20th Century Boys, Volume 10: The Faceless Boy

20th Century Boys [20世紀少年] #10

by Naoki Urasawa

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!

It appears that Kanna's ambitious gamble has paid off as the leaders of the local Thai and Chinese mafias agree to both call a truce and offer to back her up. This doesn't sit too well with Yukiji, though, who is furious that Kanna would risk her life in such a brazen way. But one thing seems certain: when it comes to fighting the Friends, there's no limit to how far Kanna will go. Meanwhile, Koizumi Kyoko begins following Kanna in an attempt to tell her about everything she learned while at Friend Land. Her behavior, however, does not go unnoticed by the Friends, and a menacing dream navigator suddenly appears to inform Kyoko that she will need to go to Friend World for further reeducation. Luckily for Kyoko, there are no immediate spaces available, but will she have enough time to get help from Kanna and Yoshitsune before her number is called?

Genres: Manga, Comics, Science Fiction, Mystery, Seinen, Fiction, Graphic Novels

212 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2002

About the author

Urasawa Naoki (浦沢直樹) is a Japanese mangaka. He is perhaps best known for Monster (which drew praise from Junot Díaz, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner) and 20th Century Boys.

Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.

Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing

Reviews

[Tawfek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike the mystery of who exactly is friend, which will take 2400 more pages to be unveiled and concluded, short term mysteries i can work with, and i was right about sadakiyo he is not friend, and looks like as of right now, he is the only one who knows what friend really looks like, because he meet him without the mask.
Also could we know already who friend is, i remember i heard the rumor of sadakiyo dying before, what if the person who told them that he died the first time in the manga is friend himself!?
Sadly i can't go back to confirm this theory, specially since i don't know in which issue it was told.
while thunder just saved kana from the principal, who has been working with the friend part all along.
Sadakiyo the boy now with a face is still trying to save kyoko and himself, feels like he was used and abused by friend for a long time, thinking that he is a true friend sadakiyoshi kept his hope all this time, but no he never cared he was abusing the fact that he had no friends all along, he even put his adult face under the friend mask in the virtual attraction to mislead kyoko, and anyone else looking for him to think that he is in fact friend.
Big revelations are coming our way am sure of it, i just hope the identity of friend is one of them.
It would be really bad if he didn't turn out not to be anyone of kenji's group, i have been accusing many of them all this time of being friend lol...

[Hosein · Rating 5 out of 5]

من یه فُک از همه چیز بی‌خبرم و نائوکی اوراساوا یه نهنگ قاتله که دوست داره با شامش بازی کنه.
این دقیقا حسیه که خوندن این مانگا بهم میده.

[Anthony Chavez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic... Great volume.

The more I read by Urasawa, the more lame other comics seem by comparison. Urasawa is a rare breed of writer that has complete grasp of the medium of comic books. His storyteller skills are simply incredible; moreover, he can lead the reader down exactly the paths he wants you to follow, dropping clues you never see until either he tells you or you read it over again, most of the time surprising me at every turn. The Sadakiyo story in this volume was a true shocker.

This volume focuses on 3 things: Kyoko and Kanna meeting, Sadakiyo's backstory, and the revelation about Kanna's father and "The Holy Mother."

Once again this is a heavy Koizumi Kyoko volume, she if newly back from Friendland; however, she is not as re-educated as the Dream Navigators would like. She doesn't want to go to Friendworld but has been told she will be going very soon. In school she tries to make connect with her classmate Kanna, Kanna blows her off leaving Kyoko to her own devices and slowly going mad. She saw the face behind "Friend's" mask. That knowledge alone and the horror it holds, paired with going to Friendworld is too much for her to handle alone. But her erratic behavior is drawing eyes, and the Dream Navigators tell her they see everything, don't try to run.

[yel ᰔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 stars

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARNING: Spoilers for the previous volume.

Kanna has bridged peace between the warring gangs of Tokyo and Kiyoko has survived her stint at Friendland. However, a new teacher and Kanna and Kiyoko’s school resurfaces memories from Kiyoko’s experiences at Friendland -- could this new teacher be The Friend? And what connections does he have to Kanna’s father?

This volume in the series finally answers some of the questions that Urasawa’s been teasing readers with while also establishing some setup for things that are to come. Mainly, tackling the question of who Kanna’s father is and the role of Kenji’s sister as the Holy Mother.

Urasawa really is a master with the manga/comics medium. The narrative beats in this are spot and leave me chomping at the bit for more. I do find some of the intrigue a bit forced (ie. readers being denied from seeing certain key things) which leaves me feeling frustrated, but overall this is really tight storytelling. The art is also fantastic - it almost feels like reading a movie (it kind of reminds me of my experience reading Akira). The action is fluid and the character designs are wonderfully varied and distinctive.

I can’t wait to continue with this series.

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool book. Some plot points you forget about and they still blow your mind even though youve read them 4-5 books ago.

[Christina Pilkington · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great things happened in this volume!

Two characters meet that I've always wanted to meet.

Kyoko's chapters continue to be my favorite! She's such quirky, fun character to follow. I loved this arc with her principal and what we learned about the friend from him.

I was surprised in a great way with the horror elements! I was genuinely creeped out for several chapters :)

And what Kanna learns about her own background and how she reacts? So good!

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume: Kyoko and Kanna meet, Sadakiyo's story, the revelation about Kanna's father.

I especially liked Sadakiyo's otaku ranting about gundams (hee!) and the way that Kyoko serves as a foil to Kanna. There's Kanna, the last hope, the girl of destiny, and there's Kyoko, average Jill, who just wants to be normal and left alone. I'm glad that Urasawa gives us both. Much as I love Kanna, this is a story from the very beginning about the extraordinary heroism of ordinary people.

[Kesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Mother Maria.

[ti☆ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have the slightest idea as to who friend really is. urasawa did a great job in putting some clues to friend’s identity in the fragments of some flashbacks.

[Estibaliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 10, where it looks like we finally get to know the identity of the Friend... but do we, really? After all, we are barely half way to the end of the series (good!)...

Someone from the past makes a comeback, which will take us (and Kyoko) in a crazy adventure, and the plot thickens with some conspiracy tones.

Imagine, this series is already 20 years old, but it's as good, fun, and entertaining today as it was the first day.

A great read, as always.

[Andria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this volume went off the rails a bit too much. I like the Koizumi character (comically expressive) but every time she shows up logic goes out the window. In stark contrast to the 1971 portions of the story, it feels like these teenagers don't act much like real kids.

Unfortunate place to stop since the next volume is on hold. ;_;

[Derek Royal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much of this installment concerns Kanna, but even more so this is a Kozizumi volume. She’s turned out to be one of the most curious figures in this series. And the addition of Sadayakiyo helped to put this 10th volume over the top.

[Noninuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fast read after the cliffhanger from the previous volume. Now, how should one interpret the new prophecy if not take it literally? And it ended with another revelation that I thought was no secret but I come to realize that it actually is!

[M●13RA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really Amazed by this genius story really resonating with our time. Not a single volume below 9/10 top tier manga. This is definitely a wonderful journey and i can't believe how far and deep the rabbit hole will go.

[Shubhankar Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried when the his sensei gave Sadakiyo that photograph from the hiking trip.
Brilliant!!

[Rahul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kanna is revealed that her father is none other than 'Friend' himself. What she gonna do ?

[Malapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

El ritmo sigue siendo muy bueno, pero la historia está demasiado traída por los pelos. Se nota que lo principal es seguir enredando para que dure, pero sin aportar nada nuevo.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series.

Synopsis: 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. Failed rock musician Kenji's memories of his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.

Review: This is basically the manga equivalent of a Stephen King novel, channeling themes and plot devices from the likes of It, Dreamcatcher, The Running Man and quite a few others. A young group of friends that make an innocent promise which ends up creating the most dangerous cult in the world, a 'friend' turned into the world's greatest evil, a strange suicide that reunites a group of adults to solve a mystery from their childhood which ended up leading to an apocalyptic police state, clever use of cultural references, rock songs and historical allegories to tell the full story, extremely small actions resulting in extremely massive consequences, an eerie threat lurking in the shadows that may or may not be of supernatural origins, kids overthrowing a totalitarian regime and rebelling against society while fighting against a sinister threat that no one else knows about; sound King enough for ya?

Though I don't think it's quite as good as Monster by the same author, it's definitely very close. It's a masterpiece of intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, deep character development and psychological complexity. The villain's presence is suffocating from the very beginning while remaining mysterious and terrifying until the final chapter. It's intense, it's relatable, it's horrifying and it's an emotional rollercoaster. Be careful who you call your friend and be careful of the promises you make. You might just end up causing the end of the world.

[Julie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The meeting which Kanna has arranged has been interrupted by a man who styles himself a savior, and who dies for his cause. Now the police are outside, demanding the crowd disperse. Has Kanna achieved her goals, or was this gathering a failure? The young detective, Chono, is able to keep the police force at bay, at least for now, by claiming he’s protecting a crime scene. How long can that last?

Koizumi, home from Friend Land, goes to see her favorite band but finds there is something different about them. Turns out they fired their guitarist, Damian Yoshida, because of irreconcilable differences. Koizumi can’t stop dreaming of Friend Land, and the strange boy who tries to take off his mask. She doesn’t want to see his face, though, fearful of what might happen to her if she does.
Koizumi attempts to speak with Kanna at school, but that doesn’t turn out very well. Instead, she’s approached by someone who calls themselves a Dream Navigator. They inform her that she is soon to go to Friend World, like it or not. The very thought is frightening to Koizumi. Her parents, on the other hand, seem thrilled for her and have no clue how dangerous a place it really is. A terrified Koizumi remembers the card she got from Yoshitsune. Can he help her? Things go from bad to worse when she sees the new home room teacher, and recognizes his face…

This series just gets better and better. It seems as though things are gearing up to happen during the Pope’s planned visit to Japan. Obviously, the Friends have an agenda, but what is it? To further ingratiate themselves to the world? Or maybe take it over? Either way, they need to be stopped. Not to mention, they need to be outed as the true perpetrators of Bloody New Year’s Eve, and Kenji needs to be exonerated.

Koizumi is playing a dangerous game, but with the aid of Yoshitsune, she may just turn out all right. And what we think we know turns out to be very wrong, which leaves us back at square one again. Makes you wonder why so many people put their trust in a man who never ever shows his face, based on the alleged actions of some of his followers. And what does Kanna’s mother have to do with anything? More questions than answers here!

Anxiously awaiting the next volume.

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitivamente el principal problema erradica en la expectativa que deja cada volumen, porque la explicación de la cara como adulto, si bien es lógica, siento que todo termina siendo un despilfarro de ideas para justificar una parte de la trama y seguir con el misterio. ¿Es entretenido? Totalmente, es muy entretenido, pero no se si es ese nivel de reflexión que me daba Monster o Pluto, donde realmente sentía que había unos volúmenes con un nivel de crítica social increíble. Acá siento que erradica más el misterio y lo espectacular, lo cual está bien, solo que todo lo concierne a Amigo y la red de fieles seguidores, sentía que era mucho más interesante, por lo que terminaron yendo a una historia más personal.

Y luego, todo lo que corresponde a Sadakiyo siento que es demasiado forzado, colocan un personaje que aparece en el momento preciso de la trama, y hace avanzar, pero con demasiados peros. Justo tiene esos ataques de ira, justo tiene eso momentos medios esquizofrénicos, justo hacen sentir que es Amigo, y tratan de justificarlo, para cambiar el punto e ir a otra parte. Sabiendo la cantidad de volúmenes, da uno por hecho que ninguno de estos personajes es realmente Amigo, por lo que si bien se siente la tensión a leerlo, después de reflexionar la coherencia, cuesta un poco tragarse todo. De todas maneras, leerlo es muy entretenido, no lo niego, más todavía con ese cliffhanger al final, donde Kanna sabe finalmente que “Amigo” es su padre, y probablemente ella será la clave para lo que venga.

[Kai Shiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Urasawa excels at crafting a gripping mystery that keeps you wanting to see how it unravels. He generally writes stories with large ensemble casts which can be a little painful as it means the characters and arcs you are actually invested in tend to disappear on cliffhangers for a few volumes at a time. This was my main issue when I first started reading 20th century boys and was less of an issue in something a bit shorter and to the point like his Pluto series.

By volume 10 of 20th Century boys, Urasawa had built my trust enough that I could believe there was a reason for jumping around the timeline so much and drawing the mystery of who the "friend" was out for so long. It helped that the arc with Kyoko had ample tension and a fairly immediate (for this series) payoff. It also helped that by now I had kind of accepted whatever crazy stuff was going to happen, like some characters being super powered martial arts experts, others being psychic or some reason, the friends having nearly infinite influence and resources etc.

The grounded characterisations hold it all together despite all the fantastical elements and keep it feeling real enough that you can still make sense of what is going on. The art is great as usual. The series is recommended, but you have to be prepared to stick with it and for every volume to raise more questions than answers.

[Florencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

20th Century Boys, Band 10
5.0 ★
Leído: 21.02.23

¡La verdadera historia de Sadakiyo se revela!

Un trágico tomo que te agarra por sorpresa en un carrusel de emociones. Kyoko, quien sufre de constantes pesadillas y paranoia debido a su estadía en Tomodachiland, conoce a Kanna y la sigue constantemente para saber más de ella y por qué es tan imporante. Pero su paranoia se justifica y es atrapada por miembros de Tomodachiword, la versión más siniestra de Tomodachiland. Sin embargo, un misterioso hombre, cuyo rostro se aparece en sus pesadillas, desvía el peligro.

Sadakiyo cuenta su desgarradora historia, el niño sin rostro, el niño que ha muerto para el mundo. Kyoko lo ayuda a reencontrar su lugar y reafimar su existencia, en una breve pero emotiva escena.

Creo haberlo dicho antes, pero lo repito: el punto fuerte de este manga son los personajes. Hombres y mujeres de una complejidad emocionante, guiados por ideas simples pero poderosas, enmarcan con suma humanidad una historia de ciencia ficción. Me atrevo a compararlo con historias de Ray Bradbury, que abundan en robots y viajes espaciales, pero que tocan el alma con esa profundidad y humanidad que abunda en el núcleo en cada relato.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, continuing off of the last volume, Kanna convinces the heads of the Thai and Chinese gangs to call a truce. Then Kyoko tries to get back into her normal life after her experiences at Friendland, but that may not be possible. Then Sadakiyo shows up for the first time in the present of the book and he's not right in the head. Somehow, he's Kyoko's new English teacher? That is unreasonably coincidental. My suspension of disbelief doesn't stretch that far. But, it turns out that there is an internal logic to it. And the book also addresses a question I've been asking, which is; Why is Endo Kanna, niece of the notorious Kenji, using her real name and living a normal life? Wouldn't the Friends be looking for her? Wouldn't the government? Turns out the principal of her school is a Friend and has been keeping tabs on her the whole time.

As always, high drama, great characterization, great art.

[Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kanna manages to do the unthinkable and gains a force with which to counter "Friend's" threat to the Pope and Expo 2015. At the moment of greatest need Shogun appears and saves the day, but it seems he knows something that he is not willing to share with anyone else, so [as a ninja he is :) ] he vanishes from the stage in a same manner he came in.

On the other end Koizumi recognizes the new teacher and (for reasons of pure awkwardness and utter terror of ending up again in the "Friendly Land") ends up in his house where she is not clear what is going on. Until teacher reveals the location and why he brought her there.

There are so many twists here, that I do not want to ruin anyone's experience. We are at volume 10, we still do not know who "Friend" is but story is not dull for a second.

Art as always is gorgeous.

Highly recommended.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

During my review of the last volume, I talked about how I was enjoying that the stories never neatly wrapped up, nor did Urasawa use traditional cliffhangers.

This volume changes that up as it ends with a textbook cliffhanger, as a major character learns something about themselves that will change the entire direction of the story. We also see the return of a character who I worried was written out (not killed, I just thought their use to the story might be over) in the previous volume.

If you like a long-form story that continues to surprise, even ten volumes in, I highly suggest picking this up, even if you're not usually "a manga person".

[M. Ashraf · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Faceless Boy
20th Century Boys
Volume#10

Chapter List:
"Ceasefire" (停戦, Teisen)
"Crossroads" (クロスロード, Kurosurōdo)
"Surveillance" (監視, Kanshi)
"A New Teacher" (新しい先生, Atarashii sensei)
"Terrifying Answer" (恐怖の解答, Kyōfu no kaitō)
"Collector" (コレクター, Korekutā)
"Soliloquy" (独り言, Hitorigoto)
"Room of a Friend" (友人の部屋, Yūjin no heya)
"Boy Without a Face" (顔のない少年, Kao no nai shōnen)
"Boy With a Face" (顔のある少年, Kao no aru shōnen)
"Thunder" (雷鳴, Raimei)

Peace between Mafias but no one will save the Pope
Another Suspect / Fake Friend from long ago come to life as the new English Teacher
SADA KIYOSHI - SADAKIYO
But no ...
Kana's father is FRIEND!!!

[Lucas Yahiko Madley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best volume I've read, like we're seeing more of Friend and who is close to him. The way this story just meshes out is incredible and seeing Kyoko Koizumi journey throughout the last two volumes can be said of great depth to the story so far which subtly she can just be seen as a reactionary side character, but still even then her role has been pivotal so far connecting kana to yoshitsune and closer to understand friend. Who knows, but there's still more to go but man it's been a great ride.

[ej · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 i got so confused… still pretty confused… i can’t tell is sadakiyo is the friend or if sadakiyo’s friend is? am assumin it’s sadakiyo but some of the lines get muddied but i think he’s just referrin to who his one friend was? but regardless i think the stuff of sadakiyo nearly regressin rn cause his childhood was so rough was dope, urasawa shines most when depictin children, n those lil kid pics were so cute

[Adr · Rating 1 out of 5]

Això és infumable. Intregable. Si la intenció de l’autor era fotre al lector a de mala ostia. Ho ha aconseguit de bona manera.
Repeticio una i altre vegada el mateix patró en tot,

Quan tastes una sopa moot bona, pero aleshores tobliguen a menjar la mateixa sopa per esmorzar per dinar per berenar i per sopar…entre esmorzar i dinar, entre sopar i mati a cada vegada k obres la boca…..doncs això.

Apart de qie es treu conills del barret a caea 3 pagines i nous persinatges i …. Ufffff