[...] I mentioned in my review of volume four, Urasawa pulls his cast from the outskirts of society. Our unlikely heroes in this volume are a [...]

[...] the time jump shown in the previous book, I shouldn’t be surprised with the major twist in this volume, but I was still stunned when [...]

I see “20th Century Boys” quite literally as a shonen tale, all grown up. You see characters as boys, fantasizing about giant robots and ray guns, then you see adult characters bringing these ideas terrifiyingly to life.

I agree that Kenji was reshaped by Kanna, and I think that Otcho is an awesome character.

Oh, and there is a girl in their group of friends. We just haven’t seen her in a while. I can’t wait ’till she shows up again!

I think the boys’ adventure tendencies at this point are kind of deliberate, seeing as a boys’ adventure is the source of everything that’s happening.

(I’ve seen the first movie, which covers up to the next volume or two, so there are things I have to hold my tongue on here….)

Kenji says ‘ex-wife’ when telling Otcho how he tracked him down, so my impression is that they are divorced. Plus Otcho was just as much an absentee husband as father. He’s atoning for it all.

Urasawa is saying more than the strong protect the weak. It’s not a question of ethics. Urasawa is saying the essence of strength comes from our connection to other people. We have to have someone we care so deeply about that we can’t stand the thought of either losing them or harm coming to them. When our desire to protect them comes from our love for them then we are truly strong. Strength is anchored in love for another. Kenji is only able to become a hero when Kanna comes into his life. It is his love for her that becomes the source of his strength. That is not the cliché so readily found in shonen manga.

That said, if Otcho’s self-punishment and isolation (physically in a foreign land and mentally, by keeping his distance from others to the point that no one knows his name) is his repentance for his son’s death, why did he have to abandon his wife? She ends up being an unseen victim, losing both her son and husband. I couldn’t help feeling bad for her (and thinking that they should at least divorce).

The book is a fun read so far, but I wouldn’t look for deep moral messages just yet (you’ve never seen the “you must protect others to be truly strong” cliche in shonen manga before?)

The giant robot scene was hysterical, though! ;)

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Also, I found the satire of giant robot builders funny.