Urasawa's Best Work?

[Drakengard]

Urasawa is a famous mangaka and is well known for some of his stories. But now I ask, which one do you believe to be his greatest out of his "Big 3"? I have not yet read Pluto and only partially through Monster so I don't I am qualified to judge but I'm curious as to what the NB has to think?

Pluto follows the European robot detective Gesicht (German for face) in his attempts to solve the case of a string of robot and human deaths. The case becomes more puzzling when evidence suggests a robot is responsible for the murders, the first one in eight years. The series ended in 2009 after its 65th chapter.

Numerous references to other characters in Osamu Tezuka's Star System appear, such as Black Jack, Robita, as well as several Astro Boy characters who appear in chief supporting roles.

Pluto received an Excellence Prize for manga at the 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival. The series also received the 2005 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Grand Prize, which Urasawa also won for his work on Monster.

Monster weaves the riveting story of brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a famous surgeon with a promising career at a leading hospital. Tenma risks his reputation and promising career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, this child is destined for a terrible fate. A string of strange and mysterious murders begin to occur soon afterward, ones that professionally benefit Dr. Tenma, and he emerges as the primary suspect. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller.

The series won an Excellence Prize at the 1997 Japan Media Arts Festival and the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2001, and placed on YALSA's "2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens" list. THEM Anime Reviews called the anime adaptation "complex" and "beautiful", stating that it features "sophisticated storytelling and complex plot weaving, memorable characters, godly production values and excellent pacing". A review at Anime-Planet described the series as a "breathtaking tour de force of amazing suspense and surprising intelligence". Another review from the same site called the series "a true gem and a rare anime masterpiece" despite its "daunting length"

Growing older is pretty rough and Kenji is finding out just how hard it can be as life starts wearing down on him. On top of trying to make ends meet running a convenience store, he has to care for the niece that his missing sister left in his care. Memories of youth make it easier, until those memories come back to haunt you.

Kenji and his old friends are slowly being drawn into a mysterious conspiracy that could threaten the world. Who is the mysterious "friend", and how does he tie into Kenji's youth? Why are there disappearances and deaths tied into Ochanomizu University? The friend's memories hold the keys to the puzzle, but years between cloud the clues.

The strange occurances and the reach of the "friend" conspiracy grow by the day. It will all culminate on New Year's Eve 2000. Will Kenji and the rest of the group be able to put together the puzzle and save the world?

The 20th Century Boys manga has won numerous awards, including the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award in the General category, an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival, the 2003 Shogakukan Manga Award in the General category, and the first ever Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for a Series in 2004. It also won the Grand Prize at the 37th Japan Cartoonists Association Awards, and the Seiun Award in the Comic category at the 46th Japan Science Fiction Convention, both in 2008. In 2011, the series won the 2010 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material, for Viz Media's English releases. It was also nominated for the 2010 Harvey Award in the Best American Edition of Foreign Material category.

Carlos Santos of Anime News Network felt the pacing of the series should have been quicker, but praised the intricate and interconnecting plot and its twists, as well as the well-developed characters. He also noted Urasawa's art and dialogue, saying "it takes real skill to build a story as multi-layered as this one and still have it make sense as the characters explain things".

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[YowYan]

thanks for the tip. I'll be trying out these manga

 

[Drakengard]

thanks for the tip. I'll be trying out these manga

Well I can't say much for Pluto but 20th CB is definitely worth at least trying. My suggestion for either Monster or 20th Century Boys is to make a notepad just to jot down things you might want to remember for later. Trust me, characters that appear in the first volume for a few panels might end up significant characters 200 chapters later. This is my quick example since I'm rereading Monster from the start:

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It doesn't have to make sense to somebody else, just so you can personally keep track of things

 

[Supermacaquecool]

Between Pluto and 20th Century boys, 20 Century Boys easily wins. Dunno about Monster...xd

 

[YowYan]

Well I can't say much for Pluto but 20th CB is definitely worth at least trying. My suggestion for either Monster or 20th Century Boys is to make a notepad just to jot down things you might want to remember for later. Trust me, characters that appear in the first volume for a few panels might end up significant characters 200 chapters later. This is my quick example since I'm rereading Monster from the start:

Spoiler

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It doesn't have to make sense to somebody else, just so you can personally keep track of things

The story building seems pretty complex the way you put it on the table... which makes it even more interesting ;p thx

 

[Yusuke Urameshi]

I haven't seen or read any of them. I was thinking about watching Monster awhile back, though.

 

[Peace Maker]

i dont think theyre that good. -.-

 

[Dr Strangelove]

Thnks for the tip off
I will defo check out that 'Monster' one.

 

[Drakengard]

Between Pluto and 20th Century boys, 20 Century Boys easily wins. Dunno about Monster...xd

From what I know Monster is supposed to have a fantastic ending (most say its ending is a bit better than 20th CB at least) but whether each series is better or not really depends on the person.

The story building seems pretty complex the way you put it on the table... which makes it even more interesting ;p thx

Personally I think taking notes for these stories is vital xd

I haven't seen or read any of them. I was thinking about watching Monster awhile back, though.

I actually forgot Monster had an anime until I was about 25 chapters into the manga (I was more of an anime lover at the time). 20th CB has a live action movie but I never really like those too much.

i dont think theyre that good. -.-

To be honest when I first read Monster, I just wanted to plow through it. I got through several volumes just skimming and ended up stopping for some reason (forgot now). After a while I read 20th CB since my friend loves it and it turned out to be excellent. Now that I'm rereading Monster I think it's far better this time around now that I know the writer's style. But I do know that these manga won't appeal to everybody

 

[Supermacaquecool]

I know the taste plays a big role, and personally I liked the idea behind Pluto a bit more than the premise of 20th CB manga, but Pluto is indeed too short, so you don't get to see the fantastic character development that is present in 20thCB--- Tho the cast in Pluto is very likeable...except for some persons :l xd

 

[Miles vi Britannia]

Having read all three, I'd say that 20th CB is definitely my favorite of them. Monster is also excellent, though in my opinion 20th CB is superior due to having a more developed story and, in my eyes, a wider range of likeable and memorable characters. Pluto was alright but from my recollection, it was nowhere near the quality of 20th Century Boys and Monster. I was much less attached to the Pluto cast than to the characters of the other two and because of the nature of its story, there were those moments when it had that Shounen power-up type of feel to it that just felt plot-induced, but with Astro Boy as the source material it might not be Pluto's fault for that, I don't really know since I never got into AB.

i dont think theyre that good. -.-

Maybe not Pluto, but for the other two it's quite the contrary. I'd say that 20th CB and Monster are some of the best manga out there. Very, very complex plots that always keep the suspense up, some of the best character development out there by far, and stories that may not seem original but are executed in a way that nobody could dare say is cliche. 20th CB and Monster are very sophisticated and intelligent stories as compared to the popular Shounens, and if I had to choose between Naruto or the Urasawa works, it's a no-brainer which is superior on an objective basis.

 

[Drakengard]

3rd Volume check mark now for Monster. I have to say that I loved it far more the second time around than the first. I think I just needed time to tune in with Urasawa's work instead of the action packed Shonen stuff. I would recommend reading 20th CB before Monster because I feel it's easier for people new to the genre but I still definitely recommend note taking. Even more here when it comes to names.

@Super Never did read Pluto but there seems to be the least praise for it out of the 3 big ones even though it doesn't sound too bad when I see the outline.

@Miles I think Monster will end up closer to 20th CB for me than it is for you. I still favor 20th CB thus far but it'll probably be closer by the time I'm done with Monster. I have to say that I didn't like some of the elements in 20th CB's ending. I wouldn't say it went downhill or anything but I was expecting more development for a certain masked figure.

 

[Miles vi Britannia]

3rd Volume check mark now for Monster. I have to say that I loved it far more the second time around than the first. I think I just needed time to tune in with Urasawa's work instead of the action packed Shonen stuff. I would recommend reading 20th CB before Monster because I feel it's easier for people new to the genre but I still definitely recommend note taking. Even more here when it comes to names.

@Super Never did read Pluto but there seems to be the least praise for it out of the 3 big ones even though it doesn't sound too bad when I see the outline.

@Miles I think Monster will end up closer to 20th CB for me than it is for you. I still favor 20th CB thus far but it'll probably be closer by the time I'm done with Monster. I have to say that I didn't like some of the elements in 20th CB's ending. I wouldn't say it went downhill or anything but I was expecting more development for a certain masked figure.

Yeah it's hard to jump into Monster from an action Shounen, totally different pacing and story style.

And I agree, that was probably the main problem I had with 20th CB and the main reason why 21st doesn't deserve a 10 in my eyes. He just kinda appeared without much foreshadowing and honestly I didn't know who he was until I read through some parts of it again. And just like you said, his development was pretty minimal, though if anything I'd mark that down as a fault of 21st rather than 20th, if 20th crammed in time for more development it probably would've ruined the pacing and atmosphere of what was already going on. 21st could've done it but it was way too short, with only 2 volumes to resolve some unanswered questions.

 

[Drakengard]

Yeah it's hard to jump into Monster from an action Shounen, totally different pacing and story style.

And I agree, that was probably the main problem I had with 20th CB and the main reason why 21st doesn't deserve a 10 in my eyes. He just kinda appeared without much foreshadowing and honestly I didn't know who he was until I read through some parts of it again. And just like you said, his development was pretty minimal, though if anything I'd mark that down as a fault of 21st rather than 20th, if 20th crammed in time for more development it probably would've ruined the pacing and atmosphere of what was already going on. 21st could've done it but it was way too short, with only 2 volumes to resolve some unanswered questions.

Honestly I just can't stand when a story leaves off with vital unanswered questions without that being intended (unless I missed all the answers). I'm fine with open ended stories but it's not the same as those type of problems. If Monster remains at its currently quality and has an epic ending I may have to betray you

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And then there's Pluto but from what I've heard it's not really comparable to the other two.

 

[Miles vi Britannia]

Honestly I just can't stand when a story leaves off with vital unanswered questions without that being intended (unless I missed all the answers). I'm fine with open ended stories but it's not the same as those type of problems. If Monster remains at its currently quality and has an epic ending I may have to betray you

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And then there's Pluto but from what I've heard it's not really comparable to the other two.

Well pretty much anything that really mattered about 20th CB was answered by the end. Sure, one of those plot points wasn't fleshed out as well as I would have liked, but everything else was picture perfect. Monster......I dunno, it just wasn't as amazing to me. Story was great of course, but honestly my favorite character was Grimmer by far. The main cast was developed and all but very little compelled me to like most of them, at least enough to be seriously invested in their character. And aside from the main cast, almost nobody left an impression on me at all. 90% of Monster's side cast did well for the few chapters they were around for, but were entirely disposable by the end of that arc. Not the case in 20th CB.

And yeah Pluto doesn't deserve to be ranked on the same tier as those two. I personally felt Pluto was pretty overrated, it wasn't bad but nothing about it was fantastic from what I recall. It was pretty good and definitely an interesting take on the whole Astro Boy deal but aside from that there wasn't much I could say was amazing about it.