10 Essential Manga You Need To Read Before You Die
5. 20th Century Boys (Naoki Urasawa)
It will hardly be news for you to hear that cults are rightfully frowned upon. It's a ubiquitous idea that you should avoid falling into one, and that kind of mentality helps this manga to go above and beyond when generating a terrifying story about such an organisation.
20th Century Boys occurs at the dawning of the 21st century and follows Kenji Endo, a convenience store manager who begins to grow concerned over the rising popularity of a cult leader called Friend. He soon uncovers a conspiracy that relates to him and his childhood friends and could bring about danger for the entire world.
Although the central mystery is thrilling, there's also a tasty sense of nostalgia to this story, as there's a litany of references to classic rock 'n roll (the title even comes from a T.Rex song) and even a slew of 60s and 70s anime/manga. This helps to fill the tense narrative up with some entertaining irreverence.
It manages to tick all the boxes necessary for a great manga; humour, adventure, thrills and an overall identity that helps it stand out among its peers.