably out selling the film trilogy

[@Agamerfr0zed]

Naoki Urasawa is truly a genius, he's one of my favorite mangaka.

[@vicaccino]

OMG NO WAY NO WAY that manga is peak

[@christiancloud7945]

Yes it is man like serious not to discount the other mangaka. Oda is a creator of how zany and outside the box one piece is. Kubo and creator of chainsaw man are director's they have movie quality to them. Urwasawa is a storyteller no matter what you can't rush or make theories you have to stay with this, no chapter left behind.

[@nicholasbodo4327]

Sounds like madness

[@Deadlift4chips]

A damn classic. It needs an anime but so does homunculus.

[@xyre8443]

20th Century Boys is actually my 2nd favorite manga.

[@milandutta1995skid]

20th century boys live action should win oscar award. Monster is a detective thriller but I love the kenshin love action alot

[@Nerevarine420]

Imo I actually think pluto is his best work because of the length only being 8 volumes. His stories have a tendency to slow down towards the end and this can make them feel a bit boring or dragged out. Pluto fixed this problem by being like half or a 3rd of the length of his normal stories

[@Dokgo22]

Exactly 20thcb has had complaints about the ending and monsters villain switching up towards the end was meh imo

[@alexanderfinegan1506]

This was sounding super relatable... at least until the cult thing with the robot. WTF

[@nevergonnagiveupuntilibeco5690]

My Favorite Urusawa Manga.... what a Masterpiece

[@SuhbeTV]

Monster was PHENOMENAL but reading 20th century boys on the first read cannot be matched again. Agree with everything you said. ☝️👁️

[@mayoracha7547]

This and one piece are tied for my favourite manga

[@rahgato1736]

Been saying this when i finished it i was like this is better then monster that’s why 20thcb is in my top 3 One piece Berserk 20th century boys

[@gutsonthemic5261]

Unfortunately, I'm one of those people who couldn't get into monster. Perhaps I'll try again and maybe I'll enjoy it. I do like century boys tho

[@ardavan8313]

I've been planning to read this for a long time

[@ThatGuy-en2nn]

Better than monster? Don't even know what it is but I'm sold.

[@jasemsultan7131]

Does this show have an anime?

[@LoafingMushroom]

No

[@ryuusaki7309]

Did ya watch Pluto yet

[@999leorik999]

im gonna paus the video at 2:46, im reading this first xD

[@bongobingobango1042]

Because Katsumata or however you spell it, never actually confirmed Kenji’s suspicions that he was Friend all along. I like to believe that Kenji kinda just came to that conclusion on his own and that Fukube actually was the first Friend. It leaves the identity of the “Real Friend” open, just like whether or not Johan escaped, which I like.

[@SoulSociety404]

Fukube was never Friend, this is literally confirmed in 21st Century Boys, Fukube died in 1970/71, if he was wrong I’m sure he would’ve tried to say something but he didn’t, Katsumata was friend all along and there’s a few hints throughout the story.

[@Fike223]

@@SoulSociety404 in the original release there are two friends including fukubei which is a much better character than katsumata

[@odinforfang8573]

As much as I love 20th Century Boys, i don't think you can say that it's better than Monster, outside of how much you connected with it personally. Monster is essentially flawless while 20th Century Boys has pacing issues toward the end, massive plot convenience moments with characters suddenly remembering something crucial RIGHT when it's needed. Another issue i have is that the magic element is kinda proven to be real through Kanna and more, but it never amounts to anything or is properly explained. I get that it could be symbolical of some kind of great ambition or will, but if that's the case, that's also not clear enough. Of all Urasawa endings i have read (Monster, 20th Century Boys, Pluto And Billy Bat) this one is easily the worst and least thought out/phoned in. Not that it's terrible but it's certainly not very gratifying either, especially since its the longest of his works I've read. I also think the first 50 chapters outshines the rest of the series a bit, even if the later parts also have crazy moments. And lastly, while i do like the explanation of Kenji disappearing cuz he was scared and "chose to lose his memory", the whole fake death thing wasn't necessary imo. His character worked to greatly as a pillar of hope for the rest of the cast, and it's a little unfortunate, that it isn't those people who end up defeating Friend, but just Kenji pretty much. ALL THAT ASIDE i still stand by that this is a 8-9/10, with my fave Urasawa protagonist and with the highest high points in all of Urasawas manga :))

[@shalomedome1614]

Ryan thank you

[@fasted8468]

Either I don't get it, or it did not make much sense. People keep secrets for no reason (kiriko could have told anyone who friend is, donkey could say what he saw, he also jumps from the 2nd story window for no reason. Kenji died. Oh no he actually didn't! The fat guy died. Oh no he actually didn't! Fukubei died. Oh no he actually didn't! Wait now he really got shot and died. Oh no he actually didn't! Wait he is actually alive! Oh no he just had """plastic surgery""" to look identical, sound identical, have the same height, voice, mannerisms, and memories. Fukubei is actually dead! When you pull 5 moves like that you can't even build tension anymore. By the end of the story I was expecting Otchos kid, Donkey, Sadakiyo and Chousan to all pop up and throw a party. Because at that point more people resurrected than stayed dead. I wasnt even entirely wrong becaaue lo and behold, sadakiyo came back! Despite being found dead in a car crash. What a mess

[@adamquenano8563]

I prefer this and monster more than Berserk. All are in my top 5 favorite manga

[@BreakingTheGleipnir]

Did u also read 21st for the real ending?

[@Mr2dmonkey]

I love this manga.

[@Tetheinvincible]

PLEEEEEEESE do a read along.

[@Luis-jl6oh]

I have not watched the video, but i read both and Monster is better.

[@DaveP81]

To me 20th Century Boy and Pluto are better than Monster.

[@ak0ka486]

billy bat is better in my opinion

[@jesjr8245]

Great video

[@LoafingMushroom]

This Manga was good until the third time skip. The whole end of 20th Century Boys was really lame.

[@adamled99]

No. Monster is the best manga of all time

[@Wireseason3-4myfavficton]

Overrated

[@Dokgo22]

Thats a very subjective opinion lol I don't even have it top 8 lol

[@adamled99]

@@Dokgo22 you don't need to qualify every opinion by saying it's opinion. Your top eight sucks. That is factually true

[@Dokgo22]

@@adamled99 u literally said this dude is wrong and my top 8 sucks lol so I tried to give e u some self awareness 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@ArmiaKhairy]

I didn't like 20th cebtury boys's ending, it was too rushed that it made me sad

[@bigjohnson2291]

First

[@LordsOfFemboys]

Mid tbh

[@hellouser1504]

Name Anime ? ? ?

[@Ash_Wen-li]

20th Century Boys manga

[@VampireA1056]

What Anime?

[@anonplmnn]

one of the most overrated manga loll

[@1922_kinda_girl]

I hope not cuz monster was overrated ash😭

[@Wholagn]

Monster would be an amazing live* action, I'd be 100 % for it.

[@NeverSpeak6]

I love this manga so goddamn much, it’s ridiculous how fun it was to read and I’m so mad it seems to be under represented

[@ahacpetric6108]

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER No, Sadaikyo wan never friend and Katsunata was actually the real friend all along. Its very likely that the fukubei the group met is actually katsumata from the ver beginning, fukubei was only manipulated to be friend. If you wish to know more I reccomend the 20th century review by @SeaGee it honetsly made me love the series even more but also made be realise its flaws