20th Century Boys 3

Yukihiko Urasawa

The story: In the year 2017, masked world leader Friend prophesies that aliens will destroy humanity on Aug 20 and claims that only those who believe in him will be saved. Among those trying to stop him are Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa), his niece Kanna (Airi Taira) and old schoolmate Occho (Etsushi Toyokawa).

Fret not if you did not catch the previous two instalments of this trilogy based on the popular Japanese manga. There is a quick recap at the beginning to bring you up to speed.

In Part One, catastrophic events described in The Book Of Prophecies, an innocent schoolboy concoction by Kenji and his mates back in the summer of 1969, inexplicably start coming true. It ends with cult leader Friend engineering the destruction of Tokyo via a virus- spewing giant robot on Dec 31, 2000.

Part Two picks up 15 years later as Friend plots to ascend to godhood, and hope for humanity rests on Kenji’s niece Kanna and his mates who survived Bloody New Year’s Eve.

While the summary is helpful in getting the major plot points across, it cannot change the fact that those who had previously missed out would be less interested in the fate of the characters.

This seemed to be no major hindrance as the movie was a huge hit in Japan. Released last August, this live-action adaptation of Naoki Urasawa’s award-winning manga went on to spend six straight weeks at the top of box office charts.

Some may wish to debate the symbolism behind 20th Century Boys and its themes of power, control and heroism. But really, there is only one thing that the rest of us want to find out – who, exactly, is Friend?

Director Yukihiko Urasawa knows this and teases us by cutting to another scene every time it seems as if the mask will be ripped off.

Before we get to the final revelation, there is also the sprawling cast of characters to account for and their stories to delve into.

But whenever the film veers away from Friend, Kenji, a much-missed Karasawa in Part Two, or the stylish outlaw Occho, you get the feeling that it is merely treading water.

There is even one last feint as the rolling credits signal – not the end of the film, but the start of a 15-minute coda that lays it all out.

This ending, which is different from the manga’s, was so closely guarded that it was cut from press screenings in Japan.

Over the course of the movies, the director has pointed us to the pivotal events that took place in 1969, and all signs indicate that Friend is, in fact, someone from Kenji’s boyhood.

Suffice to say that those who sat through all seven hours-plus of the trilogy will not feel cheated by the denouement.

(ST)