Customer Reviews

Akira, Vol. 6 (Six)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Allow me to reiterate:

Amidst the flotsam and jetsam of former pop-culture sensations, there are a few items of media that, through sheer visceral creative force, transcend the `cool one moment, cliché the next' element of disposable entertainment. The Japanese manga/movie _Akira_ is among these rare and dignified. Although the movie version is cluttered and convoluted, an epic mess--and what can one expect from the effort of reducing 2000 pages into two hours?--there still remains a power and presence to it that is at once unnerving and captivating.

I "got" Akira upon my first viewing, but like many others found the movie unsatisfying on a basic level. Characters and concepts popped up out of nowhere, seemingly important to the overall arc, yet remaining undeveloped. It felt as if an enormous amount of back-story was left untold. Thankfully, Dark Horse has decided to give the manga version of _Akira_ the definitive publishing it deserves, to fill in the gaps and give us a deeper and far more gratifying glimpse into Katsuhiro Otomo's astonishing vision of dystopia.

And now, finally, volume six is here, containing story and art never before seen on these shores. Here Otomo takes the hints and fragments presented by the film--Tetsuo's metamorphosis, the fate of Neo-Tokyo, the showdown of primal force between Akira and his prodigy companions--and ties them together in a way that, as an end result, far overshadows the 16mm attempt. I have to agree with a fellow reviewer who claims that the movie and manga compliment each other...but while the former is interesting and challenging, the latter is far more essential in terms of scope and overall achievement.

The art is, as usual, clean and crisp and amazingly complex; one can simply contemplate the detail of various panels for hours on end. But the story is paced at such an ongoing peak (especially considering the cliffhanger ending to vol. 5) that upon first reading you may do what I did: breeze through the pages, totally involved in the build-up/release of conflict, while using the art as merely a visual representation for the ongoing story. Thus, Akira vol. 1-6 contains immense re-read potential: firstly to glean Otomo's philosophical ponderings on energy and consciousness, secondly to appreciate the amazing artwork.

And the ending...in true Japanese form, the very ambiguity of it hints at a far larger story in progression; the end is the beginning, apparently. Those with concrete story-structure paradigms may find it unsatisfactory, but I personally loved the surreal suggestions.

Truly an epic, in all sense of the word. Five stars.

First and foremost, if you are not familiar with the Akira universe Katsuhiro Otomo has created, the one-page synopsis they give at the beginning of this volume wouldn't please any reader, regardless of how easy they are to please. Nor will the pages of gorgeous explosions that seem to serve no purpose other than pure eye candy. But for those who have embraced this work and want to see how it ended, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

The ending of this volume may disappoint some, but I for one was happily confused, as I expect many others should be. Like the ending to the "other" great six part science fiction drama, Dune (heresy, I know), the head-scratching that will undoubtedly go on will most likely be remembered as the best confusion one can partake in.

I wouldn't want to spoil any of the story, but all the pieces seem to fit, all the loose ends tied up, and many possibilities unravel at the very ending (thus, the confusion). When you set down this very big (and very digestable) volume, I hope it will be with a feeling of disturbing peace, and leave the impression that science fiction is viable in all mediums, be it the written word, art, or, as this series proves, a combination of both.

Those who buy it for the art won't be disappointed. Those who buy it for the story won't be disappointed. Those who buy it out of pure curiosity will find themselves truly blessed. But do yourself a favor. Before tackling Volume 6, beg, borrow, or steal the other five volumes and prepare to be immersed in a science fiction epic unrivalved in this medum, and greater than some books in print.

Akira Volume 6 brings the story to a shattering conclusion, as all of the surviving characters converge to attempt to stop the mad Tetsuo. And what will they do with the Godlike child Akira..?

The great thing about epics, in any medium, is the amount of time they have to develop their characters. I can't imagine the Akira movie being as satisfying as the books. (I'll see soon enough- I loved the books so much I ordered the Akira DVD.) Considering that the final chapter is 400+ pages of non-stop action, it's a good thing Otomo built his characters up heavily in the previous 5 chapters. The art is sensational, and the writing is top-notch; Otomo manages to deliver a satisfying (If somewhat head-scratching...) ending. Maybe the highest compliment I can give is that I was sorry to see it end.

Do yourself a favor and read the first five before finishing off one of the most incredible series of all time. enjoy

This is probably the sickest display of comic artistry I have ever seen; just take a look at the last phase of Neo-Tokyo's destruction, one can only imagine the countless hours Mr. Otomo must have spent on each building. Dizzying in its scope and sheer level of detail. Absolutely stunning. Would reccommend anyone who has any desire to illustrate to at least pick a copy up at your local Barnes and Nobles, if only to see how awesome a graphic novel can really look with some dedication.

All in all, the book is a satisfying read. It leaves some of the mysteries open, like whatever happens to that mega-psychic boy Akira, and what's with Kaneda, Kei, and their motorbike gang with the ruined Tokyo.
It is both satisfying and saddening to see a good story ends, yet I would rather see it end there than be dragged on and on as in the case of many other comic books.

If you've read them up to volume five, you'll have to finish the series. I enjoyed reading the whole series; however, I can't help but feeling that the ending was a bit uninspired.

This paragraph contains spoilers.
The entire series seems so full of great potential for commentary, spiritual and metaphysical exploration, and personal struggle, but it rarely if ever goes beyond the surface level. Otomo seems more concerned with blowing things up. The secret government programs and use of military power without thought for civilians are certainly there, but it is always more of a medium for action than commentary. The metaphysical aspect of the test-subjects powers is there but only briefly addressed at the end, which then sort of seems to get smeared by the final conclusion of Kaneda farting around on his bike, acting like the same juvenile he was at the beginning of the story(only now with Kei in tow, sadly marring her character as well - at least give her her own bike!). Which brings me to my biggest problem. Kaneda is a flat character, whose only cares seem to be his infatuation with Kei and killing Tetsuo. He never really goes beyond flirting with Kei, and seems to have at best fleeting reservations about killing Tetsuo despite the fact that they were once very close, and that Tetsuo is clearly suffering. He comes off as an idiot that never questions anything. Kaneda's relationship with Tetsuo could have been so much more.

In terms of sci-fi action, the comics are a great success. The level of detail in some of the visuals is stunning. Still, I can't help but feel that the progression of the plot and growth of the characters was neglected to some degree. Akira had the potential to be one of the best stories ever created, if it had only been pushed a little further. Just to reiterate, this is my review for the last volume. I suppose I'd give the first two volumes 5 stars, maybe the middle two 4 stars. As Levar Burton used to say: "But you don't have to take my word for it!" Read it yourself!

Wow! Akira has finally ended. Some twenty years after Otomo got the Akira project started, it still remains as one of the greatest tales of our time.
From the beginning of this 400+ page book to its end it is well written, drawn, and presented. We learn what is to come of Tsteuo, Noe-Tokyo, and the universe. The ending is very unclear and ambiguous, but it really shows the status of the entire story.
Otomo has given us a beautiful masterpiece that needs not to be forgotten. Long live AKIRA!

The only other Akira book I have read is Book 2 (though I am attempting to rectify this situation) so when I came to this book, although I knew the basic storyline and the characters, I still had quite a few gaps. It didn't matter. This book was dramatic, powerful and eerie. The drawings are excellent and it's an amazing finale to the story.
Part of the reason I was so impressed with this was that although the story is sci-fi/apocalyptic, Otomo has not (unlike quite a few others writing in this genre) neglected character development and complexity. I don't want to give away the story, but I'll just say a lot of this book made me cry - and not a lot of things do that.
The ending is...ambiguous, and pretty poignant - something about Tokyo rising from the ruins still gives me a lump in my throat. I disagree with those who say it's a cop-out, or too weird - it suited the book, and it was such a contrast to all that had happened.
The only reason I took a star off is that sometimes there's too much violence for my taste, and also I found the expulsion of the soldiers at the end sort of weird. But this may simply be due to my lack of knowledge of the other books.
Overall, I would recommend this book HIGHLY, but do read the others first. It can only enhance your enjoyment of this one.

This is the final volume of one of the great masterpieces of the 2oth century. As an artist, Otomo is at least the equal of Hokusai. As a science fiction writer, he is at least among the top twenty. Don't just buy this volume - start at the first and get the whole series in order. It's worth the price. It would be good if Amazon could make a Japanese edition available too, for comparison.