This is the story of a gang of boys who try to save the world!; As boys,
Kenji and his friends came up with a bunch of stories about an evil organization
bent on world destruction. As adults, someone is now turning their fantasies
into reality! R to L (Japanese Style). Fourteen years after “Bloody New
Year's Eve” brought the world to the brink of extinction, Neo Tokyo in the
year 2014 has fully recovered and become a thriving, multiethnic metropolis.
Kanna has survived the chaos and is now 17 years old–and has just stumbled
upon a terrible truth that may change her destiny. Meanwhile, at a maximum
security prison ten kilometers out in the middle of Tokyo Bay, a young manga
artist learns firsthand the chilling downsides of the world he now inhabits.
Things go from bad to almost unbearable when he's thrown into solitary
confinement right near one of the prison's most notorious inmates. Has all hope
been lost, or will this mysterious prisoner offer the frightened artist his only
true shot at escape? Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th
century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In
1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster
slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a gang of
boys who try to save the world.
Author Biography
Born in Tokyo in 1960, Naoki Urasawa's career as a manga artist spans three
decades and has firmly established him as one of the true manga masters of his
generation. A graduate of Meisei University, Urasawa debuted with Return! in
1981 and hasn't stopped his impressive output since. Well-versed in a variety
of genres, Urasawa's oeuvre encompasses a multitude of different subjects, such
as romantic comedies (Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl), gritty urban dramas
(Pineapple ARMY), swashbuckling detective stories (Master Keaton), captivating
psychological thrillers (Monster and 20th Century Boys) and modern
reinterpretations of the work of the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka (Pluto: Urasawa
x Tezuka). Many of his books have spawned equally popular animated series, and
2008 saw the theatrical release of the first of three live-action Japanese
films based on 20th Century Boys.No stranger to accolades and awards, Urasawa
has received the Kodansha Manga Award, and is a three-time recipient of the
prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award and a two-time recipient of the Osamu Tezuka
Cultural Prize.Similarly, Monster has been nominated twice for the Eisner Award
in America. Urasawa has also become involved in the world of academia, and in
2008 accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University, where he
teaches courses in, of course, manga. Combining a breathtaking cinematic visual
style with stories known for their penetrating psychological depth and maturity,
Naoki Urasawa remains one of the most exciting creators working in the medium of
comics today.