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I’ve been a passionate manga fan for decades. Of the many mangaka that I have gained appreciation for through the years, one who stood out was Naoki Urasawa, the creator of not just the award-winning 20th Century Boys, but other critically acclaimed series such as Monster and Pluto. His works are ones that I credit for developing my relationship with manga from one of interest to one of passion. As such, being the editor of this new deluxe Perfect Edition of 20th Century Boys, a series that showcases Urasawa’s mastery of mystery, comic storytelling and illustration, stands out among the most exciting and satisfying work I have done at VIZ to date.

20th Century Boys tells the story of Kenji Endo, a humble convenience store owner who once dreamed of being a rock star. But years before Kenji fantasized about gathering a crowd at Japan’s iconic Budokan arena, Kenji wanted to be a hero who saved the world with his childhood crew of friends back in the 1960s. In a secret headquarters that they built in a grassy field, Kenji and his friends imagined what it would be like to rescue humanity in its time of need. However, every hero needs a villain to fight, which is why they also plotted the acts of destruction of their foes as well, acts which included germ warfare in major cities and a giant robot attack.

Fast forward to the 1990s, when Kenji and his friends are now grown up. Some have become successful businessmen and have moved away from their hometown. Others, such as Kenji, have stuck around the neighborhood to start families and lead an ordinary existence. Life is peaceful and mostly uneventful, but that changes after Kenji finds that the symbol that he and his friends created for their secret organization resurfaces as the symbol of a new and increasingly popular self-help group known as the Friends.

Not only does the symbol of Kenji’s childhood gang find its way to the present. Viral outbreaks take place around the world, terrorist attacks that have an uncanny resemblance to the plot that Kenji and his friends created as kids. As more and more of these events take place and as the Friends rise in power and significance, it no longer seems to be a coincidence. Someone from Kenji’s old gang of friends is the prolific leader of the Friends, and it is up to Kenji to stop him from destroying the world.

20th Century Boys is widely considered the greatest work of Naoki Urasawa, a series which has won the Shogakukan Manga Award as well as a couple of Eisner Awards. It is a multi-generational series filled with loveable characters and well-crafted mystery. To place 20th Century Boys in a box, one can define it as “science fiction mystery,” but that would take away from the many points in which the series adds elements of slice-of-life, crime, politics, and much more. For the manga fan that loves well-plotted stories, portrayals of contemporary Japan and masterful sequential storytelling, 20th Century Boys is a real treat.

The Perfect Edition of 20th Century Boys is a 2-in-1 bind up collection of the iconic series based on the Japanese “kanzenban” edition. 20th Century Boys: The Perfect Edition includes new cover art, additional editor notes and color pages that were not included in the first edition of the series. And, exclusive to this edition, the final volume, 21st Century Boys: The Perfect Edition, includes a new ending to the series that was also not included in the original edition.

20th Century Boys: The Perfect Edition is a well put together deluxe edition of an amazing manga series that will be greatly appreciated by longtime fans of Naoki Urasawa as well as those who have yet to experience the work of the world-class mangaka.