20-seiki shônen: Saishû-shô – Bokura no hata (2009)

20-seiki shônen: Saishû-shô – Bokura no hata: Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. With Kôichi Yamadera, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Takumi Saitoh. It is 2017 and a resurrected Tomodachi rules the world. The prophecies of The New Book have all come true. Tomodachi predicts the end of the world through the spread of a lethal virus by aliens and forewarns that only those who believe in him will survive. Will his old school-mates Kenji, Shogun and others along with Kanna be able to stop him and will the identity of Tomodachi also be revealed?

“The best way to really enjoy this installment of 20th Century Boys, is to quickly break out the DVDs of the previous two films, watch them to jog your memory, before turning up for this one. Given the myriad of characters and the lag between the local releases, a revisit is somewhat necessary since thereu0026#39;s very little recap, and the juxtaposition of timelines through flashbacks also provide that additional narrative challenge, not to mention that memories, being memories, tend to be faulty as well, for both you, as well as the characters in the storyline.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor fans of the franchise, the wait is finally over. Loose ends get tied up and the greatest mystery of all, the identity of Friend, gets revealed, albeit in a more definitive ending, different from the manga series, that gets played out after the end credits roll, so do not head for the doors anytime soon, otherwise youu0026#39;ll miss whatu0026#39;s probably the best part of the entire film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI Was entertained by the first film given the interesting premise, and T-Rexu0026#39;s 20th Century Boys track, but it left us all with an unsatisfying cliffhanger. The second film was somewhat weaker since most middle films in a trilogy are, as the timeline gets fast-forwarded way into the future, with the focus on Kanna, the girl who possesses some ESP abilities which got totally forgotten in this installment. A lot more characters get introduced, and a lot more subplots revealed, some of which didnu0026#39;t actually gel with the main narrative thread, which unfortunately bloated the film into a hydra of ideas that were still left hanging by the time the film ended.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo for the patient amongst us, donu0026#39;t write off the franchise just yet, as whatever can of worms Part II opened, Part III sought to address them all. Although it meant shuffling quickly from character to character, and even having Kanna being relegated back to a supporting role, the film picked up speed with the re-introduction of Kenji (surely you canu0026#39;t be expecting him to disappear after Part I, can you?), and plenty of the good olu0026#39; familiar faces, though aged now, from Part I.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eProduction wise, the filmmakers do not scrimp on sets and props, with the largest being an invading robot shaped like a ball with two limbs on either side to crushingly stomp all over Japan, never looking out of place should it decide to jump straight into an Ultraman film. The seamless mix of CG and life-action in this film would triumph over that of many movies, as u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne of the more successful manga adaptations to have come out from Japan, 20th Century Boys is a very different science fiction show put together which tells of consequences from what would seemingly be insignificant seeds sowed, and the action-reaction that we sometimes would experience that would come later in life. Clearly the franchise exhibited that the strength lies in the summation of all the films over each individual installments, which you would find more enjoyable if you approach the last film after quickly recapping the significant events from the first two. Definitely recommended for the fans of the franchise since youu0026#39;re likely to be seeking a satisfying closure.”