Akira, Vol. 4 [Paperback]

Katsuhiro Otomo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Akira (Dark Horse) | Publication Date: September 19, 2001

Set off by the bullet of a would-be assassin, Neo-Tokyo has been leveled by Akira's godlike psychic fury. Now cut off from the rest of world, the Great Tokyo Empire rises, with Akira its king, Tetsuo its mad prime minister, and a growing army of fanatic acolytes. Forces on the outside still search for a way to stop Akira, and the answer may lie in the hands of the mysterious Lady Miyako, a powerful member of Akira's psychic brotherhood. But the solution to harnessing Akira may ultimately be more dangerous than Akira himself!

Editorial Reviews

Review

“As the New Cinema demolished the old Hollywood style of filmmaking . . . Katsuhiro Otomo . . . shattered the conventions existing in manga.”
—Asahi Shimbun --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

In 1982, manga modernist Katshuhiro Otomo created a worldwide literary sensation when Japan's Kodansha Publications released the first volume of his 3000 page sci-fi fable of the apocalypse, Akira. Few westerners had experienced manga (Japanese comics) before Akira, and its rocketing ascent through cultural divides helped impress a cynical world that had long been convinced that pictures in books should be relegated to children's stories. Now pictures were being used to tell one of man's most explosive and harrowing tales. Since his groundbreaking work on Akira, Mr. Otomo has completed a number of inspired manga classics, including the powerful post-apocalyptic Legend of Mother Sarah and the dark study of a child's dreams, Domu. Otomo's mastery of the manga artform was recognized with a top Japanese book award, the Grand Prix, awarded to him in honor of Domu in 1989. Dark Horse Comics published the first English-language versions of The Legend of Mother Sarah and Domu, and is currently publishing a true-to-its-original-form, black-and-white, six-volume re-issue of Akira.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (September 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569715262
• ISBN-13: 978-1569715260
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #891,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Otomo Throws His Readers A Curve-Ball......, May 19, 2002

By 

Daniel V. Reilly (Upstate New York, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Akira, Vol. 4 (Paperback)

At the end of Volume Three, Akira, reacting to the death of his friend at the hands of Nezu, once again leveled Tokyo. We last saw Akira and Tetsuo floating above the wreckage of the devastated city....

Well, creator Katsuhiro Otoma has taken the status-quo, and turned it upside-down with Volume 4. Neo-Tokyo is now a wasteland, with warring factions of savage survivors roaming the streets.....and Akira and Tetsuo as their King and Prime Minister, respectively. Tetsuo is busy creating an army of psychics to strengthen his reign, Kaneda is apparently dead, Kei and Chiyoko are desperately trying to protect the surviving "Children" (Akira's fellow psychic powerhouses), and the outside world is trying to figure out just what in the hell is happening in Tokyo.

The book is a non-stop thrill-ride, and Otomo's art continues to be breathtaking. I could have done without the almost continuous "Kei is about to get raped" motif (The series takes a MAJOR "Mature Readers ONLY" turn as of this volume), but aside from that minor quibble, Akira continues to be well worth the money. Highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The plot thickens, so to speak ..., January 15, 2002

By 

Ron Tothleben ([e-mail]) (Tilburg, Netherlands, Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Akira, Vol. 4 (Paperback)

Already the fourth of a total of six volumes that collect the complete Akira tale. It's vital to read the previous volumes though because this tale is ONE big story and not divided into self-contained arcs. Therefore it's good to know that after two volumes that were decreasing in the number of pages here is the biggest volume yet.

After last issues events, where Akira's powers were triggered, Tetsuo has now set things to his will. The ruins of what was half of Neo-Tokyo have been renamed `Great Tokyo Empire' with Akira as emperor and Tetsuo his right hand. They (mainly Tetsuo really) rule strictly and totalitarian, not allowing outside influences. The population of the Great Tokyo Empire sees a new messiah in Akira though and happily accepts all that. The other side of Neo-Tokyo, led by Lady Miyako who takes in the sick and the needy to help them, is opposed to all this. They try to live peaceful and rebuild what they had while Tetsuo, who has serious health-problems, is having his people trying to conquer her part of Neo-Tokyo as well.

In this part of the story the prior life of Akira, before he got buried to keep safe, is revealed a little. The grander scheme in the uncovering of project Akira is becoming clearer as well. Off course that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of action-for-the-purpose-of-action pages in here as well. The art, black-and-white except for the first few pages, is the same as it has been all along. Instead of using a lot of text-panels the story is told through it for a big part. Off course that makes for a very speedy read but with the number of pages up to score (again) that's not too much of a problem. Quality reading ...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Yet, November 18, 2001

By 

Susan Goldberg "SusieG" (Jefferson, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Akira, Vol. 4 (Paperback)

Kaneda DEAD!? Neo Tokyo in RUINS!? Akira KING!? Yes, all this has happened in Vols. 1-3. In Vol. 4, Neo Tokyo is no more! Now out of the rubble rises The Great Tokyo Empire, with Akira it's emperor, Tetsuo it's prime minister, and a mass of crazed zealots it's citizens. The empire is cut off from Japan and the rest of the world, but that isn't stopping the superpowers from trying to get through... This volume brings back some of the characters you know and love from the previous volumes, Kei, Chiyoko, Lady Miyoko, The Colonel, Masaru, Kyoko, Tetsuo, and of course Akira. It also introduces some new characters, Kaori, the Navy Seals, etc. If the promise of gunfights, daring chases, hand-to-hand combat, laser mounted satellites, mind trips, psychic combat, and catacysmic destruction dosn't sell you on buying this book, then the return of a beloved character will. "Who is it?" you ask. Read the book and find out...