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Doomsday is upon Japan (again) in the thrilling all-star blockbuster 20th Century Boys based on Urasawa Naoki's acclaimed manga. Too big for just one film, 20th Century Boys is being released in three installments over one year's time. The first chapter lays the roots for the visionary trilogy's ambitious tale about a group of friends who emerge as unlikely heroes in the battle against an apocalyptic evil they had unwittingly foretold as children. More than just a good vs. evil doomsday saga, 20th Century Boys makes for a positively epic exercise in filmmaking and storytelling that spans multiple generations and genres, and bites into conspiracy theory, pop culture nostalgia, and spectacular special effects. Helmed by hit-making director Tsutsumi Yukihiko (Memories of Tomorrow), 20th Century Boys is certainly one of the greatest undertakings Japan Cinema has ever seen, with its six billion yen budget and staggeringly long cast list that runs 300 deep. Karasawa Toshiaki (Casshern) leads the ensemble cast that includes Tokiwa Takako (Mamiya Kyodai), Toyokawa Etsushi (The Sinking of Japan), Kagawa Teruyuki (Sukiyaki Western - Django), and Sasaki Kuranosuke (After School).
Kenji (Karasawa Toshiaki) used to be a wannabe rocker but, now in his thirties, he's back in his hometown running a convenience store and taking care of his baby niece. All seems quiet and uneventful in Kenji's life, save for the worried whispers about the rise of a cult led by a masked man who calls himself "Friend". The cult's logo seems eerily familiar, as do the news of mysterious deaths and terrorist acts around the world. Back in the summer of 1969, Kenji and his buddies sketched for fun a Book of Prophecy that predicted the world's end. Twenty-eight years later, the scenarios laid out in the Book of Prophecy are coming true one by one, and all fingers point to "Friend". As friends and foes of the past reappear for mankind's last stand, can Kenji fulfill his own prophecy and save the world?
Synopsis:
1969 was a special year for Japan. It was a year before Expo '70, an event that marked Japan's progress and bright future. It was also the year that men first stood on the Moon. Everything indicated a path towards a promising future.
In the summer of 1969, Kenji was an elementary schoolboy. He built a secret base in a vacant lot with his friends Otcho, Maruo, Yoshitsune, Mon-chan, Donkey, Yukiji and Fukube. One of their secret activities included writing in the Book of Prophecy. In their Prophecy, the children fantasized that they had to fight villains who were out to conquer the world, bringing about doomsday.
| Artists: | [Etsushi, Toyokawa]; [Hitomi, Kuroki]; [Karasawa, Toshiaki]; [Takako, Tokiwo] |
| Directors: | Tsutsumi, Yukihiko |
Publisher: Kam & Ronson Enterprise Co. Ltd.
Screen Format: 16:9
Format: NTSC
Audio: DTS ES, Dolby Digital 5.1, dts 5.1
Year: 2008
Version: Hong Kong
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