Title: 20th Century Boys aka 20 Seiki Shounen
Genre: Drama
Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Format: Movie; 142 minutes.
Date: 30 Aug 2008

Synopsis: Endō Kenji is realizing how hard life can be, trying to make ends meet each day by running a convenience store and taking care of his missing sister’s niece. The only solace he has is reminiscing about his childhood memories of playing with his friends and enjoying rock music. Grim events start to occur around him, all stemming from a sinister cult led by the mysterious “Friend”. Kenji slowly finds out that the events are connected to his childhood memories, and “Friend” may just be someone he has forgotten from the past.

The Highlights
Plot: Intriguing at first but gets incoherent towards the end.
Characterization: Idiosyncrasy and chemistry at its best leads to sheer ingenuity.
Flashbacks: The winning element of the film itself.
“Friend”: A more obscure and shallower version of Monster’s Johan Liebert.

I wish to shine some light on the original creator to the successful manga series this film is based on, Naoki Urasawa. He is one of the most successful mangaka artist of all time, winning the Shogakukan Manga Awards thrice, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize twice, and the Kodansha Manga Award once. His award-winning works include Yawara, Monster and, of course, 20th Century Boys. Hence, it comes as no surprise to me that 20th Century Boys‘ debut on the the silver screen broke the box-office record previously set by Death Note: The Last Name, and this feat alone is enough to make me want to watch it as soon as possible. After watching the movie, I do understand why it’s a major success, but it still has its fair share of shortcomings.

Urasawa’s illustrious success is mainly credited to his intricate narratives, his genius in creating suspense and most importantly, his distinctive characters that are complex yet idiosyncratic. 20th Century Boys is a perfect example to showcase his prowess, and it is exceptionally well portrayed in the film. Each character is unique with his or her own individual traits, and all are related to one another with brilliant chemistry only Urasawa is capable of creating. Furthermore, the characterization is further bolstered by the clever use of childhood flashbacks, which is perhaps the winning factor as it describes how past events have molded the characters into what they are in the present. Their childhoods are irresistibly charming to watch although one can feel the impending doom etched in their origins from the very beginning.

What I’m also impressed about in the film is how it manages to portray Urasawa’s exceptional ability in creating extraordinary heroes and villains. The film manages to show how an average Joe like Kenji is shaped into a hero under dire circumstances without appearing ludicrous. What’s more amazing is the antagonist “Friend” who, even without revealing his face, is able to exude absolute fear merely through his influence to the people.

I do spot some problems pertaining to the antagonist “Friend”, and these problems ultimately affect the film’s credibility. The film shows the immense influence “Friend” possesses, but how he gains this ability is never explained. Furthermore, his unexplained special abilities enables him to achieve seemingly unbelievable feats too conveniently. Due to his abilities being left unexplained, it looks as if the plot is developed easily with the use of plot devices. Moreover, the titanic climax seems very far-fetched in contrast to the more suspenseful first-half of the film, and this will displease viewers who are unfamiliar with the original manga or Urasawa himself.

Despite its flaws, the original 20th Century Boys manga is extraordinary and is one of Urasawa’s greatest works. However, the big screen adaptation simply does not live up this high bar. There is definitely still plenty of room for improvement in the next two upcoming installments. Although I would rather recommend the original manga, 20th Century Boys is still a worthwhile movie that serves as a good example of how a lacking story can still work when there are strong characters and strong fundamentals to carry a movie through to the end.

The Rating: 7

Reviewed by: AC