20th Century Boys Volume 1 : Friend Chapter Three The Boy Who Bought a Guitar - Page 61 - TERROR! THE DESTRUCTION OF EARTH! Boys: Eeeeek, so scary!! "Space aliens attack Earth!! They begin their invasion with terrible destructive power!! The downfall of humanity!!" I doubt this would happen. Kenji: I'll fight!! Boys: "An explosion on the sun raises the Earth's temperature. The North Pole melts, covering all land with water. Humanity perishes!" Th... that could happen... Maruo: The North Pole can't melt that easily! Yoshitsune: Ice melts fast. Especially in summer... Kenji: Well, I'll fight!! Chapter 3 : The Boy Who Bought a Guitar - Page 62 - Title: GIANT SCHEMATIC: THIS IS DOOMSDAY FOR THE PLANET EARTH! [World War III] Boys: "The American-Soviet conflict escalates into WWIII!! Atomic and hydrogen bombs fly about, clouds of death hang over the land, and humanity meets its end!!" Oh crap, that's bad!! [Air Pollution] Kenji: I said I'll fight, and that means I'll fight!! - Page 63 - [Giant Meteorite Strikes Earth] Boys: "A giant meteorite strikes, throwing off the Earth's gravity. The last day for humanity is here!!" Kenji: I'LL FIGHT NO MATTER WHAT!! Chapter 3 : The Boy Who Bought A Guitar - Page 64 - - Page 65 - [1969] Kenji: W... what? Maruo: Um... How are you gonna fight, Kenji?! Yoshitsune: Against an atomic bomb or a meteorite... Kenji: Um, well... you see... I... I'll fight! Maruo + Yoshitsune: Yeah, but HOW? Kenji: Uhh... you know! W... we're kids now, but when we're adults... Right, Otcho?! Radio: - Page 66 - Kenji: You listening to english radio again? Radio: Otcho: It's *FEN. *FEN... stands for Far East Network in english. Kenji: I don't care if it's FEN or HEN or whatever. I can't tell what they're saying... Radio: <...This is Far East Network.> Kenji: Turn it to "Soreyuke Popular Songs". Let's listen to Group Sounds! Otcho: My neighbor, Nakamura, always listens to FEN. Maruo: I bet he doesn't understand it either. Otcho: Know what he told me? Something amazing happened in America this summer. Kenji: What amazing thing...? Otcho: There were almost 500,000 people at a concert. Maruo: F... 500,000?! Kenji: What did 500,000 people do at this concert... Bon Odori? (Note: A dance performed on Obon, a Japanese holiday.) Otcho: No! - Page 67 - Otcho: It's rock. Love and peace. Maruo: I'm gonna read "Shonen Magazine"! Yoshitsune: Me first!! Kenji: I don't get it... 500,000 people at a concert... Radio: GAGGAAAA GAGAGAAA GAGAGAAA Kenji: That sounds terrible. Otcho: It's the Rolling Stones. Maruo: Oh, I know Rolling Stone. Yoshitsune: That was a rival's special attack in *"Manual 1"!! *Manual 1 (author: Kawasaki Noboru) An amateur wrestling manga serialized in Shonen Sunday, '67-'68. The junior high protagonist tries to get into the Mexican Olympics. - Page 68 - Otcho: No. It's "Jumping Jack Flash". Radio: GAGAGAAA GAGAGA Yoshitsune: I never heard of that attack. Radio: GAGGAAA GAGAGAAA GAGAGA [At the time I first heard it,] [I had no idea...] Radio: GAGGAGA GAGGAAAA GAGAGA GAGAGA [What was supposed to be so good about it.] Kenji: GAGGAAAAA! GAGAGAAAA!! GAGAGAAAA!! - Page 69 - Kenji: GAGGAAAAA! GAGAGAAAA!! GAGAGAAAA!! [1972] Girl: Stop acting stupid and start cleaning, Kenji-kun!! Kenji: GAGAGAAAAA!! Girl: I'll tell the teacher! Kenji: GAGAGAAAAA!! GAGGAAA! Yamaguchi: Haha... Kenji: GA... - Page 70 - Mother: Guitar? Kenji: Buy me a guitar. Mother: What, are you gonna play songs in a bar?! We run a liquor store. All you have to do is deliver it. Kenji: Pleeeease. Buy me a guitar!! Mother: Stop being foolish and go deliver!! [I saved up 4 months of allowance. And I finally bought a 4,000 yen guitar from the pawnshop!!] - Page 71 - [With this, I was invincible!] Kenji: Yamaguchi... Yamaguchi: You bought a guitar. Kenji: Y... yeah. Yamaguchi: You were always practicing with the broom... Kenji: Y... yeah. Yamaguchi: Play something. Kenji: M... maybe. I suppose you wouldn't know Jumping Jack Flash, running around on the track and field team like that... - Page 72 - Yamaguchi: Oh, you can play the Rolling Stones! Kenji: Y... you know them, Yamaguchi?! Yamaguchi: Yeah, they're the basics. Play it. Kenji: Um... uh, yeah... M... maybe next time... Yamaguchi: Hahaha... Kenji: W... what's so funny? Yamaguchi: You'll get better if you practice until your fingertips get hard and smooth. And there are different types of guitars... Kenji: Types? Yamaguchi: You probably couldn't buy an electric, cause they're expensive... But if you were going to play Jumping Jack Flash, wouldn't you normally use a folk guitar? Kenji: A guitar's a guitar! Yamaguchi: That's a classic guitar. - Page 73 - [I had no idea... that there were different kinds of guitars...] Guitar: (brummm) [I sat alone, mournfully playing my 4,000 yen guitar until nightfall...] Guitar: (chika chika) (chika chika) [1979] Spider: Ain't nobody who plays Jumping Jack Flash no more. Kenji: Ah... hey, Spider! - Page 74 - Student: Kenji, aren't you gonna come to 4th period Economic Theory? Kenji: Nah... I'm cool. Student: You're gonna lose your credits! Kenji: Nah, I'm cool... So, Spider, you're gonna make your major label debut soon? Spider: Huh...? Yeah... That band's worthless... Kenji: What? It's the best. Flying Spiders. Spider: There ain't no good guitarists... Kenji: Um... you know, maybe... - Page 75 - Spider: Guys that can play like Keith Richards or Mick Taylor... Kenji: (ba-bump ba-bump) Spider: Nope. Ain't none around... Kenji. Kenji: Y... yeah? Spider: Listen, why you playin' in a band? Kenji: Why? Wellll... I dunno. (chika chika) Umm... well, 500,000 people... may be too much for me... But I think it would be the greatest if I could play for a full house at the Budokan. (chika chika) (Note: The Budokan is about the biggest and most prestigious stage in Japan.) - Page 76 - Spider: You bein' serious when you say that? Kenji: N... nah. Not at all. Spider: Full house at the Budokan... I guess... I could try that... [And three years later...] [Spider played for a full house at the Budokan...] Kenji: (chika chika) [While I...] - Page 77 - [1997] Kenji: Ughhh... I sang karaoke again... I even sang "Gatchaman" 3 times... Kanna: Booooo. Kenji: My fingertips used to be hard and smooth years ago, Kanna... Kanna: Booooo. - Page 78 - Kenji: (sha) (sha) Yaaaaaawn. Yamaguchi: Kenji-kun. Kenji: Hey, Yamaguchi! Yamaguchi: I told you, it's Miura now!! So you're raising your sister's baby? Must be hard. Kenji: Eh, it's not too bad. How many is that for you? Yamaguchi: This is my third. The eldest is already in school. Kenji: Say hi to your husband for me! Yamaguchi: You should hurry up and find someone too, Kenji-kun. - Page 79 - Yamaguchi: Kenji-kun!! Are you still playing the guitar? Kenji: I don't where it went. Look at the fingers on my left hand. They're all soft and squishy! Friend: I have a very terrible announcement to make to all of you today. - Page 80 - Friend: The world is coming to an end very, very soon. But everyone here with me... WILL BE SAVED!! Crowd: "Friend"!! "Friend"!! "Friend"!! "Friend"!! "Friend"!! - Chapter 3 Owari -