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
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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.
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: AKIRA More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 6
Chapters: 120
Status: Finished
Published: Dec 6, 1982 to Jun 11, 1990
Theme:
Gore
Demographic:
Seinen
Serialization:
Young Magazine (Weekly) Authors:
Otomo, Katsuhiro (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #782 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #94
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Jul 27, 2016
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 ... 
Jan 25, 2008
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 ... 
Mar 22, 2017
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.
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Apr 13, 2010
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 ... 
May 19, 2013
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
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Apr 30, 2008
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. 
Mar 23, 2011
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. ... 
Mar 9, 2015
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, ... 
Feb 3, 2019
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 ... 
Feb 6, 2012
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 ... 
Nov 21, 2011
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. 
Aug 16, 2012
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 ... 
Dec 6, 2012
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
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Nov 21, 2019
(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 ... 
Mar 9, 2014
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
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Jan 4, 2023
If you've watched the Anime version, it is hardly a spoiler for the manga.
I am super glad that this is the first manga I decided to read. These are the reasons why I recommend it: - The art is insane. It is both absolutely beautiful as well as meaningful. There are sections of multiple pages with just artwork of the scenery and large-scale events that take place that not only could each hold up as a masterful work of art but sets the tone and atmosphere for each section of the story. -The characters are well-developed. While there are a large number of characters, they each have ... 
Nov 26, 2022
Akira is certainly a classic, worthy of the praise and comparisons when modern manga is released. Many panels are true beauties of art with quite a gripping story to go along with the pretty picture show. The story focuses mainly on the relationship between the brash and flawed but likable Shoutarou Kaneda and his best friend. The, at first, timid and lonely Tetsuo Shima.
The best part of the story: is the connecting journey they drift into together in the heart of the 2019 sci-fi city of Neo-Tokyo. A city lurking with far more than just dangerous biker gangs and pill-popping psychos. It quickly evolves into ... 
May 10, 2020
Teenagers revolted by the system without any respect for teachers and authorities, addicted to drugs, who instead of complaining on twitter, ride futuristic motorcycles and get into big trouble with the government. These are the tools of Katsuhiro Otomo to express his criticisms against Japan and the post-nuclear world in AKIRA. And it is a lot of fun how marginalized and abandoned adolescents by society are the main triumph of the plot to mock the government's oppressions.
Tetsuo - a teenager with the personality of a school terrorist - awakens paranormal powers after running over an elderly child, who has escaped confidential Japanese government experiments. Kaneda ...
Feb 24, 2024
At the time of writing this I am on my fifth read of Akira. This review includes pros, cons, and some trigger/content warnings for the book.
Pros: The art is nice I guess The fast pace is enjoyable Volume 2 is really good Enjoyable and threatening villain Fun characters Some really cool body horror Strong female characters ... 
Dec 11, 2022
I honestly can’t find anything to speak negatively of in Akira.
Without going into much detail, the plot starts off with telling the story of unruly teens in a bike gang living in the futuristic Neo-Tokyo, 30 years after World War III during which some huge strange bomb exploded in Japan. One of them has a crash because of some weird kid with psychic powers. Their lives get thoroughly fucked by this in the long run. The story was incredibly gripping and fast paced. Huge props to Otomo for making all the characters look distinct and talk and behave differently. Even if you forget someone’s name, you ... |