Twentieth
Century Boys, Vol 3: Hero With a Guitar
Author: Naoki Urasawa
Publisher: Viz Media
American
release date: June 16, 2009
Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/manga/paranormal/200 pages
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★
Kenji is baffled as to why the
dying homeless man proclaimed him to be the one who has to save the world? Who
is he but a lowly shop owner, and what can he do to save anyone when he’s clearly
made a mess of his own life?
Things are starting to come back
to him, though, as Kenji begins to connect the dots, as he realizes that what
is happening mirrors the story he wrote so long ago, as a child. A tale told
among friends about super heroes saving the world from a deadly menace. How can
it be coming true now? And why?
Kenji tries to talk to each of his
friends, but after they unload their tales of woe on him, he doesn’t have the
heart to involve them in what is going on. In pursuing Donkey’s student, whom
he is unable to find, he learns about a concert being given by The Friends, and
his blood runs cold. He knows he has to be there, so tells his mother to watch
Kanna and heads to the concert. There he ends up on stage and comes face to
face with Friend. Well, relatively speaking, as Friend is hiding behind a mask.
But his words are clear and strike distinct fear in Kenji.
Kenji almost forgets about his
class reunion. Maybe he’ll recognize Friend among the attendees. Or at least
gain some clues as to which kid wore a mask. But he doesn’t recognize a lot of
his former classmates after so many years. Yukiji doesn’t make the reunion
because she has to work at the airport. But someone else shows up who
recognizes Kenji, and as they catch up, Kenji remembers things he’d forgotten,
such as who the kid in the mask was, and what the next target in the story was.
But can he stop the next disaster from taking place?
He has a sudden premonition that
his niece Kanna is in trouble, and races to save her, but from what… or who…
Things are really happening in
this volume of Twentieth Century Boys! When I read what Kenji learned at the
Friend concert, I literally gasped! Imagine how he must feel, wondering if he
is crazy or is there someone out there following the plot of a story written
when Kenji was just a child? But if he’s right, and that’s what happening, then
the fate of the world could very well be at stake.
This volume is action packed and
exciting. I love the artwork a lot, as well as the story. Kenji is not your
typical hero, in that he is an ordinary man with an ordinary job and an
ordinary life, who thinks he’s accomplished nothing of note in that life. He
fails to realize how special he really is, what a good man he is, but I have
the feeling a lot of people will know about him before this tale is through.
Seeing Friend for the first time,
albeit behind a mask, was very interesting, his surprise announcement even more
so. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
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