20th Century Boys vol. 2 - The Last Hope Review

The second chapter of the film adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's blockbuster sci fi thriller has just hit R1 DVD. Unfortunately, an attempt to juggle too many plots as well as a lead lacking any discernible charisma make The Last Hope something of a letdown. 

For those unfamiliar with 20th Century Boys (2008) the overarching story follows a group of childhood pals who band together decades later when a notebook of their fantasy scribblings start coming true thanks to the machinations of the mysterious, masked "Friend." Led by idealistic failed musician Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa), the reunited classmates attempt to remember the full extent of their apocalyptic vision while seeking the true identity of Friend. 

The Last Hope takes up the story 15 years later, as Kenji's niece, Kanna (Airi Taira) attempts to keep her head low as the world comes fully under the sway of Friend-mania. World leaders and the everyman see Friend as the savior of mankind. Kanna, of course, knows Friend is up to something more sinister beyond peace and harmony, and events are set into motion that will lead her to find out more about the charismatic leader.

Unfortunately, Taira isn't quite up to the task of leading this production. The young actress invests her role with a great deal of pluck but doesn't give her character any more facets beyond that. The lack of range hurts some of the revelations and story beats that Kanna goes through - things that should shake a character to their core barely seems to register in Taira's performance.

Perhaps part of the problem is the whirlwind delivery of the story which stacks turns, twists, and developments on top of each other so rapidly that it's hard to measure their impact on the overall story. Characters drop in and out of the plot, stretching their beats thin while Friend's overall schemes are left a little unclear.

It's not all dire - Etsushi Toyokawa reprises his tough-as-nails role of "Occho," adding an off-kilter energy to the scenes in which he appears. Also, Friend remains a fascinating and unsettling entity whose unspoken motivations yield some truly heinous actions on the part of his followers. Finally, the elliptical ending creates a great deal of interesting questions for the final installment.

While The Last Hope misses on a few counts there are a couple of strong points making the movie worth checking out - at least as a bridge between the first and final films in the series.  

A review copy of this film was provided by VIZ Pictures.