Why “20th Century Boys” Remains Unadapted?

Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” is easily one of the greatest manga series ever created. With nearly 30 million copies sold and consistent top rankings on manga lists, it’s surprising that this fan favourite has never been adapted into an anime. Let’s explore the three main reasons behind this curious absence.

Narrative Complexity and Production Costs

20th Century Boys has 24 volumes, which would be converted into approximately 99-111 anime episodes. With an average episode costing around $160,000, a full adaptation could require an investment of $16-18 million, excluding marketing and distribution expenses. This might be a big hurdle preventing the adaptation of manga into anime. The manga is completed, which also limits potential revenue from increased book sales, making it a risky financial venture for studios.

Copyright and Music Licensing Issues

20th Century Boys manga heavily relies on cultural references, particularly music from the 20th century. The titular T. Rex song “20th Century Boy” has huge significance in the story. Obtaining rights to use this iconic track across multiple episodes would be both expensive and complicated. This dependence also makes international licensing deals difficult for the anime across nations .

Historical and Social Context

Perhaps the most significant barrier to adaptation is the manga’s connection to recent Japanese history. “20th Century Boys” draws parallels to the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack carried out by the Aum Shinrikyo cult. This event, coupled with Japan’s economic struggles in the 1990s, forms the backdrop of the story. While the manga became extremely popular because everyone had the context to it, it might not be the same for international audience. 

Japanese have always been about “reading the air” – understanding and respecting societal context without explicit explanation. Directly addressing murder attacks and economic crumble through anime could be seen as disruptive to social harmony. While the manga was successful in its niche market, an anime adaptation risks broader scrutiny and potential backlash.

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While a “20th Century Boys” anime does not appear financially viable, it’s not impossible. A non-Japanese streaming platform such as Netflix or Hulu could potentially take up the project. However, not giving any hopes, fans have to content themselves with the manga and live-action film adaptations for now.

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