Marvel at the beauty that is Akira. There’s really not much I can say about the series that hasn’t already been said before, but what I will add is that, if you’re a fan of the movie and want to dive deeper into this world, then the manga is a must. Notice I didn’t say that the manga will help you understand what’s going on in this story, because it’s still pretty confusing, but there’s something to be said about a story that barely explains itself, but still manages to engage the reader to such a degree. What I found out, ironically enough, is that the film adaptation and the source books are vastly different stories. The manga series is rather large, so one would obviously think that many subplots and miniature story arcs would need to be condensed or altogether scrapped, like many films need to do. But no, this is an entirely different story. Same beginning, similar climax, but virtually every plot beat that happens in the book is completely different than the film. Where the film "ends" is approximately 40% of the way through the story, but it uses the same climax that the series has. Odd. Published just over 40 years ago, it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. I can only think of a handful of manga and anime that have influenced pop culture the same way Akira has. It’s a sprawling sci-fi epic, a watershed moment for the cyberpunk genre and was a pivotal influence in introducing manga to wider Western audiences.

If I had my way, the Box-set would include a HC version of 'Domu', instead of 'Akira Club'. No one thought to ask me, though. Very hurtful. This article has been updated since its original publication. Wait, what is Akira about? Image: Madman This particular collection is a high-quality reprint of the work, all collected in six beautiful hardcover volumes and is bundled together with the hardcover Akira Club art book and an exclusive pill patch. Each hardcover book has a revised translation, the original right-to-left reading format, new lettering, and Otomo's original hand-drawn sound effects for that extra visual punch.Donc, je sais qu'Akira est un classique, mais je n'ai pas le bagage pour comprendre en quoi cela a pu être une oeuvre révolutionnaire pour le genre. First time I became aware of Akira was in the mid 90s or towards the late 90s. And it was the anime. All I saw was the cover for the video cassette. And learned there was a manga too sometime later. So up until now, actually and finally reading the manga, 40 years after it was first published, I thought the person on the cover was Akira! Now obviously I know that it is Kaneda that's on the cover with his motorbike! I knew it was a classic, but I was blown away at how fantastic this series actually is! If you’re a big fan of the movie adaption of Akira but have never dipped your toes into the source material, you owe it to yourself to read it. Even though the Akira anime was written and directed by Otomo, it only covers about 30% of the manga, at best. It’s almost like reading a different work that just happens to share the same characters and setting.

There are plenty of elements in the manga that stand out to me, and it has to do with how much we get to know the characters from the movie on a whole new level. Of course, I wouldn’t have minded if the movie had an extra half hour of material, but I also wouldn’t have minded an extra 2 hours. I’m actually glad we get cut off at 2 hours. What I will argue is that the manga and the movie are the same stories taking place in different universes. They intersect in some areas but are wildly different in others. I love the movie with every fiber of my being, but the manga makes us care about these characters even more and we understand their drive in this story much better. Kei and Lady Miyako are central characters here (maybe more than Kaneda) and only serve to add richness to the conflict with Tetsuo. And that’s just scratching the surface. The stakes are just as high here, but there’s more humanity to the story. The character of Akira itself is much more tragic, even though, again, its not quite clear what Akira is, what the capsules are or what they’re supposed to be doing, how Tetsuo fits into all this, or what even happens when these raptures occur. But that doesn’t matter because the rest of the story is pretty grounded in the sense that everyone is frustrated that they don’t understand what’s going on but that there’s one thing that needs to be done. We’re on board for this madness. The families of the victims are baffled. The police investigating the deaths don't know what to make of it all, but as they follow the bizarre trail of clues, they get closer to a killer they're incapable of stopping. But when a little girl moves in with her family, the old man is suddenly confronted by someone determined to stop his malevolent games, a child with powers that might exceed his own. The town-sized apartment complex becomes a battlefield between two psychic juggernauts, and the old man's malicious games unleash a storm of telekinetic fury that threatens to kill hundreds of innocent people. As someone who owns multiple versions of the series (did I mention I’m a huge fan?), this is the definitive version of the manga.Each volume is now housed in a sturdy hardcover and, unlike previous English printings, now reads in the traditional right-to-left. The manga also retains the original hand-drawn sound effects and is printed on high-quality paper, so Otomo’s detailed art is incredibly crisp. Akirahas never looked better. An all-new, complete 35th anniversary hardcover box set of one of the most acclaimed and influential comics of all time, with the original Japanese art and right-to-left reading format for the first time! The science fiction epic that changed anime and manga forever is presented in six beautiful hardcover volumes, plus the hardcover Akira Club art book and an exclusive patch with the iconic pill design. J'imagine sans problème comment le film a pour devenir un chef d'oeuvre en ne gardant que l'essentiel. (On m'a dit par exemple que le personnage d'Akira lui-même n'est pas dans le film. Ça m'amuse d'imaginer le personnage éponyme absent, mais je comprends parfaitement le choix : Akira est inutile.) The series starts with these words: "At 2:17 P.M. December 6th, 1982, a new type of bomb exploded over the metropolitan area of Japan. Nine hours later World War III began." Then the story moves forward to 2019 and ends in 2020. What this 35th anniversary box includes: 6 books for the comic, 1 book for the covers and various drawings and other things, and 1 iron-on patch.