Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Brian Harris (wildsidecinema) The second film in the 20th Century Boys series is just as exciting, gripping and delightfully entertaining as the first film. I had a ball watching the story unfold as the old prophecies, written by Kenji as a child, are replaced with a book of NEW prophecies written by the mysterious Friend as a child. Who is Friend? Why is he so obsessed with Kenji, his club of friends and the book of prophecies? I really do love these films and I can't wait for the third film, coming toward the end of 2009. The production values are fantastic, the acting solid, the direction tight and the story itself is complicated enough to intrigued adults yet easy enough for kids to follow. While I certainly wouldn't call the 20th Century Boys films "kiddie flicks," they are based on Manga and safe for the entire family.20th Century Boys 2 was really exciting, I enjoyed every single minute of it just as much as the first film despite the lack of giant robots. Hey, I can always hope for more giant rampaging robots in part three, right? Seriously though, I cannot recommend these films enough. The copy I watched looked to be ripped straight from the original film source so there were reel breaks and all sorts of things but it was still a privilege. If you were able to attend the Philly Film Festival and check this out, I'm sure you're just as excited about this film series as I am. When these films hit stateside, check 'em out!

helmutty It is a sequel to the first one and this is not a sequel that stands alone, you need to watch part one in order to understand the characters. It is quite a good sequel following up. The pace is fast and intense. With the third movie as a conclusion, the characters race against time to stop Friend's plot to destroy mankind and unravel his identity. I can't say which one I like best as both of the movies have their own plot. I enjoyed both of them and cannot wait for part 3.The story: It starts off where part one ends. Kanna is a grown-up teenager in 2015. Friend is still planning on destroying mankind and has made almost everyone respect him as god. Kanna races to fight off Friend' evil plot and finds dark secrets. I can't spoil much as there are quite a lot of twists. With an expensive budget, you can see some huge realistic sets never feature in Japanese movies. Part one has the expensive sets. Part two, the sets are not as big as part one, is more about the drama and dark secrets. So those expecting bigger sets may be disappointed Overall: It is still good. Those who watch part one and enjoy it, you are suggested to watch this too. Those who want to know about friend's identity, you will have to wait for part three. It has thrill, suspense and maybe drama. But there is no action, and there is no action. This is only for thrills and suspense.

mrinman To be fair I accidentally watched half of this film before realizing I was in the second part of a series. At which point I went back to the first film and wondered whether I need have bothered. This sounds like a criticism but is not. Unlike a lot of series the two films blend together seamlessly and you get many flashbacks from the first part.It is a loosely faithful version of the famous manga series. Japanese manga have an ability to take you into a mysterious world and keep you intrigued and with an appetite for more. Death Note was similarly interesting in the way it converted to film and kept this charm. You have to accept that it comes from the world of manga as quite simply most of the plot and characters are larger than life and flawed in a gorgeous manga kind of way.The manga films that don't work for me are the likes of transformers which is taking itself far too seriously but I digress.What makes this series compelling is the connection to religious cults that fascinate the Japanese people in real life. The acting is above average and the special effects work without being over bearing or loud action for the sake of it.You need to concentrate as it weaves like a good mystery novel. The last 30 minutes are excellent and build you up to a bit of a let down at the end but there is enough to make you want to see the last part.

Sebastian Whereas the first movie was very faithful to the Manga series, the plot in this part is quite different. This is not a bad thing per se, but I was a bit disappointed that Manjome and dream navigator Tagasuki were represented as 1-dimensional characters who are aware of all of friend's plans. Also, there a scene where Maniome basically says what is going to happen next that totally spoils the movie's climax. I believe a lot of people who are not familiar with the Manga series will either not fully understand what is going on or find the movie boring.My friends and I agree that three movies are simply not enough to retell the complex story of the Manga series. A TV show would probably have been a better approach.Overall, I still give this movie 5 stars, because it is entertaining and the few more exciting scenes are well executed.