Urasawa Naoki - 20th Century Boys, vol. 12-16
Wed, Mar. 28th, 2007 03:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterI think my reactions to all the plot developments and twists in these five volumes (how did I read five volumes last night? I was going to stop at one, I swear...) can be summed up as: OMGWTFBBQSQUEE!!!!!!!!
I'd also like to note that this is the good kind of "OMGWTFBBQ?!" as opposed to the bad kind, which seems to be showing up on nearly all entries on the S3 finale of BSG (I don't even watch the show and I've noticied!).
Spoilers like you wouldn't believe
General, completely incoherent reactions with entirely too many exclamation points and allcaps:
- MARUO! Alive! Alive and helping out weird singer guy who used to be Kenji's drummer!
- KEROYON! Alive! Alive and selling ramen in the States and helping out with the vaccination!
- Kiriko! This is such a small thing, but I love that she is called the Holy Mother not because she gave birth to Kanna (though I am sure that is part of it), but because she is going out and doing things and distributing a vaccine! It doesn't sound like much, but again, it is refreshing when compared to the whole "the Saints of Motherhood" schtick.
- OMGWTFBBQ FRIEND IS DEAD! FRIEND IS NOT DEAD! FRIEND IS FUKUBEI! FRIEND IS MAYBE NOT FUKUBEI! OMGWTFBBQ?!?! I was getting to the point of being a little tired of all the "Look! It's Friend! But you still can't see his face!" games that Urasawa was playing, and then he did this! Also, how much do I love that he revisits the story of Donkey and the fishtank over and over and adds more to it each time around? So much! I love that all the stories we learned in the first few volumes are being revisited and added to and elaborated on all the time!
- I can't believe all those remarks about God and bowling were there as foreshadowing? Is God evil? What?
- !!! He brought back Ken-chan rice!!!
- I had totally forgotten about the spoons! And oh, Manjoume, why? You skeezy thing.
- The entire thing about what really happened in the Science Room was very creepy. Also, it makes me feel sort of weird about my default icon, as it is a cute version of a teru-teru-bouzu. Please note: I have no plans on strangling myself and miraculously coming back to life.
- I love love love kid!Yoshitsune and Yoshitsune meeting! Oh, man, that broke my heart. And Yoshitsune's still there, pretending he's not actually the captain, when he really is.
- Kanna and kid!Kenji! Awwww! I also love that Kanna deciding to be a hero is what brings her out of the virtual reality.
- Priests with tattoos! Priests with tattoos speaking in Italian trying to communicate with poor Chouno!
- OMG another time skip! WTF?! Walls everywhere! I am so glad Otcho is still alive, and I firmly believe Yoshitsune is still alive (the name of the Genji gang rocks). I also refuse to believe that Kanna is dead, or that she's the Ice Queen on the air.
- I still think Kenji is alive, just out of sheer stubbornness.
In conclusion: Must read more.
I'd also like to note that this is the good kind of "OMGWTFBBQ?!" as opposed to the bad kind, which seems to be showing up on nearly all entries on the S3 finale of BSG (I don't even watch the show and I've noticied!).
Spoilers like you wouldn't believe
General, completely incoherent reactions with entirely too many exclamation points and allcaps:
- MARUO! Alive! Alive and helping out weird singer guy who used to be Kenji's drummer!
- KEROYON! Alive! Alive and selling ramen in the States and helping out with the vaccination!
- Kiriko! This is such a small thing, but I love that she is called the Holy Mother not because she gave birth to Kanna (though I am sure that is part of it), but because she is going out and doing things and distributing a vaccine! It doesn't sound like much, but again, it is refreshing when compared to the whole "the Saints of Motherhood" schtick.
- OMGWTFBBQ FRIEND IS DEAD! FRIEND IS NOT DEAD! FRIEND IS FUKUBEI! FRIEND IS MAYBE NOT FUKUBEI! OMGWTFBBQ?!?! I was getting to the point of being a little tired of all the "Look! It's Friend! But you still can't see his face!" games that Urasawa was playing, and then he did this! Also, how much do I love that he revisits the story of Donkey and the fishtank over and over and adds more to it each time around? So much! I love that all the stories we learned in the first few volumes are being revisited and added to and elaborated on all the time!
- I can't believe all those remarks about God and bowling were there as foreshadowing? Is God evil? What?
- !!! He brought back Ken-chan rice!!!
- I had totally forgotten about the spoons! And oh, Manjoume, why? You skeezy thing.
- The entire thing about what really happened in the Science Room was very creepy. Also, it makes me feel sort of weird about my default icon, as it is a cute version of a teru-teru-bouzu. Please note: I have no plans on strangling myself and miraculously coming back to life.
- I love love love kid!Yoshitsune and Yoshitsune meeting! Oh, man, that broke my heart. And Yoshitsune's still there, pretending he's not actually the captain, when he really is.
- Kanna and kid!Kenji! Awwww! I also love that Kanna deciding to be a hero is what brings her out of the virtual reality.
- Priests with tattoos! Priests with tattoos speaking in Italian trying to communicate with poor Chouno!
- OMG another time skip! WTF?! Walls everywhere! I am so glad Otcho is still alive, and I firmly believe Yoshitsune is still alive (the name of the Genji gang rocks). I also refuse to believe that Kanna is dead, or that she's the Ice Queen on the air.
- I still think Kenji is alive, just out of sheer stubbornness.
In conclusion: Must read more.
(no subject)
Thu, Mar. 29th, 2007 12:23 am (UTC)I've been thinking about why all this insanity works so well, and I think it has a lot to do with how atmospheric the series is. It has such a strong sense of time and place; it makes the flashbacks and timeskips super effective.
I can't believe how Urasawa made me care about all of Kenji's friends.
Also: Yakuza priest! Bwahahaha!
(no subject)
Thu, Mar. 29th, 2007 12:41 am (UTC)I was compiling a list of all the mysteries still left, and decided to give up and just go with it. I think you're right about the sense of time and place; I can usually tell when and where I am within a few panels, which is pretty amazing, since I'm awful at parsing visuals at times. I love how you can almost hear the cicadas in all the 1970s secret base scenes.
Oh! I was also going to say that the treatment of religion is getting really interesting! I was a little irked at first, because the only religious presence in the series was Friend's crazy cult, which doesn't really count. But I like the contrast of the two yakuza priests and the Pope and an illustration of faith that isn't just cultish brainwashing. (The bridge scene and the truck! Eeee!)
(no subject)
Thu, Mar. 29th, 2007 04:07 am (UTC)Urasawa-sensei rocks me hard.
(got here from
(no subject)
Thu, Mar. 29th, 2007 04:45 am (UTC)I am still amazed by how many different elements he tossed in and made them all work!
(no subject)
Sat, Apr. 21st, 2007 07:17 pm (UTC)(I had to read to volume 16 this morning so I could look at this post. Now I should maybe do some actual work...)
(no subject)
Sat, Apr. 21st, 2007 10:06 pm (UTC)I mean, it's just this great combination of Cool Bits and insane plotting and excellent characters, and I love Kanna so much.