Katsuhiro Otomo

Akira, Vol. 1

Giovanna

Interesting to see what the film left out/swapped around/changed.

Ryan LaFerney

One of the most important mangas to ever be created, Akira Influence thousands of science fiction manga and anime with it’s dark urban future set in neo Tokyo. First in a series of six volumes, Akira tells the tale of the lives of two streetwise teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, And how their lives change forever when paranormal abilities begins to awaken in Tetsuo, Making him a target for an agency that will stop at nothing to prevent catastrophe. This is a dark and gritty tale Of teenage biking gangs, Teenage rebellion,Corrupt governments, and teenagers struggling with supernatural powers. And It’s one of the most influential cyberpunk stories ever written.

Katsuhiro Ōtomo

A graphic novel which features the adventures of a group of men and women working to disable a monstrous psychokinetic power known only as Akira.

Book 2

Akira

The post-apocalyptic world of Akira is one that has allowed Katsuhiro Otomo to revolutionize the manga and anime industry with his visionary and artistic style and Volume 2 doesn't disappoint. You just cannot put this book down. Akira's second volume is pure, non-stop fun action from start to finish...as we watch Tetsuo grow in his psychic abilities, become increasingly more unstable, and attempts to confront Akira face-to-face. All the while his former best friend is attempting to destroy Tetsuo before he releases Akira. 

Cinematic and action-packed Akira is required reading.

When Neo-Tokyo is leveled by Akira's psychic rage, the Great Tokyo Empire rises with Akira at its helm and Tetsuo as its insane prime minister, inspiring a massive army of extremist acolytes. A Graphic Novel. Original.

Neo-Tokyo is in complete ruins, Kaneda got engulfed by the massive explosion, Kei is alone with no one around to protect her, and Akira and Tetsuo are leading a new empire in the ruined city. This is still pretty amazing but the misogynist attitude of the men is so rough in this volume and was kind of hard to stomach.

stephanie

The first graphic novel that I've read in years...and I really enjoyed it.
I'm hoping to continue reading this series because it seems to have a lot of potential - & 5 more volumes!

In Neo-Tokyo, built on the former site of Tokyo after World War III, two teenagers are targeted by agencies after they develop paranormal abilities.

Book one

Fraser Simons

Interesting to see the similarities and differences from the anime. The initial arc is brought to a satisfying cliffhanger. The only thing holding it back for me is the wild tonal changes that happen in most manga, along with some of the dialogue, which I believe was corrected in the new editions. Makes sense!

Caroline Mao

**

3.5 stars


I first became interested in Akira because of its concept. Neo-Tokyo, cyberpunk setting, teen gangs, mysterious superpowers? It sounded like everything I could want. I've never read manga before, so for all I know, this is common — it sounds like Akira inspired a lot of other comics to use those concepts, from what I've heard — but since everything I read is typically Western, it fascinated me. I probably can't make a 100% accurate judgment given that this is only one volume, but I'll try anyway.

The protagonist, Kaneda, reminded me a lot of Alex from A Clockwork Orange — he's not as horrible, but pretty close. None of the characters in this story are good people, really. When a girl tells him she thinks she's pregnant, presumably because of him, he doesn't seem to care. He leads a teen gang and attends a school for juvenile delinquents; he tries to beat up an apparent child for accidentally injuring his friend, Tetsuo (who was driving quite recklessly at the time, so it's partially his fault). He's extremely rude to even those who try to help him, such as Kei, who was essentially the only character I found likable.

Nonetheless, I was fascinated by his story. His loyalty toward his friends is his one redeeming quality, and it's what kept me going no matter how much I disliked him. How much he cared about Tetsuo kept recurring throughout — he was so driven to find out where his friend was and if he was really okay, and the concluding showdown (and emotional conflict) between them was heartbreaking. Tetsuo was more one-dimensional and less sympathetic, but his dynamic with Kaneda remained interesting.

Akira was extremely difficult to follow in many places because of its fast-paced, action-packed nature — I kept having to stare at the panels to figure out what was going on. I concluded that most of them were variations of 'car gun bike screaming explosion', and that seems to be accurate enough. The glimpses of neo-Tokyo that we get are breathtaking, though. I'm a fan of the setting, and the attention Otomo paid to it through his art. It's gritty and dark and not a fun place to live, but certainly a fun place to explore.

Overall, Akira was a quick, suspenseful page-turner, and I enjoyed reading it. The characters were a bit too flat, but compelling enough I still wanted to find out what was happening to them. The plot was too predictable, but I was interested in the science and the worldbuilding, and I'd like to learn more. I'll definitely continue with this series!

Rachel

Read Akira for library school and really enjoyed it. It is a good starting point to a series, ie it builds up the characters who will be the main focus, kinda explains the background, but it did feel at times that there wasn't a full story in place, just build up. The art is amazing and I loved the writing. I wasn't planning to read this series, but I am hooked.

Håkon Sævig

Guillaume Breton

Dima Sidorov

Book two

Whitley

The science fiction tale set in 2019 in Tokyo after the city was destroyed by World War III, follows the lives of two teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, who have a consuming fear of a monstrous power known as Akira.

In the final volume in the Akira post-apocalyptic saga, Kaneda must stop Tetsuo, the Prime Minister of Neo-Tokyo, and his new ally Akira before their madness engulfs the whole world. Is this Neo-Tokyo's last stand?

Akira, Vol. 1

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