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Summary: Anime?Manga??Otakuhood??!Look for answers here!!!
Review: Do you love mind-blowing graphics and cool stories?Then Manga(Japanese comix) and Anime(Japanimation) are ALL you need...I thought American comix were fun. European ones were better-until I discovered the Japanese jems.Needless to say,I am addicted since.Frank Miller and Todd Mcfarlane both cite these to be inspirational(read Miller's "Ronin"?)
So where should one start on Manga/Anime?I would recommend the "Akira" series-for the depth of its story and animation/graphics.Watch the Anime first and read the Manga next-you'll understand the story better that way.("Akira" the Anime can be thought to happen in a shadow universe-a la "The fabric of reality" by David Deutsch- of the original "Akira" the Manga...the stories are slightly different).Katsuhiro Otomo has presented us with a dystopian view of a possible future-where Tokyo has been destroyed by a devastating explosion(A uniquely Japanese preoccupation with ww ii atomic disasters) and the neatly ordered,squeaky clean society is fast degenerating into an arena of anarchy and mayhem.The grown-ups may be content being Sarariman(Jap workoholics) but the younger generation want only their daily dose of fun,excitement and drugs.(A recent TIME magazine report on Japanese youth culture brings a sharp feeling of de ja vu!).
Kaneda, the teenage hero of "Akira" is the leader of a biker gang.He is happy being a juvenile delinquent along with his buddy Tetsuo.But their biker days change forever after an accident involving a runaway psychic kid called Takashi.The are drawn into a maelstrom of violence and death and the fate of the world depend on their quest to unravel the enigma of the entity called "Akira"...
Afficianados of radical bikes,fights,Japanese pop culture,attitude,girls,special powers,fate of the world,destruction,etc will find the Anime and Manga series worth their trouble and money.I spent years in despair searching for the other volumes after reading the first(by Mandain paperbacks) and seeing the subtitled VHS "Akira".These days one could buy the special edition DVD and all 6 volumes of the Manga at Amazon.com(best place to shop on the net) without getting scalped by shady book dealers/importers.Thus one could enter the multiverse of Anime/Manga, explore its complex and varied contents and ultimately attain the blissful state of Otakuhood!
Neo-Tokyo is about to E X P L O D E!!
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Summary: AKIRA RoOlz!
Review: Don't call yourself a fan until you've read this series. As much as I love the theatrical version of Akira, this manga series is the "complete" story, and it's far more detailed than what most people have seen in the movie. There are six of these volumes and it's simply mindblowing how ahead of his time Otomo was in creating this series. If you liked the movie, definately check this out, even if you don't read manga. If you're into comics but don't know what Akira is, then this is the place to start.
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Summary: Believe it!!
Review: Don't call yourself a fan until you've read this series. As much as I love the theatrical version of Akira, this manga series is the "complete" story, and it's far more detailed than what most people have seen in the movie. There are six of these volumes and it's simply mindblowing how ahead of his time Otomo was in creating this series. If you liked the movie, definately check this out, even if you don't read manga. If you're into comics but don't know what Akira is, then this is the place to start.
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Summary: There is a God... his name is Otomo
Review: Ever see the theatrical version of Akira? Like that? Good. But it doesn't really matter. I am, like most people who wrote these reviews, a big fan of the movie, because I saw it first. Of course, I didn't have access to the comic book epic version. First off, the book is quite a bit different than the movie. The same themes are expressed, but way more clearly than in the movie, due to the fact that Otomo could use more pages to explain it since he didn't have to compress his story into a 2 hour movie. The themes are also expressed at different times, in different ways. The action is completly different, and the book contains many characters not included in the movie. The most stand-out thing for me so far, had to be in the second book though. I don't want to give anything away, so let's just say that Akira himself plays a far more concrete role than he did in the movie. Anyway, the first 2 have been ridiculously awesome, you'll want to read them again and again. I'm sure the next 4 will be great too, and I can't wait until late july for the DVD release of the theatrical version. Note: if you want an easier time reading this, see the original dub of the movie first, it will give the characters in the book far more realistic personalities, and you'll be able to more closely identify with the story's protagonist- Kaneda.
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Summary: The start of something big
Review: For some reason, I have avoided Akira in its various forms before now. I can't really say why, so I suspect I have just never got around to it. This 350-odd page volume is the first of several, apparently in excess of 2000 pages all up, so I'd assume there will be about 7 volumes.Set in Neo-Tokyo post-World War III (which started in 1992 - I mean, I know I was busy but I would have thought I'd have noticed!), the first volume revolves around a motor cycle gang of 17 year olds in a "youth vocational training school" who become entangled with the conflict between a government project involving people with psychic powers and a guerilla force that opposes them. And Akira? Who knows for certain... Various people use the word with a sense of something big that is anticipated, but the reader doesn't know exactly what. While I find (as is often the case) some of the behavior of characters in manga to occasionally border on the ridiculous (I don't have much time for people behaving oddly in order to raise a laugh with the reader), the story progresses quite reasonably and the art is generally quite good, although the manga-style of overly cartooning expressions can be annoying if you aren't expecting it. As to getting the whole series... Not 100% sure, but certainly there is enough interest in this one to guarantee I'll be getting the second volume at the very least.
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Summary: The best Graphic novel ever!!
Review: Gosh let me tell ya, Akira has one of the best and coolest storylines I have ever seen. I am so glad i got a copy of the first volume. I can already tell that this series will greatly surppass the movie in all areas. There will be 6 volumes so don't be surprised if you really understand it too well. more information will come later in other volumes. I cannot recommend this series enough. You have to read it yourself to understand. I love AKIRA!
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Summary: akira is the best, translation is flawed
Review: i first read the entire saga in german - it was released in 19 parts there some years ago, and a friend of mine had bought it. i am in the process of re-buying it for my collection. the story, flow, and graphics are the best i have seen, and, reading it for the second time, i still can't put it down until i am all the way through. the only complaint is that the dialogs are sometimes kind of ... wrong, unfitting. i don't remember that about the german version, so i think the translation is somewhat screwed up. still: i recommend it.
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Summary: The finest manga ever
Review: I first saw the anime akira when I ws about 11 and it was, and still is, one of my favorite movies ever. A year or so later, as I became more and more envolved in anime and manga, I wanted to finaly get the full akira experience, so I bought the mangas.First things first, the artwork is stunning. The 2000+ pages are bursting with action, energy and emotion. Then there is the story. Anybody who likes a deep, exciting and philosophicaly driven story is in luck. Sometimes confusing, but always entertaining, it's easy to pick up and hard to put down. Katsuhiro Otomo really has created a epic piece of art. A spectical of horror, beauty and imagination.If you are evenly remotely interested in science fiction, manga or graphic novels, you owe it to yourself to read these.
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Summary: Akira is the BEST EVER!!!
Review: I just finished Akira vol. 1 about five minutes ago, and it is undoubtably the best manga ever written! This book's art is incredibly detailed, from the characters to the graffiti on the walls!!! It wasn't dull at all either. It was action packed from the moment it started. The fight in the streets at the begining was especially great. It can be bloody at times, and there's some language, but definately not over the top. I can't wait to read the next book! Buy this NOW!
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Summary: Disappointed with Dark Horse Comics
Review: I love Akira when I first read it 3 years ago. Those first few issues that I read was in color. I was initially happy to know that Dark Horse Comics had decided to republish this great comics. But when I picked up the tradepaperback in my local bookstore, I was extremely disappointed to realise that the comic is in Black and White. Oh My God! I took up volume one and flip through it, recalling how it looked like in color and immediately I realise it made a great difference. Reading the comic in Black and White seemes to be just reading the story, but the color adds to the overall atmosphere of the story and that is what attracted me to this comic in the first place. Without color, the comic seems too dry. Characters seem to have less identity, background seems to be too chaotic. I am so sad when I read volume 2, its like watching StarWars or The Matrix in Black and White. In the end, I still buy the volumes due to the fact that I love the story so much. Now to the good point. As I mentioned, this comic is super. I have read numerous titles from US, Japan, Hongkong, and Taiwan over the years and Akira remained as one of the best comic experience I have ever had. The story, development, characters, panel arrangements, angles, everything, easily beats SinCity (Which is another line that I really love) or Spawn (Which I had stopped following about 2 years ago). Akira is a classic, and I love it!
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