The chapter 2 of the 20th Century Boys trilogy starts in 2015, 15 years after the world is nearly destroyed. People now believe that Kenji and his friends were satanic terrorists and Friend, the mysterious cult leader, is worshipped as the savior of the world. Kanna, Kenji's niece, is now in high school and she resents that the history textbooks tell a fabricated account of the fateful day. She is forced to participate in the Friend Land program to be re-educated when she is deemed to be anti-social. While in the program, Kanna uncovers clues to Friend's real identity, and the shocking discovery of 'The New Book of Prophecies'! Kanna tries to find out who wrote 'The New Book of Prophecies' and unravels the true identity of Friend.
What I loved most: The Rise of Friend to God-status
What I really hated: Disjointed and hurried at times
Having lost a few major characters in the first movie, the number of cast members shrinks in this one, which makes it a lot easier to follow (except for the flashback bits). Some questions get answered, and others are raised. Particularly interesting is the chronicling of the ascent of Friend to deity status, a good commentary on the nature of religion. While still somewhat disjointed and even hurried at times, it all remains as intriguing as ever, and hopefully, the ending of the trilogy will have satisfying answers.
