By: Katsuhiro Otomo Publisher: Dark Horse Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Dark Horse Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 288 Publication Date: 2001-06 Release Date: June 27, 2001
Product Description: In the 21st century, the glittering Neo-Tokyo has risen from the rubble of a Tokyo destroyed by an apocalyptic telekinetic blast from a young boy called Akira -- the subject of a covert government experiment gone wrong now imprisoned in frozen stasis. But Tetsuo, an angry young man with immense and rapidly growing psychic abilities, has done the unthinkable: he has released Akira and set into motion a chain of events that could once destroy the city and drag the world to the brink of Armageddon. Resistance agents and an armada of government forces race against the clock to find the child with godlike powers before his unthinkable destructive abilities are unleashed! One of the true international classics of graphic fiction and unavailable for nearly a decade in America, Akira has once again taken America by storm, its first Dark Horse volume selling out almost overnight in comic shops and bookstores across the country!
The Catastrophic Chapter of Akira Series With Akira finally freed from his cryonic sleep, all the forces that are interested in him start their wars against each other. SO many characters, yet so exciting as the story moves kinetically through chases and battles around Neo Tokyo. It keeps me over the edge as a fast-paced action movie with a foreboding sense that something big is about to happen.
And it does, when Akira's dormant telekinesis power is unleashed, it's nothing short of massive bewilderment. Think of the power of 1000 atomic bombs hidden inside the body of a boy, exploding at the same time. The destructions scenes are so detailed, I couldn't help wondering how long it took Mr. Otomo to draw these pages.
Just sheer wonder.
Graphic SF Reader With an emergency situation declared, the spooks and pollies start manoeuvring. The Colonel is not going to take the blame, and instigates a military takeover, after Kaneda and Kei have escaped with Akira.
More of the psionic children come out to play. A confrontation with the Colonel causes the death of one of these children, and this sets the awesomely powerful Akira off.
Neo-Tokyo gets it in the head, again.
Still very good They throw a lot of new characters at you in this one, and it can be hard to keep up. But hang in there and read it twice if you have to. I can't wait until I can get the next one, because the ending if (almost literally!) da bomb.
The Saga Continues If you know of the Akira Anime this Manga should be of no surprise; however, there are some definite differences that will become evident upon reading. 1st off the anime is way way shorter and edited to such an extent that most casual watchers are left feelin confused. These books will clear up any problems you may have had with the movie and expand upon the foundation the movie laid out. Be aware these books not in color.
The Middle-Chapter Blues Volume Three of Katsuhiro Otomo's epic sci-fi saga finds the newly awakened Akira being pursued by Kei and Kaneda, the Army, Nazu's militant faction, weirdly-powered flying children, strange Government robots, etc.
After being freed from his cryogenic sleep by Tetsuo in the last volume, Akira is still groggy, and so we really don't get any insight into his character, and he doesn't become an active participant in the story until the very end of the book. What an ending, though! After this, the series spins off into totally unexpected territory. This volume seemed like mostly filler, though. The story is basically just a lot of people playing "keepaway" with Akira; He's stolen from Kaneda by the flying kids, Nazu snatches him from the flying kids, etc. Like most long stories (In any medium), the middle lags.
Otomo's art continues to be mind-boggling. The amount of detail in every panel is incredible, and you could just linger over the art all day. Even at three stars, Akira 3 is better than most other comics....
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