Seinen - Billy Bat by Urasawa Naoki | Page 2 | MangaHelpers

Seinen Billy Bat by Urasawa Naoki

mockme

Registered User
初心者/ Shoshinsha / Beginner
Joined
Jun 24, 2006
Messages
19
Reaction score
1
Gender
Male
Country
Finland
Great to see Billy Bat getting scanlated. :) I love Urasawa's work and this series is no exception judging from what I've read so far. Definitely my favourite mangaka EVER. Still hard to give any in-depth analysis as the story is so young. All I can say is that like every other Urasawa series, this one is also keeping me at the edge of my seat. He's just an amazing storyteller.
 

DrPepperPro

MH Senpai
中級員 / Chuukyuuin / Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
152
Reaction score
61
Gender
Male
Country
United States
And as for chapter 13:
Jesus Christ!
 

¬Bol

Registered User
上級員 / Jyoukuuin / Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
357
Reaction score
104
Gender
Male
Country
Italy
Is he really him?!
When I saw the scan I immediately thought about him, but wasn't sure it was him.
Damn, that really bad! There's no way a manga with Jesus will come in Italy. Or, if he came, pope would begin say it is heretical and stuff.
 

Riku

Dirty Blonde
有名人 / Yuumeijin / Celebrity
Mangahelper
Joined
Nov 24, 2007
Messages
3,644
Reaction score
17,563
Country
Torumekian Empire
So confusing. Out of nowhere a full chapter about Judas Iskariot. Mysterious, I guess he is going to have lot of signifigance on the plot.
 

Akiyama

Registered User
有名人 / Yuumeijin / Celebrity
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
3,256
Reaction score
5,748
Gender
Hidden
Country
United States
I'm really confused with this past chapter but that's why I'm loving this manga. And what's up with that small kid drawing the bat and having the same name??? Do you think he is an ancestor of Yamagata?

Some things I have noticed but these could be just stupid.
Some of the bats have had 7 spikes on the lower wings but others have had 8 or 9. The one on the moon and the one that tiny Judas drew had 7. The one in the under pass and the old man manaka's signature on the paper and the one on the ground with chalk had 8. The ancient text had 9 and I think Billy Bat has 9 as well.
I think that the black bats are good and white are evil.
 
Last edited:

DrPepperPro

MH Senpai
中級員 / Chuukyuuin / Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
152
Reaction score
61
Gender
Male
Country
United States
I don't think the spikes really matter, just different interpretations and drawing abilities. I think the one on the stone pillar is the white one, and the one in the ancient text is the black one. Kevin saw the white one first, and he seems good. Though that's very interesting like you said, if the white one was actually bad. And maybe Kevin will have to end up being the bad guy, or fight against it somehow.

Might as well talk some spoilers too about 15 and 16.
15: So the guy we thought was Judas in 14 wasn't, instead it's the kid. And what's with the 2 bats he saw. And who is the "true anointed one" they talk about? Maybe Kevin?

16: Billy Land is here! Very interesting. Is this going to be the start/continuation of Kevin's adventure? Or is it telling us that he already finished what he needed to do, with the "rewriting of the story" and whatever.
 

¬Bol

Registered User
上級員 / Jyoukuuin / Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
357
Reaction score
104
Gender
Male
Country
Italy
I don't think the spikes really matter, just different interpretations and drawing abilities. I think the one on the stone pillar is the white one, and the one in the ancient text is the black one. Kevin saw the white one first, and he seems good. Though that's very interesting like you said, if the white one was actually bad. And maybe Kevin will have to end up being the bad guy, or fight against it somehow.

Might as well talk some spoilers too about 15 and 16.
15: So the guy we thought was Judas in 14 wasn't, instead it's the kid. And what's with the 2 bats he saw. And who is the "true anointed one" they talk about? Maybe Kevin?

16: Billy Land is here! Very interesting. Is this going to be the start/continuation of Kevin's adventure? Or is it telling us that he already finished what he needed to do, with the "rewriting of the story" and whatever.
There are two different Judas.
One is Judas Iskariot, the man who betrayed Jesus after the Last Dinner, which is shown in chp 15. The other one is the kid, that can't be Judas Iskariot because he sees Jesus dying on the cross (and he's still a kid).
The only thing I can't explain to myself is what's happening in chp 16. There is a Billy Land and more important the bride says the author of Billy Bat is not Kevin; there's something strange, because it is still 1949, when Kevin was still drawing Billy.
 

DrPepperPro

MH Senpai
中級員 / Chuukyuuin / Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
152
Reaction score
61
Gender
Male
Country
United States
The kid is Judas, the other guy has no name, he was a random guy believing in a false prophet. Judas (as the kid) talks to the 2 bats, then later after betraying Jesus, says "If that bat isn't God...!!"

Also I think that chapter 16 is in 1959, and the author must be that guy from the second chapter that was his assistant. When Kevin went away he told him to draw it for him (that's what he told the Marbel comics manager at least). So maybe the guy hijacked his comic, or Kevin didn't come back.
 

Akiyama

Registered User
有名人 / Yuumeijin / Celebrity
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
3,256
Reaction score
5,748
Gender
Hidden
Country
United States
They are both Judas Iskariot is what I got from it. He was talking to himself as a kid and having flashbacks about his childhood.
 

¬Bol

Registered User
上級員 / Jyoukuuin / Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
357
Reaction score
104
Gender
Male
Country
Italy
I think this can't be possibile, because the Judas kid sees Jesus on the cross. And when Jesus gets killed he must be an adult.
 

Akiyama

Registered User
有名人 / Yuumeijin / Celebrity
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
3,256
Reaction score
5,748
Gender
Hidden
Country
United States
Can someone needs to explain this to me who is who in each chapter??? There was a fake messiah in 14 and the real one in 15. I'm confused I have a headache now.


Looking back I realized that ch14 p 17 and ch15 p 11 are the same scene just with different view points.
 
Last edited:

DrPepperPro

MH Senpai
中級員 / Chuukyuuin / Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
152
Reaction score
61
Gender
Male
Country
United States
I think this can't be possibile, because the Judas kid sees Jesus on the cross. And when Jesus gets killed he must be an adult.
We're never told that that was Jesus. All we see of him is the walk and the crucifixion, which like the 2 bats tell us, happened all the time. We aren't told that the other one that Judas meets is Jesus either, but there's more evidence with the famous scenes.
 

¬Bol

Registered User
上級員 / Jyoukuuin / Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
357
Reaction score
104
Gender
Male
Country
Italy
I've convinced myself he's Jesus and nobody else...You know, his look, the cross, miracles, the Last Dinner, Judas's kiss...If he was somebody else, he'd be a copycat. But yeah, if he really was somebody else, Urasawa'd have completely tricked me.
 

DrPepperPro

MH Senpai
中級員 / Chuukyuuin / Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
152
Reaction score
61
Gender
Male
Country
United States
Looking back I realized that ch14 p 17 and ch15 p 11 are the same scene just with different view points.
They're similar, but not exactly the same. One is helping a woman by a tree out in an open area, the other is an old man in a city. Also of the scenes that show the supposed messiah's healing, the one in chapter 15 with the old man looks much more believable.


I've convinced myself he's Jesus and nobody else...You know, his look, the cross, miracles, the Last Dinner, Judas's kiss...If he was somebody else, he'd be a copycat. But yeah, if he really was somebody else, Urasawa'd have completely tricked me.
You're mixing up the 2 separate stories. The person who was shown crucified in chapter 14 is not Jesus, but a supposed false prophet. The Jesus in chapter 15 is Jesus. He was never shown crucified.

But besides discussing that, the more important thing is: how does that matter? The one in chapter 14 drew the symbol of that bat also, which we can guess came from the mind of the man that kid Judas was helping. The same way that the one in chapter 15 drew from Judas' mind. This means both of these people carried out the will of that bat or bats, as we can see by the last page in chapter 15.
http://www.onemanga.com/Billy_Bat/15/24/
 

¬Bol

Registered User
上級員 / Jyoukuuin / Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
357
Reaction score
104
Gender
Male
Country
Italy
I always thought the "two Jesus" was the same person, but now that you make me notice, Judas meets them in different ways, so only the second one can be the true Jesus. Pretty good, now I can figure out the story of the Messiahs. Or well, at least I think so.
 

Akiyama

Registered User
有名人 / Yuumeijin / Celebrity
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
3,256
Reaction score
5,748
Gender
Hidden
Country
United States
So ten years later there is a Billy Land up and running. That prostitute (to lazy to look up name) said that she wanted Kevin to draw a manga to make the world cheer up and it would be so popular there would be an amusement park. So maybe Kevin went back to America and changed his name and continued to draw Billy Bat in a different style.
 

¬Bol

Registered User
上級員 / Jyoukuuin / Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
357
Reaction score
104
Gender
Male
Country
Italy
The new author is called Chuck Culkin, and Chuck is the name of Kevin's assistant (chapter 3). If he really is the assistant, that'd mean that Kevin refuses to draw (but what about the prostitute's will?), or he couldn't come back to America/draw it anymore.
I hope this second option is the right one, cos we could see all Kevin's troubles in these ten years (even if Urasawa could finish this taxi story and skip to present days, or WWII, or future, or dinosaurs age, or whenever else).
 

DrPepperPro

MH Senpai
中級員 / Chuukyuuin / Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
152
Reaction score
61
Gender
Male
Country
United States
It's not just any manga he's supposed to draw, but one like what the sensei drew. Rewrite history or something like that. I don't think he has to change his name, or even get it published for it to matter.

He's supposed to go to America, that's what he was told to do in the last page of the comic the sensei left him, so he's probably gonna do that, or already did (if we end up staying in the 1959 time period).
http://www.mangafox.com/manga/billy_bat/c010/6.html


Also this part and the following pages:
http://www.mangafox.com/manga/billy_bat/c011/14.html

So this is supposed to be President Kennedy I think, and it's showing his decision to have a man on the moon by the end of the 60's. It looks like it'll be a future event caused by Kevin's manga drawings, since he had a dream and then wrote it down, just like how his sensei described it, and then drew that train accident which happened:
http://www.mangafox.com/manga/billy_bat/c011/11.html
 

damnme

Registered User
初心者/ Shoshinsha / Beginner
Joined
Sep 19, 2009
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Gender
Male
Country
Sri Lanka
Where are the scans and raws of this serie?
 

DrPepperPro

MH Senpai
中級員 / Chuukyuuin / Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
152
Reaction score
61
Gender
Male
Country
United States
You'll just have to read it on onemanga for now.
 
Top