Tetsuo for some unknown reason is NOT a small child with an old face. Yet EVEN THOUGH he has the opportunity to look like a NORMAL HUMAN BEING NOOOOOO HE HAS TO BE A BALDING SPIKEY HAIRED CREEP ( )

In this first volume of series we follow our unlikely hero, Kaneda, trying to figure out what happened to his best friend Tetsuo. Everything starts with Kaneda's motorcycle gang stumbling on a curious short man on the highways of Neo-Tokyo. In an almost deadly collision Tetsuo ends up hurt and picked up by the Emergency Units. Mysterious little man also gets picked up. And thus starts Tetsuo's fall into madness and events are set towards the awakening of the Akira, power source controlled by the army and sought by the unknown, officially marked terrorist organization to whom mysterious Kei belongs (and of course, Kaneda being hot shot, immediately falls for her).

Unlike the movie that for my taste was very slow (especially after Ghost in the Shell) manga starts very strong. We get introduced to variety of characters, including Kaneda's group, motorcycle gang from the school for troubled youth, military apparatus that wants to isolate the Akira and build the stronghold int he middle of Neo-Tokyo and ever present politicians. We also see wheels within wheels, army hiding from the parliament details on Akira and political parties wage their own shadow war of dominance.

Excellent story and truly amazing art. I started reading Akira through monthly issues almost 20 years ago but unfortunately magazine stopped after 40-odd issues. It was truly a pleasure to read this epic from the beginning.

Highly recommended to all fans of SF and psykers-running-wild :) ( )

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. ( )

Oh man...RTC ( )

3.75

I forgot how ill developed the gang are in this compared to the film, though ultimately there is far more development and story overall in the manga.

I read this entire series for the first time on a small phone screen during 3 sleepless nights and it blew my mind. I then waited to acquire all 6 in paper form with the intention of rereading it - something I've only now gotten around to doing 5 years later.

This first volume is decent (It's a rare, colourised copy as well which is cool, though ultimately I think I prefer the black and white). It's a fun read and it sets things up well, but it's far from perfect and really is quite tame compared to what follows.

Some of the art is a bit awkward, with some odd body proportions popping up occasionally. It's also very action-centric, and I wish Kaneda and Tetsuo's friendship got some attention prior to the insanity that unfolds - but again, there's so much more to come and it just gets better. The art gets better and the story expands in scope, becoming something completely alien to the film (in a good way).

Looking forward to revisiting the rest. ( )