Otomo Katsuhiro | Akira (R17)

Japanese: アキラ
English: Akira
Type: Manga
Volumes: 6
Chapters: 120
Status: Completed
Published: Dec 6, 1982 to Jun 11, 1990
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Seinen
Mangaka: Otomo Katsuhiro (Story & Art)
Serialization: Young Magazine (Weekly)

Synopsis: 1988: It is World War III. Tokyo is decimated by a mysterious black explosion, unmatched in magnitude.

2019: Fast forward 31 years. Neo-Tokyo, hastily built on the ruins of old Tokyo, is a sprawling cityscape of neon extravaganza. It is a fusion of towering skyscrapers and cutting-edge technology that is permeated through and through with an explosive, hyper-violent cocktail of biker gangs, poverty, and revolutionaries. In this derelict metropolis live Tetsuo Shima and Shoutarou Kaneda, two bikers who are the best of friends and the fiercest of rivals, despite being affiliated with the same gang. Desperate to prove himself as Kaneda's equal, Tetsuo unwittingly pulls a stunt that culminates in the awakening of a cryptic existence that threatens to change both the face of Neo Tokyo and the lives of those who call the city their home—the awakening of a government secret simply known as Akira.(MAL)

Baka updates: Akira is set in the post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo of 2030, a vast metropolis built on the ashes of a Tokyo annihilated by an apocalyptic blast of unknown power that triggered World War III. The lives of two streetwise teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, change forever when dormant paranormal abilities begin to waken in Tetsuo, who becomes a target for a shadowy government operation, a group who will stop at nothing to prevent another catastrophe like that which leveled Tokyo. And at the core of their motivation is a raw, all-consuming fear. A fear of someone or something, of unthinkably monstrous power known only as "Akira".

Background

Akira won the 8th Kodansha Manga Award in general category in 1984, the Harvey Award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material in 1993, and was nominated for the Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work in 2002.

Groups Scanlating

Manga-Sketchbook

Licensed in English

Kodansha USA (6 Volumes - Complete) 

Source: MAL Manga info, Baka updates


Side notes: This manga is not for kids so one should be age of 17 or around that age give or take year or two before even considering to read it. Art is good which is the main reason me picking this up although the theme and the story are quite dark (not my favorite things to read). Second reason is the big tag: Award winning, which itself tells something about the quality of the manga. And not to forget that this fits today's theme so no reason why not to take it on, though it's pretty old series. The age can be easily felt on the storyboard and characters so it may take some adjustment of thought to get through with it.

(Note: I updated text a bit.XDDD I noticed that I was pretty sleepy when writing so it was all a mumble. Not sure if it's any better now though.^-^b)

P.S. And just like one reader on MAL noted, every volume is like 400 pages long so it's equivalent to about 12 normal sized mangas in today's standard. And on second note, the story that I got my hands on was mirrored version  (it was needed to be read from left to right) that took time to be adjusted (at least for me) before the story started to find it's pacing and feel okay to read.XDDD

Main characters

Akira (アキラ)

Codename #28 in the Japanese government's secret ESP project. An estimately 8-year-old boy around whom the story revolves. Akira's power was so immense that he inadvertently caused the destruction of Tokyo in 1988 and was secretly sealed afterwards in a cryogenic chamber underneath the destruction site.

Shoutarou Kaneda (金田 正太郎)

Kaneda is a carefree gang-leader who boasts a custom-modified motorcycle. He and Tetsuo have been best friends since early childhood. He is brash and not above teasing Tetsuo despite feeling affection for him as a younger brother. Upon rescuing Kei, Kaneda becomes involved in the activities of her group of anti-government guerillas in hopes of locating Tetsuo.

Tetsuo Shima (島鉄雄)

Kaneda's best friend since preschool and the second principal subject of the story's theme. Tetsuo is shown as a black sheep in the gang he and Kaneda are part of, and quietly suffers from a deeply rooted inferiority complex. He admires his friend yet at the same time strongly resents his own reliance upon him. After his psychokinetic abilities manifest, Tetsuo quickly becomes Kaneda's nemesis; he desires Kaneda's motorcycle (a symbol of status and power), and seeks to prove himself supremely powerful, without need of protection.

Kei (ケイ)

A young woman whom Kaneda meets on his quest to find Tetsuo. She is a member of an anti-government organization that Ryu and Nezu are also involved in. (What is not mentioned in the anime is that Ryu is actually her older brother.) She is seemingly better looking in the manga, and appears to be somewhat older than Shotaro Kaneda, just as he appears younger in the manga.

Kei's role in the Resistance is important because she is completely loyal to its cause and to Ryu. Her character is far more developed in the manga, where she plays more than a "hard-to-get" love interest for Shotaro Kaneda. She is strong willed and is the one to discover that Lady Miyako is an Esper too. Miyako helps Kei channel her thoughts and discovers she is a conduit for the Espers' telepathy. Kiyoko does this in the movie and Kei communicates with Kaneda and Tetsuo. She works closely with Chiyoko, a physically strong and resilient resistance fighter and they look out for each other.

Miyako (ミヤコ)

Lady Miyako is the High Priestess of a temple in Neo-Tokyo and an instrumental leader in the battle against Tetsuo. She is a former test subject (#19) and possesses psychic powers.

Source: MAL

Anime movie Trailers (2010)

English dub