A review by atalinay
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 1: Friends by Naoki Urasawa

Glad I'm choosing to continue this series. It's got mystery. It's funny with the humorous parts being well timed. Since we're following characters who knew each other as kids there's also this lightness to it and a bit of a small town feel. Overall all a thumbs up from me :))

I had to reread this volume to continue with the series so here are some spoiler-y notes I made
Spoiler
Girl: time period unknown but looks to be in an (alien?) invasion; trauma
Kenji (conbini owner) currently taking care of sister baby; mom is around
Missing professor and fam
Keroyon wedding (Monchan and Otcho not there)
Flashback to 1969
Kaneda Seitaro: grad student found dead (lost all blood; tied to african disease?)
Kanna has 6th sense?
Cult
Donkey (now science teacher) died (presumed suicide)
Monchan arrives form overseas to wake
Flashback to when Donkey jumped out of window of science lab b/c he was scared
Masachan: part of cult;
'97 Kenji showed Donkey's wife the letter he had sent him asking about the symbol; apparently a kid in his class was having issues with a negative (cult) influence
Pierre Ichimonji (founder of religious group) stabbed to death (by Tamura Masao tied with Donkey's storyline)
Monchan remembered a time capsule they had burried. It had the symbol on it.
Intro to Yukiji (now custom's officer) and friend
Creepy cult parade float or weapon thing??
Monchan went back to Germany



The cult leader, "Friend", mentioned being Collins (ie the astronaut who didn't step on the moon in '69) and it might mean that he was a bystander who wanted to join the gang as a kid, and is now using stuff from the past as cult things. (there was also a flashback of a kid who mentioned that- but who was it dun dun dun)