Akira

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I almost feel bad that, upon re-assessment, I found the classic "Akira" to be so flawed. The source material for the first anime I ever saw, I remembered pouring through these volumes the first time Dark Horse re-released them in their giant phone books. While my maturation of taste has definitely not rendered "Akira" unreadable by any means, I can't help but feel that there is just so much potential for this to be something that it ultimately failed to be.

Let's get started with the good:

The art for this entire series is impeccable. The character designs are spot-on, but what most impresses me are the ... background renderings. Painstaking detail is put into every last crack, stain, dent, shattered window, decimated tenement, obliterated office tower, speck of rubble of this world which starts as a mere dystopia before turning full on post-apocalyptic. I cannot imagine this scale of desolation or destruction rendered in live action. The framing of every shot is well-done and concise, and the action is always understandable and fluid. From a visual perspective, this is still a landmark of manga.

Now the not-so-good:

The story is a sci-fi story, extremely graphic in content, which also touches on common adolescent fiction or adult themes. At times, it's not too unlike a Japanese sci-fi S.E. Hinton. It straddles cyber-punk by virtue of its cast of drug-addled biker malcontents, but where it fails that level of "hard" sci-fi is also a major downfall of the narrative. Make no mistake, it's definitely about psychic powers. But the way these powers are explained and how they manifest honestly just seems more like "magic." Otomo was clearly not a science buff. "Energy" is supposed to explain away a lot of things, like why a human with psychic powers can fly into space and start carving up the moon.

The extent of Akira and Tetsuo's powers is absurd and never explained well at all. This would be fine if there was some metaphysical subtext that made this seem like a surreal exposition or magical realism, but there isn't. It becomes page after page after page of psychic blasts and things falling around people and that's all it feels like. Re-reading the books, I gave up about halfway through 5. I'd just had enough. It stops telling any sort of meaningful story and almost becomes a Shonen. The point of the story stops being about government intrigue or youth rebellion and shifts to "Tetsuo is really powerful, look at this powerful display of power, man, the good guys better get him."

Further, while the character designs themselves were good, their story arcs and character development left a lot to be desired.

Let's start with main character Kaneda. He is a bad ass biker boy who tries to feel your tits and steals your gun and doesn't get killed because he's a bad ass, end of story, and oh yeah, he can't stop finding reasons why "this time Tetsuo's gone too far," hilariously even well after Tetsuo has obliterated the entire city.

Kei, his sidepiece; She's a nonentity. Like, literally, at one point. She lacks so much characterization that the little psychic kids possess her body in a last ditch effort to do battle with Tetsuo. Unlike Kaneda, she is presumably intelligent and cunning enough to be a pivotal member of some underground terrorist cell (whose aims are never really explained, by the way). Despite this, she ends up helpless and useless in just about every key moment of the story. Brash biker badass powers mean more than all the womanly cunning you can muster in Neo Tokyo.

Tetsuo: Your basic school shooter type. He's actually the only character anyone would bother remembering from this book, because there are moments early on when his instability and anger are actually kinda scary. His psychic powers are grotesque and so follows his own mind. In the real origin story of Kaori, who in the film is a meaningless plot device, she is the lone survivor of a drug orgy he conducts, a scene that is honestly really chilling. At the same time, you find him somewhat sympathetic, so obviously unable to control his power. Once again, the Shonenesque final chapters of the saga squander this on psychic blasts and whatnot.

The rest of the cast are the typical ensemble of people who exist to help these main characters get through the story. They have flashes of being interesting; Ryu and the Biker Clown alone have more dynamic story lines, downfalls and revelations than any of the aforementioned. But the story isn't about them. The story is using them for things. Not much more.

So I just trashed the all-immortal "Akira." Why a rating of 7? Because of the ambition, no matter how misguided, and the detail of the artwork. With proper writing (which is actually hinted at early on in the series, like say, the first couple books), "Akira" could have had a story up to par with its amazing visuals. As it stands, it's just a kinetic jumble of great imagery that doesn't withstand much scrutiny as a whole.

Story:
The story is nothing short of amazing, so well done and with lots of consistency. It develops nicely through the 6 volumes, with a nice ending. Very few things to pick on, but I guess it isn't for nothing this is considered a great work of art. Nonetheless the progress is a bit slow in the middle (specially volume 3), but it isn't enough to do anything about the greater feeling that the story has. Also, I have some mixed feelings about the position of the bikes in the story, it seems kinda a bit too important.

Art:
Nothing bad about this. The art pleased me all ... the way through, both in the actionscenes and when it was more slowpaced. Characterdesign was also really cool, and panoramic views totally awesome.

Character:
The characters are really well done, with the title character topping it all (no spoilers, but he was really cool). Kei and Kaori are well done, moreso than in the anime I imagine. Most of the others were devolped in a great manner, with a good bunch of mysteries and intrigues. But I must say that the protagonist, Kaneda, got on my nerves some times, though many male protagonists are like that. I can't really explain, but I didn't like him as much as the rest of the characters.

Enjoyment:
Enjoyment is really important, and that's where Akira is the best. I finished it in about 5 days I think, it was really thrilling, and I couldn't wait untill the end, so that I could discover how it all ended. Nothing less than highly entertaining, and I enjoyed every second I was reading it. I just had to read a bit more and a bit more. On the other hand, it didn't feel to long either, thus making it almost perfect.

Overall:
I discovered it on a whim, and I'm happy I did. It's the best manga I've read, by far, and I recommend it to everyone. It was really great.

At time of release Akira was possibly regarded as the greatest manga yet written (and certainly clearer to understand than Evangelion). With the modern focus on dialogue as an engine of plot and character, Akira was a strange reading experience, with its static characters, repeated quarter-volume fight scenes against armies of gunmen, and unashamed focus on spectacle over exploring the intricacies of its own plot. The movie of Akira probably distils the vital themes and character dynamics much more sharply, with some more brilliant exchanges and creative images than anything in the source; the manga has nothing quite like that giant milk-bleeding teddy bear. ... What it does have, however, almost nothing else does.

The art of Akira is great; the atmospheric sense of place is without peer. The feeling of ruin and desperation lies over every rag and pile of rubble. Every bizarre, wasted psychic is undeniably a child of nuclear apocalypse. The action rattles along at a frantic pace (Dark Horse's release of the series without chapter divisions was genius), with ominous forces of politics, science or the supernatural a constant presence. Those quarter-volume cinematic running battles? You won't find better. Some shonen manga constantly introduce new character dramas and plot devices like fairground gewgaws. Nothing in Akira feels contrived; everything is the natural movement of a master's artwork, action and atmospheric roller-coaster, on as grand a scale as the titanic powers of Akira himself.

The characters of Akira are not principally developed or expounded by drama or dialogue; with their world in constant collapse, there is scarcely time for such things. Their characters are expounded through action. Every line and act of Tetsuo, Kandeda and the Colonel expresses their character with utter consistency and charisma. And every character is real. Hopeless revolutionaries like Ryuusaku pervade history. Rebels, rivals and friends, Kaneda and Tetsuo live on in every city of Earth. And men exactly like the Colonel, my favourite character, actually hijacked Japan into WWII. Manga such as Naruto or Aldnoah Zero end up describing nothing but the playground squabble of two boys. Akira's themes of power, social collapse and rebellion (teenage, militant, military and supernatural) are real, and they are big; hence a manga filled with good old-fashioned gun battles has been impossible to ignore in any period. Personal struggles, such as Kaneda and Tetsuo's conflict, are overshadowed by cataclysmic events, and gain vitally in sympathy because of it.

Before covering a few flaws I must mention Chiyoko, the machine-gun wielding wonder-woman who will be new to movie watchers, and that her character could be considered a test-run for the heroine of 'Legend of Mother Sarah'. That is a great manga; if you can track down some copies legally, do so. For all the roaring bluster of Akira's cast, however, their characters and fates perhaps lack the detail or originality that would move them from archetypes to beloved household names. As mentioned, the manga also often gets too caught up in grand disasters and continuous action to explore its characters and plot in more original or explicitly thoughtful ways. As also mentioned, the movie absolutely solves this latter problem. And the manga remains a brilliant spectacle of power, rebellion, and social collapse.

First of all the length of this manga is misleading. I would say the length of an average manga volume is about 200 pages. Akira's manga volumes are around 400 pages so don't think you'll be able to rush through this thing. It will take time.

STORY: 8/10
The main plot is focused on stopping the newly escaped, child-psychic, named "Akira" from destroying Japan and the rest of the world. For the most part we follow a motor cycle gang member named Kaneda who somehow gets sucked into this government psychic conspiracy. Kaneda doesn't really care so much about Akira as he does about his bff Tetsuo ... who recently transformed into a Psychic and started acting all dickish. So Kaneda teams up with the female lead, Kei, in hopes to kill Tetsuo (the super powerfull psychic) with his bare hands. Meanwhile Tetsuo creates an ally out of Akira and they half-way team up because they're supposedly on the same psychic "frequency".

The story is not your linear adventure tale, but I wouldn't call it anything really special. You have your best-friend-turned-enemy and save the world plot all in the very first volume. At times this is executed brilliantly and will leave you either cheering for Kaneda to get revenge or for Tetsou to destroy more crap with his awesomely entertaining powers. Then we get to volume 3, which is hellish at best. It reminded me of a Scooby-Doo Chase scene where everyone just keeps running in and out of doors accomplishing nothing. It's a huge weak point in the mostly spotless story line. Considering that volume 3 is 1/6 of this entire manga I can't rate story any higher.

ART: 8/10
This is an 80s manga and you'll be able to tell at first glance. The characters have that 80s look to them and don't particularly stand out art-wise. Although I'm not complaining since the backgrounds more then make up for what the character designs lack. There are absolutely stunning two page layouts all throughout Akira. The background art work delivers on a level that isn't seen in most manga today. Now back to the character designs for a second. I had a hard time distinguishing Kaneda from Kei since they have nearly identical hair-cuts and facial structures. That definitely brings the overall art score down a bit.

CHARACTER: 8/10
I like the damsel in distress character just as much as the next guy, but its refreshing to see a female lead who isn't a whiny little pussy. Kei is both mentally and physically as strong, if not stronger, then any other character in the manga. Kudos to the mangaka for trying something different. Then you have Kaneda who is the typical hot-headed hero. I was trying to make a few comparisons throughout the manga between him and Naruto without much success until he started walking out of a room then stopped. He turned around and gave Kei a big smile and a thumbs up. Then uttered these exact words: "Believe it!". If that doesn't explain Kaneda's character then I don't know what will.

ENJOYMENT: 6/10
I rate enjoyment rather low because there were a lot of dead spots in the manga where I just wanted the meaningless side stories to end so I could focus on the main plot. This manga could have easily shed a couple 100 pages and not lost a thing. Also the psychic powers were a bit inconsistent which had me confused for a good while. For example Tetsou is shown to have the ability to teleport, explode things with his mind, fly through space, deflect bullets, and just overall do anything he wants with his powers. Then in one part, while at full strength, he starts getting beaten up by Kaneda who has no powers what-so-ever. He just gets his ass kicked for some unexplained reason. At first they say he's powered down, but then literally 1 second after he gets punched in the face he teleports into space and destroys an air craft carrier. I was left scratching my head wondering what the hell just happened. There were too many power inconsistencies and boring side plots for me to enjoy this manga any more then I did.

OVERALL: 7/10
There were times when I couldn't wait to turn the page to find out what happens next, but there were also times when I just wanted to skip 20 pages ahead so I could read something half-way interesting for a change. It also didn't help that the ending was well...open ended. Lots of questions went unanswered and the fate of a few important characters is never touched on. There was also a bit at the beginning where Kei's partner is described as her "sort-of brother", but there relationship goes unexplained for the rest of the series. There are a lot of little problems in Akira that build up throughout the manga. I set the standards high for this one considering its rank on MAL. It also didn't help that at the end of each volume there was a blurb about how much of a masterpiece Akira is. So is this a masterpiece? Maybe it was in the 80s, but to todays standards its nothing more than a slightly above average story manga with a lot of hype.

Oh boy. Re-reading this was eye-opening. It's been on my personal favourite list for decades, it was the first anime and manga I ever saw, so it'll always have a special place in my heart. I rewatched the movie on 4K bluray recently and it holds up well. The Akira Club artbook is also gorgeous. The manga though...

I'd recently bought all 6 volumes (the long-selling English ones by Kodansha), and was excited to re-read them for the first time since the late 1990s, but after reading one volume I was shocked to feel that nothing meaningful had happened. Despite the fact that the story is ... 99% fast moving plot. But that crucial and paltry 1% dedicated to characterisation is what's upsetting me.

It reminds me of a golden rule of storytelling that I believe in: you can have the most amazing plot ever, but if you don't have engaging characters, your story isn't worth a damn. People will barely rewatch movies with good plots with unmemorable characters, but people will always rewatch movies with mediocre plots just because the characters are awesome. Character is everything in storytelling.

The movie adaptation works because it's streamlined and razor focused. The characters are not deep, but they're coherent. There is a palpable relationship between Kaneda and Tetsuo. Also, unlike the manga Kaneda is not a repugnant piece of shit in the movie (who likely impregnated a random girl in the manga and abandoned her!). There's a clear rites of passage involved in the movie, set against a broiling backdrop that is rich in symbolism. I even wrote a university dissertation on the movie and its thematic commentary on Japan's relationship to technology. I cited my theories with numerous references to behind the scenes interviews with Otomo and the staff.

Akira the manga however has almost no characterisation whatsoever. Most characters are either just dumping exposition or reacting to explosions and gunfire. If you asked me to tell you something personal about Kei I honestly couldn't. In the movie she takes a life for the first time and is clearly shaken by it, but in the manga there's no reaction whatsoever during the same moment. It's weird how the movie can take the time to depict such a small character moment, but a 6 volume manga rarely stops to take a breath.

I sense no thematic exploration despite the deep cyberpunk atmosphere in the beginning and the post-apocalyptic tropes in the second half, there's barely any character arcs despite the lengthy tale, every character except for Tetsuo is exactly the same personality-wise at the end as they were at the beginning, there's no growth or development to be seen. There's barely any subtext or metaphor to chew on. What is this story actually about? I'm not talking about the plot, I'm talking about subtext and theme, why Otomo decided to put pencil to paper all those years ago.

For some reason Akira and Tetsuo are trying to kill each other almost immediately in the manga. At least in the movie Kaneda's immediate reasoning is revenge for the death of a friend, but in the manga Kaneda is trying to kill Tetsuo despite him not having done anything to Kaneda yet! Literally the only reason implied is that Tetsuo is running his own gang. That's it. That's the reason Kaneda and his friends want to kill Tetsuo. It's beyond stupid.

In volume 2 Tetsuo is intent on finding Akira, and then once he does, there's zero conversation, zero insight into his motivation, absolutely nothing. It's just "ok, let's get out of here".

It's shocking how shallow this manga is. Comments online are always praising the manga as having "such a better story than the anime". What story? There's no story! It's nothing but chase scenes for 6 whole volumes.

The art remains iconic and one of my favourites of the medium, and Otomo's ambition is infectious, which is why I've rated the manga so highly, but I find myself stunned by how little I care for anything that's happening from panel to panel.

As a digression, the popular and long-in-print English volumes of Akira are terrible. I was stunned. There are so many typos that Kodansha have left in all these years. The left to right format had no effort put into it, so all characters are left-handed, etc. In fact, I'm uncertain whether my next issue is because of the flipping, or because of Otomo himself but I was profoundly baffled by the panel progression in this manga. Traditionally you want big reveals or dramatic panels on a new page, so as not to spoil a reader's wandering eye, or even their peripheral vision. But in this translation, all the dramatic panels are on the second (right hand) page. I kept getting spoiled on big moments constantly. Then when you flip the page over, the start of the left-hand page just has mundane things going on.

If you get this manga, get the 35th Anniversary boxset, because it's unflipped for the first time ever.

So yeah, I found this re-reading experience sadly disappointing. Akira has a propulsive plot that has so much stuff happening, so much violence and characters running down corridors, and yet...it feels like nothing meaningful actually happens. The ending is also another huge question mark. No, I'm not talking about what on Earth happened in the climax (which again, is much more clearer in the movie than in the manga), but why the main characters behave the way they do. I won't spoil their inexplicable actions, but suffice to say some characters decide to exhibit emotions resembling nationalism for the first time ever, which almost made me angry with how nonsensical it is. This is not a character arc, this is not thematic exploration, it's just pulling shit out of thin air.

It's been a profoundly disappointing experience rediscovering this manga. I will try to cling on to my memories of the 1990s, reading Manga Mania magazine and learning to draw by tracing the manga as a teenager.

Akira is arguably one of the most influential manga ever created. It turned Otomo into one of the gods of manga, even though he never again penned of a similar scale. It is his opus, as it rightly should be. The landmark film adaption, one of the most important anime ever released and one of the films responsible for the popularity of anime in America, is an achievement, to say the least. What one does not typically realize, though, is that, while the 2 hour adaption does remain true to the original for the most part, it covers less than 2 volumes of the manga ... before more or less fast forwarding to the end. It is actually laughable to think that Hollywood thought they could turn this masterpiece into a live-action, star studded film trilogy set in Manhattan.

The book’s art is gorgeous. Otomo has a very distinct style that not only makes his work very recognizable but also contains incredible amounts of detail. I never questioned the emotion on the character’s faces, and I recall particularly a moment in a fight between Kaneda and an overpowered Tetsuo in which their fear was almost tangible. The wide shots of Neo-Tokyo and the Great Tokyo Empire are incredible. Each and every panel is full of things that make the world of Akira so real that I felt as though I could have boarded a plane and taken pictures of the place.

Katsuhiro Otomo has directed two feature animated films, as well as a number of shorts. Akira and Steamboy both contain the impeccable eye for composition that Otomo displays in Akira. The book plays out like a movie, the panel layout directing the eye smoothly through the story in a way that is more cinematic than a large amount of actual cinema. There are no true breaks in the story, with the exception of natural lulls and scene changes. As I was reading, I often wondered how the manga was split up when it was published originally or reprinted by Marvel in the late 80s.

The story itself is intriguing. The writing is clever and well done, all of the dialogue serving to not only further the story but to give us more of a sense of each character’s personality. It does, at times, get a bit confusing. There is a lot happening all at once, and some of the similarities between character names can cause some difficulty in the beginning. But the tale of psychic teenagers and children and the immanent destruction of the world around us or society as we know it is played out quite well. Often the scale of things seems ridiculous when one takes a step back, but it is so well written that it completely works within the book.

Akira is one of the most important manga ever written. It is a piece that no one should miss. If you are fortunate enough to pick up all 6 volumes at once (an act I would highly recommend), I can almost guarantee you will finish the entire thing in a day. The book is, however, deeply steeped in Japanese culture and post-WW2 ideology. This can take away from it somewhat if you are unfamiliar/unwilling to try to understand. That being said, if you have not read this book, you are doing a great disservice to yourself.

For more of my reviews, go to tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review

If Akira was published today, I very much doubt it would get a fraction of the praise it now gets (even if it was updated to the "present time").
The good about this manga has already been told extensively, so I will talk about the bad.

Kaneda, one the main characters, is a normal human being, yet somehow he can wrestle with Superman, outsmart Batman, and overcome the Fates and the angels of Death. Additionally, he drives the fanciest motorcycles (and is the best rider, obviously), and gets the girl (another obviously, as all good heroes are supposed to get the girl). By the way, Kaneda is ... a teenager, like many of the readers to whom the manga was targeted. Coincidence?

There is supposed to be a relationship between two characters like the one you can find in Berserk and other manga. But here the relationship is poorly developed - okay, maybe I am being too soft here. The relationsihip is rather not developed (a couple of drawings to tell a sotry which, admittedly, didnt need more because it was cliché even back in the day).

Wondering whats behind the powers of some of the characters? Well, dont. It is just military experimentation and that kind of stuff. You do not need to know more, and you wouldnt understand it anyway. Think of it as a world with magic, but no rules, so the author can have whatever they want, and need, any time.

There are characters that can read the thoughts of other characters, fly, survive in space, cause explosions more destructive than the bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But, a regular Joe can kick their asses.

There is no consistency as to what sort of skill can is a "power" mastered by a character. In Akira, we may find a characer than can simply jump very high, another that can move objects with their mind, yet another that can apparently see what is going on everywhere in the world and, further, has the ability to direct that vision to precisely what is of interest to them - instantly.

Etc. etc.

If you are not bothered by thinks like those above, then Akira is a great read. Otherwise, dont waster your time.

I actually would rate this lower if I read just the normal black and white volumes that are being printed right now. Fortunately for me I was able to come across the 38~ volume full color version of this manga.

The art style in fully detailed color definitely blows the story to a whole new level. It just makes the whole thing 'pop'.

If you are able to get access to these original color manga versions please read them/buy them/steal them. They really make this manga a true work of art.

Akira is a classic.
I can only imagine how revolutionary it was for its time.
My biggest complains I have with the manga are that while it may had been breathtaking with its storytellling and characters on the 80/90's, and I did enjoyed the characters and apocalyptic scenario, both these just dont felt that amazing anymore in the current days.
The theme of Akira's was well explored, the whole death/life sci fi stuff was awesome, but the characters... with time I came to enjoy them more, but if I had to point Akira's main weakness, it would be those.
I can connect with Kaneda and the others, ... even Tetsuo (later on), but overall they werent that appealing.
And again, the story had some very interesting plotwists and events, but it also had some more boring arcs, so expect it, but it is interesting, and when it goes out of proportions, IT BLOWS IT SKY HIGH!

The best damm thing about Akira is the art! For its time, it is outstading, detailed, massive, clean, sharp and the action scenes are quite great.
I cant praise the manga enough in this category, it is that artisticly good.
From the gore, the pumping detailed action(great set pieces of action, some very massive and epic in scale, at least for its time), to the beautiful landscapes, ugly decaying city, full of dirt, rubble and dust...
Otomo Katsuhiro's hands are godlike with pencil, the guy is that good.
Still at this day and age, the art is just stunning beautifull, it still feels classic, but has that charm and detail to it.
I would reccomend reading the Epic version, which comes in full colours, 37 chapters, 70 pages per chapter, FULL COLOUR!
Its quality is quite good.
There will be some that will prefer to go with the classic black and white, for those... I do understand, but just think of the colour has some great extra, that you will enjoy to check out, after you have readed with original.
Seeing it drawned with the rich pallete of colours epic used, it feels like you are watching an artbook.

The manga itself (it or without colours, is already) a giant artbook! Add it
a solid and mature plot, interesting character development, amazing action scenes, and a great setting.
The Sci Fi aspect is great, I was pleasently surprised with all the phylosophy and other themes that the mangaka was bold to keep and keep exploring, again, and again, while keeping it real and interesting.

When you hear people talking about the classic manga Akira, all the praise, fear not, it is really a masterpiece that aged very well with the times.

You know that feeling, when you start doing something, and can't get enough of it??
Well I had that feeling while reading Akira.
I bought it from a local manga shop, not expecting anything special.
As I started reading it, I found myself sucked into the story.
As it starts, the story is filled with mysteries, confusing things, and secrets that you just can't wait to uncover. And as you finish chapter by chapter, you finally get to unlock few secrets, but new bunch of them shows from nowhere.
So it's pushing you to keep reading, until you finish it completely.

The art isn't something revolutionary, but it's still pretty good. ... It doesn't have "chibi" drawings and scenes, and it keeps serious note throughout the whole manga. While the characters are talking, and not doing anything important for the story(like getting to know each other etc...), the art is pretty standard. Nothing special, and with not too much details. But when it comes to big explosive scenes, gunfights, running, jumping, and just staying alive scenes, that's where Katsuhiro shows his best. The drawings become so vivid, and details just blows you off.
You'd just stop with reading, and admire the awesomnest of the explosion, for example.
So, it's like Katsuhiro is saving power for scenes like these.

The characters are really something special. Not until the end, you know who's on who's side.
It's really well done. For example, you never learn everything you want about Akira, and when you close the last page of manga, you're searching for some other pages that maybe fell off, because you can't belive that it's finished, with you still not getting bunch of stuff.

But that's the stuff about this manga. Even though it explains most of the intriguing stuff to sattisfy part of your curiosity, you still want more, and you're left to think about the end, and characters, and story overall. And you're just thinking, "what the hell did just happen"

I really enjoyed this manga, and it's my favorite(even though I didn't read much).
If you consider yourself a manga lover, this is a must read for you.
It's must read for anybody that ever held a manga in his/her hands.
And I'm not just saying. This is something really special, and I bet my hand that you're gonna love it.

Enjoy.

I don't think I have ever written a review on something I quite liked as much as this, so this right now seems kind of unusual for me, but yeah, Akira the manga is excellent.

I had already watched the movie previously and loved it. It was an aesthetic masterpiece, however as far as story goes, it just felt too rushed and like it's skipping larger chunks of important information. Even if it ultimately raised interesting questions about society and technological development, it still felt like something was missing.

Now that I have finally gotten around reading the manga, I have to say, that even that problem ... is eliminated for me.

The story initially focuses around a group of juvenile delinquents, who happen to stumble upon a shriveled-up-vegetable-kid with psychic powers, while minding their own business, speeding with their motorcycles on the Neo Tokyo highway. One accident later all hell starts breaking loose.

The plot as it progresses is great. It starts by painting a society with loose morals; authorities are violent, kids get involved in all sorts of trouble (our real-life parents would be getting panic attacks for) and street gangs are running rampant. Throw in some politics, secret organizations and psychic powers, mix 'em up with interesting sci-fi ideas and post-world war II anxieties of the Japanese and you have yourself a tasty mixture to serve as the basis of a story unlike anything back in 1982 - as well as today.

The characters in Akira are good enough. I have found criticism of them not being developed too much and that's fair enough, but honestly I don't think Akira needed that. Yes, you might not like Kaneda, who is technically a morally more ambigious shounen main character, happy-go-lucky and way too brave for what he is doing, as well as an a**hole to boot, Kei is also kinda bland and while the colonel may grow likable for being a man of principle, who does his best to get sh*t done and Chiyoko is a bazooka wielding and tank driving war-machine, the closest thing to a relatable character will probably be Tetsuo, a crazy f**k, who develops godlike powers and holds Neo Tokyo in his palm with his rule of terror - the source of his relatability being the various psychological implications we get, an obvious oedipal complex, as well as his appearent ambitions. But none of that really matters, too much to me, cause - as I've already pointed out - the world building brilliantly makes up for it with portraying a general psychological mentality of the surroundings of Neo Tokyo, that makes the world come to life, even if I wouldn't want to go for a beer with any of the characters.

Aesthetically, it's also great. Sure Tetsuo looks like he is on one of those "who can make his face smallest?"-challenges and one or two characters look too much alike, but then again, all of them always seem really dynamic and never too stiff, the machinery presented has excellent designs and the backgrounds always look detailed and pleasing to the eye, which you grow to appreciate especially when Otomo starts sh*tting out pages upon pages of devastation and explosions.

So all things considered, I think it's only fair, I give this the best rating.

Akira. Whether you're a fan of manga, anime, comics,film, science fiction, or just any kind of art form, most likely you have heard of the name "Akira", along with Akira Kurosawa it must be the most popular Akira out there.Whether it deserves the title of classic is up to those who have given it a chance, however if you are considering the movie best is to read the manga first.
Being called "classic" has many justifications, classics are usually good but in no way perfect. I kind of wish I could give this a 7.50, for 7 is too low but 8 is too high, why ... it got a 7 we will see in the following review.

Story: Akiras plot is quite unique in its own and not so unique as a whole. I'll spare the description and get to the heart of the matter. Six volumes, each are almost 400 pages, this is a long story.Problem is that the first three volumes don't have much happening other than explosions, wild goose chases and people screaming each others names with anger.See in most cases there is a certain build up before the shit hits the fan, in Akira shit hits the fan within the first few pages and keeps on doing so until the end where the shit just becomes way too much to handle.
We are introduced to a wide range of characters, names mostly, and watch them run for three volumes straight until a huge explosion erupts and then in volume 4 a story emerges. Now that is not necessarily bad, the constant movement in the 3 volumes do lead up to an important incident that if it were without we would have no story, and the action is enjoyable and well paced, definitely a page turner. However we don't know what exactly is going on, and we don't know the characters well either. So imagine going through half a series without really knowing who you are following.
In other words the idea is good, the execution needs some cut backs.

Characters: And the main reason it gets a 7.
With a story so long, and with so much going on you have to feel for the characters.
Lets start with Kaneda. He's a fifteen year old punk with a snotty attitude that takes drugs for fun and loves bikes. The end.Nothing is revealed,what about his parents? Are they dead?Does he hate them?Love them?He likes bikes...okay.But who is he anyway and why should I care about what happens to him?
Kei, she is part of a group of terrorists. Okay, she can kick serious ass. Fine. Why is she with these people? What is their goal?Why them and not someone else?At some point she speaks of goals and values but how can someone understand what she's talking about when nothing is revealed?
Same happens with most that appear, the problem is they are shallow,you only know certain aspects about them like the fact that Kei is tough, you don't know them. Hence you don't care.And saying that Kaneda is cool is not good enough for me to care if he randomly disappears or gets a deadly disease.
The only character worth mentioning is Tetsuo. He is basically the only one with a personality, someone that you can care about. From the moment he appears on panel you can pretty much figure out what his place is. He isn't valued much and when he obtains power he gives the finger to all that did him wrong and goes berserk.His character constantly changes throughout; he becomes angry, greedy, arrogant, but then humble, sad and vulnerable. One moment he's a ruthless bloodthirsty monster, the next only a boy that needs to be loved. but even his personality takes an awful long time to appear. Personally I was routing for him till the very end, heck I ended up reading this whole damn thing just to see what will happen to him.
Maybe the writer intended it to be this way,maybe he simply didn't want us to
care for the others but then again Kei and Kaneda get an awful lot of screen time so I should be on their side not his.Also the so called "love" between the two felt forced and completely unnatural.It was just annoying to be honest I mean wtf they didn't even know each other and all of a sudden they want to have kids?Come on man, that is just laughable.

Art:the art isn't anything spectacular, but it's nice. The direction of the series though is very good and that is something Otomo has been praised on. Some scenes were utterly beautiful( one with Tetsuo and the ocean waves comes in mind), the city of Neo Tokyo is just as futuristic and mad as it should be. The bikes were cool to look at, the styles of hair and clothes are a bit dated, the faces are distinguishable, they were definitely paid attention to with detail except maybe Kaneda and Keis(really, these two have so many problems).The action scenes are clear, there wasn't one moment I didn't understand what was going on and that my friends is a hard task considering most manga.

Enjoyment: this is a good story, putting aside the various character problems. If the characters were better I think it would be excellent.It is enjoyable and you can easily get caught in the drama, page turner indeed, it never bores(well maybe vol three. worst one out of them all).The use of the supernatural powers was done well, the whole plot was well crafted, politics, terrorism, human stupidity, it's all there. This is worth a read for the single reason of seeing all the similarities it has to later works, Akira definitely launched a bunch of stories with a similar feel to them and plot.

(just for the record, this is a slight alteration of my anime review)

VALUE SECTION: 10/10
Analysis: Historical Value 3/3, Rereadability 3/3, Memorability 4/4

Amongst the most classic manga titles of all times, Akira has passed in history as one of the best dystopian/apocalyptic titles of all times, not only because of its detailed artwork but also because of its themes, angst-ridden characters, and grotesque action/transformation scenes.

ART SECTION: 8/10
Analysis: General Artwork 2/2, Character Figures 1/2, Backgrounds 2/2, Readability 2/2, Visual Effects 1/2

I must say I am amazed. The artwork is extremely detailed and dynamic, to the point it counts as a graphic novel and not as a run ... of the mil comic book. The world is depicted in its most cold industrial form, buildings and machinery are highly detailed, there are various angles from which we see the action, and the violence is bloody and nightmarish. Although the average viewer may find the character figures to look too generic or even hermaphrodite, this does not take away the excitement from the numerous amazing action sequences throughout the story. Also, despite the rather blunt visual effects because of technology restrictions (or the maker’s personal choice) the gravity of each explosion and death retains its shocking aspect to the fullest.

CHARACTER SECTION: 9/10
Analysis: Presence 2/2, Personality 1/2, Backdrop 2/2, Development 2/2, Catharsis 2/2

Two prevailing characters, Tetsuo and Kaneda, orphans that grew up together in a world gone crazy. Although having the same background, Kaneda feels only like an edgy, teenage delinquent. He is the leader type that makes others like him and follow him and kicks ass when somebody questions his ego.

But Tetsuo, wow, the guy is one, big, crazy, son of a … His weak presence early in the film is quickly replaced by an insane megalomaniac, out to get even with the world that was hurting him all his life. He hardly knows whom to blame first; his researchers, his best friend or even his own self. And makes A LOT of damage because of it. Down inside, he is just a normal kid that never got the affection it needed to feel secure and now everyone will pay the price! A cult figure, for a good reason.

I prefer this kind of problematic characters to those lame heavy-dudes of today. Most recent stories with teenagers with issues don’t go further than shoveling us a silent-type guy whose woman was kidnapped or village was destroyed and now got ultra powerful and fights evil. Bleah!

Although they are the main two characters there are over 60 more secondary who affect the plot through various other means. The stuck-up military guy that wants to protect the status quo, the curious scientist that challenges the powers of the unknown just to see what they can do, the rebel zealots, the scheming politician, the psychic kids, all of them contribute and criticize the various facets of modern civilization in their own way.

The duration of the story is also not too short or not too long and thus you can see them change along the way smoothly. By the end of it, you actually understand them and like them for what they are. It is true that most of them are rather too simple in personality and seem to think rather 2-dimensionaly yet this doesn’t make them feel dried up at all since they develop along the way in an interesting way.

STORY SECTION: 9/10
Analysis: General Scenario 2/2, Pacing 2/2, Side Stories/Extra Spices 2/2, Plausibility 2/2, Conclusion 1/2

The theme is the rotten society and the psychological damage it does that causes its own youth to rebel and bring upon its own downfall. Yes, it’s a typical theme nowadays and there are a hundred series with a similar premise.

Amoral scientists experiment on little children, in order to harness their psychic powers. Searching in the dark for something they have no idea about, a kid named Akira goes amok, destroys Tokyo and brings about worldwide chaos. The politicians hide their shameful mistake from the public and scientists repeat the same experiment years later on a kid named Tetsuo… and get screwed again.

The story is simple in its premise and despite the mostly straightforward plot, its numerous characters flavor it through several side stories. The duration is as I said enough to let the story unfold smoothly and the conclusion, although rather corny, is satisfactory and solid. But it’s more of a story about the psyche of teenagers, not cool graphics or in-depth scenario.

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 9/10
Highly entertaining despite the rather basic premise for today’s standards. The pacing is rather slow but never wastes pages and the characters develop along the way, while the action and the mayhem are superbly depicted for their time.

VERDICT: 9/10
Well, it didn’t take much consideration. The accused is found … NOT GUILTY! … All charges were just slander and are dropped. The accused is free to go. We hope for more of you to be out there.

In the 80s someone with a big vision and big dream poured what had been growing in his brain into a masterpiece, that soon would be acknowledged as a worldwide masterpiece. That person is Katsuhiro Otomo. The masterpiece is Akira.

Akira takes place in the future, in a place called neo tokyo. Neo because Tokyo before was "destroyed" by a person whose name is the title. Akira could do the destroying because he was number 28, a codename for government experiment in brainwave, mental research etc.(not my expertise area)

Where are the other numbers?
This is what the story revolves in.

Kaneda and Tetsuo are the high-ups of ... usual gang-rider in Neo-Tokyo, got into accident that looks unusual, Tetsuo got wounded, and finally brought by the so-called-police.
Now please tell me you can't figure what happens next and i will slap you in the face, two times.

Indeed the start of the story was both unfathomable and amazing at the same time, but what makes the story great is what happen next. It's realistic.
Why the numbers could do that?
Why Tetsuo is like that?
What is Akira?
All will be answered as realistic as possible, but remember this is a sci-fi story, so be prepared to be as imaginative as possible. Who knows in 2038 Tokyo would look like that? Tokyo could look better or (please no)worse than Akira version. If i may compare the philosophical part of Akira it would be close to 2001: Space Odyssey and Evangelion. Akira, if i may say, is the more enjoyable version of them both. I found myself wanting more of this while reading this, unlike two others.

Here comes the part where Akira stand out the most. The background and the surrounding art. It's TOO GOOD. Believe me, it's made in the 80s but the art still look superb and superlative than most of nowadays series. The explosion was made diligently. You could see almost EVERYTHING of the exploding building, from the glass to the foundation.
Okay, i have to admit that the character design was not eye-pleasing, but when you take a closer look at the character design, you could imagine them living in your brain. Every wrinkle of the Colonel, the curves of Kei's body were so realistic that i have no hard time imagining it was real.

Let's just hope the movie adaptation is as massive as the manga is.
If not, just remember how epic this manga is.

This book's main draw is the non-stop action and the sheer spectacle of it when taken as a whole. The scenes of complete destruction are fucking raw; you can almost FEEL the painstaking lengths Otomo went to so that his book's art was out of this world. Those, along with the detailed and frenetic action scenes, should be considered for induction into the Louvre; not even kidding.

Oh and the story and characters are great too. Despite his dickish sneer and uh... biological idiosyncrasies, Tetsuo is a very organic character.

Akira is a rush from beginning to end with a compelling story and outstanding art. Any fans of the movie adaptation or fans of science fiction should definitely read this manga. Without spoiling anything, I have to say that the manga story line is explained in much more detail and while the movie itself is amazing, the manga somehow manages to surpass it in terms of story telling. The artwork in this is very good, especially when the action picks up and there are just a ton of different explosions going on or even the amazingly drawn backgrounds of the city with the motor bikes ... are just pure science fiction porn. The characters though are not really inspiring and to me, when someone says "Akira", my first few thoughts go more to how the characters are physically portrayed instead of their actual personality. There is development with their character, but in the end, it's the overall story and art work that makes this such a masterpiece.

Akira was one of the first manga films I ever watched, only a few years ago now; I didn't even know we had it on the shelf! To be perfectly honest I adore the film, despite it being so different from the manga. The plot is so compelling, it just makes this film one of the best I have ever watched. The art is also very good; it is more realistic than a lot of anime and this is one of the reasons why i enjoyed it so much. As for characters, I love how realistic they are in contrast to the plot. Most of ... them are just normal people who were caught up in everything, trying to save their country or a friend. Overall, Akira is a superb film. I recommend that everyone watch it, to at least experience it. I am forever in debt to my father for suggesting I watch it. It is a MUST SEE!!

I enjoyed the movie, and i heard the manga was better.

Its not, i couldnt even finish it.

The characters are even flatter than in the movie and thats saying a lot, the character relationships are just as articifial and forced as the plot progression, a lot of time is wasted on useless shit that doesnt further the plot nor helps worldbuilding.

On a more possitive note, i kinda enjoyed the art, and in the late chapters there is some top notch qual art, or so ive heard.

It has aged horribly, and the slow pace makes the characters n plot problems even more agravating.

Ive heard the last ... volume is where the real shit starts, but I cant bother to read all the way to it.

I didn't like it at all and found it a bit overrated. And even though the artwork is pretty good, the story is just meh. Main characters appeared to be one sided and no character development at all. Kaneda and Tetsuo started off as annoying and ended the same throughout the whole manga, but I liked some characters like Kei, the Colonel and Chiyako even Ryu. Even the title character Akira is boring and he just exist as a plot device, other children are more interesting. Maybe I'm just expecting a lot more considering it is called one of the best. It may be influential ... and even nostalgic for most people but reading it now late in the game just didn't worked for me. If you like post apocalyptic cyberpunk artwork with lame story then this is for you.

Some productions from past times have become milestones that have marked history and have become classics of their time and segment. Some of them, many even, have an intrinsic technical and artistic quality, which leaves no doubt about their importance. It takes very little to understand why it has reached the status of a “historic landmark”. Others, on the other hand, end up being more mixed, with qualities and defects – sometimes even more defects – but which managed to establish their own unique aesthetic, represent the spirit of an era or simply be in the right place at the right time. Akira, an almost ... mythical name in the midst of comics, is representative not only of a segment but also of an idea. It has its many positive points, but, as a whole, it fits more into the second group.

With more than thirty years since its release, Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira has a lot of history. Launched in 1982, the heyday of punk culture and even before seminal works such as the novel Neuromancer or Blade Runner, the manga appeared during a period of return to the Cold War and a time of intense anti-establishment sentiment. This context ends up being part of the core of the manga, which in its first pages introduces a post-nuclear destruction Neo-Tokyo that is infested with a misguided youth that makes rebellion their greatest weapon against the government and the military. Not only represent the spirit of an era that saw punk culture slowly enter pop culture, but the work also ended up representing the cultural production of Japanese comics.

Akira was brought to the West in 1988 by Marvel Comics.
Otomo's work was one of the first manga to be translated into English and established much of what is thought of as Japanese comic book aesthetics, influencing the Cyberpunk genre. Along with Blade Runner, the manga established a good part of the aesthetic that would be used in works about dystopian futures with pessimistic conspiracies, making possible works like Ghost in the Shell, another great exponent of the genre, and marking tropes and clichés that are used to this day in the segment. In 92, the anime would also come out of the west, and despite having a very summarized history of the original work, it instantly conquered the status of a cult work, marking the imagination of a whole generation of western pioneers when it comes to Japanese works. Despite gradually having his fame diluted, Akira was once – and in some ways still is – a synonym for manga. A legendary work, memorable and full of icons (such as Kaneda's mythical motorcycle).

Even so, despite the legend, the fame and the affection of the fans, the complete work is far from perfect.
Katsuhiro Otomo's care in his work is undeniable. Although Akira is an entertainment-oriented work, it is by no means frivolous and manages to approach timeless themes in its construction. Although never directly exposing the thought, the first edition of the work brings a clear anti-war and anti-militarist sentiment, presenting the social consequences of a third world war and creating an image of a conspiratorial and controlling army, willing to experiment with civilians just for the sake of it. that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Civil obedience is praised. The rebels receive positive exposure, though the delinquent biker gang are the big heroes, despising both the army and society, but not being overpowered by the military's fascist methods.

However, despite making good introductions to these elements within the fiction, the author does not elaborate much on any of these particularities. The group of rebels, of which the character Kei, the only girl in the plot, is part, barely has history, method or motives in this volume, being there almost because it is something that should be natural. The delinquents of Kaneda's gang, in turn, despite being well grounded within their own culture, end up not having a more refined approach. From an almost childish point of view, they use drugs and run away from school, and get into fights and violence because it's all "cool", but at no time is this routine treated in a mature way. It ends up looking like they're just rebels with the cause of being heroes of history.

Still, the author manages to paint an interesting picture of Kaneda and the gang, taking the time to present what the group's school situation is like, how they interact with each other, and some of their other hobbies that don't involve motorcycle racing. Kaneda's relationship with the others is not explored as much, but it is introduced in more than one moment and competently enough that the group's bonds of friendship and loyalty are perceived. It cannot be said, however, that none of these characters is complex or multifaceted. All are almost perfect examples within their environment, showing no negative traits within their own logic, only some characterizing traits. Not only apart and rebellious in relation to society, but they also are almost above humanity itself, not so different from the hedonistic and rowdy vampires of the movie Lost Boys, released in 87.

If Kaneda himself and his sidekicks don't have too many problems with the presentation of his life in the gang, the story's initial antagonist, Tetsuo, ends up being unforgivably harmed. The manga opens with a sequence of nightly motorcycle races by the gang, and soon the event that starts Akira's main plot takes place, causing Tetsuo to be taken to an unknown place and set on the path to antagonism. However, this context loses a lot of strength because at no time does the story effectively show his relationship with the rest of the gang – and especially with Kaneda – when everyone was friends and everything was fine and normal. Later, the manga shows scenes of friendly interactions between Kaneda and Tetsuo, but friction between the two already occurs, and the effect of bonding with Tetsuo's past is not achieved. A very big – and even amateur – flaw in the manga's script.

However, these are not the major flaws of the work. The biggest problem with Akira is that Katsuhiro Otomo isn't very good with the rhythm and his frame passes are, to say the least, clumsy. The story of the first volume is good – although not excellent outside of its own context – and the aesthetics raised and fostered by the work are phenomenal, everything seems to happen in a very artificial rhythm without delimiting the time very well and in several segments, it is even a little tricky to follow the construction that a frameset wants to go through. An imperfect technique, no doubt, but that somehow collaborates with the anarcho-punk poetics that circulates Akira. A trace of humanity and rebellion that – accidentally or not – fits very well into the composition of the whole, echoing interestingly with the poor, dirty and disorganized panoramas of Neo-Tokyo.

No, Akira is not a perfect work, in this first volume, the author oscillates between the very good and the almost amateur. However, the manga is 100% authentic, having an identity that was responsible for helping to establish some segments of pop culture. It is a legendary work that deserves to be read and the treatment given by Kodansha does justice to its importance in the artistic field of comics. Still, it is possible that some younger or less experienced readers will find it difficult to enjoy the material. In that regard, little locusts, be patient. It's taking a deep breath, trying to understand the proposal, the time and the formulation of aesthetics, and trying to enter the world and the context of Akira. For those who have already seen the movie, don't worry, in this volume one alone there's enough worth reading. And anyway, a work as relevant to comics as Katsuhiro Otomo's magnum opus is not merely about reading a story, but having a true aesthetic experience.

To me, AKIRA is only good if you don't read current works of science fiction or if you're stuck in the 80s and 90s at the time of that subculture. The story is worth your time but always with many pre-requirements. The version of the work that I read was the Portuguese version, edited by Meribérica/Lider (the rarest version in the world?) in the 90s and completed in 19 volumes, it is a coloured version with reversed images, just like the first English version printed in the United States in 1988.