Akira

I didn't like it at all and found it a bit overrated. And even though the artwork is pretty good, the story is just meh. Main characters appeared to be one sided and no character development at all. Kaneda and Tetsuo started off as annoying and ended the same throughout the whole manga, but I liked some characters like Kei, the Colonel and Chiyako even Ryu. Even the title character Akira is boring and he just exist as a plot device, other children are more interesting. Maybe I'm just expecting a lot more considering it is called one of the best. It may be influential and even nostalgic for most people but reading it now late in the game just didn't worked for me. If you like post apocalyptic cyberpunk artwork with lame story then this is for you.

If Akira was published today, I very much doubt it would get a fraction of the praise it now gets (even if it was updated to the "present time").
The good about this manga has already been told extensively, so I will talk about the bad.

Kaneda, one the main characters, is a normal human being, yet somehow he can wrestle with Superman, outsmart Batman, and overcome the Fates and the angels of Death. Additionally, he drives the fanciest motorcycles (and is the best rider, obviously), and gets the girl (another obviously, as all good heroes are supposed to get the girl). By the way, Kaneda is a teenager, like many of the readers to whom the manga was targeted. Coincidence?

There is supposed to be a relationship between two characters like the one you can find in Berserk and other manga. But here the relationship is poorly developed - okay, maybe I am being too soft here. The relationsihip is rather not developed (a couple of drawings to tell a sotry which, admittedly, didnt need more because it was cliché even back in the day).

Wondering whats behind the powers of some of the characters? Well, dont. It is just military experimentation and that kind of stuff. You do not need to know more, and you wouldnt understand it anyway. Think of it as a world with magic, but no rules, so the author can have whatever they want, and need, any time.

There are characters that can read the thoughts of other characters, fly, survive in space, cause explosions more destructive than the bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But, a regular Joe can kick their asses.

There is no consistency as to what sort of skill can is a "power" mastered by a character. In Akira, we may find a characer than can simply jump very high, another that can move objects with their mind, yet another that can apparently see what is going on everywhere in the world and, further, has the ability to direct that vision to precisely what is of interest to them - instantly.

Etc. etc.

If you are not bothered by thinks like those above, then Akira is a great read. Otherwise, dont waster your time.

The classic film Akira has been uttered by the lips of most every anime fan. However those who have read the manga are in a shrinking minority. With any adaptation (especially if you consider yourself a writer) it’s really important to absorb both and look at what was selected and condensed for the adaptation. The manga of Akira has an intense, gripping and action-heavy plot, and much of the movie summarizes the comic very well. However the movie is condensed for characterization’s sake, and leaves out certain details that made the plot make more sense in the manga.

Otomo loves both setting and action, as both are illustrated throughout the manga with care and prowess. All of the praise that this manga has received since it was published is well deserved. Setting the standard isn’t easy, and I would argue that Otomo not only builds to the art style of older manga but also takes on a unique style of his own (foreheads and all). He displays the chaos of Neo-Tokyo so well and even when the action calms down or speeds up you still know exactly where you are. Nothing is spared and every panel is filled as it needs to be. The art never looks to bedazzle you, but when Otomo wants to express the hugeness of a scene and the breadth of every event, it pulls off a sense of colossal dread that makes the story altogether incredibly memorable, terrifying, and human.

The plot of the manga is a deeply engaging stream of events that grabs you by the shirt collar and never really lets go. It takes enough twists and turns to keep the tension high but still stays linear and focused in every volume despite the chaos. The sequence of events in the manga is exactly that, while the movie’s plot is much more all over the place. You always know where you are and why you’re there with the characters in the manga, and it remains exciting because they’re always subjected to the whim of this unknown power.

The characters in the manga are more catalysts for moving setpieces than they are invested back stories and experiences. One thing that I mentioned in my film review is that Kaneda and Tetsuo’s relationship is the primary focus of the movie, and it made the two of them the most interesting part of the story due to their entwined pasts. The bike scene and the buildup given to Tetsuo throughout the film make him a much more compelling character to watch then read. His inferiority complex is his ignition switch in the manga too, but his intent is all over the place to the point where he is rabid with power and exists to move the plot rather than be analyzed.

The other children subjected to the experiments are important but particularly underwhelming, especially Akira himself. They always felt like the reason why the events effect the main characters like Kei, Kaneda and the Colonel instead of unique individuals. However, I would say the parts of the story involving Kei, Chihiro and Lady Miyako were the most compelling character moments in the series. Their intertwined stories show care and revolution for the future along with a mild journey of self-discovery for Kei, and I found that subplot to be the most interesting.

Overall, read it! Experience it knowing that your viewing of the movie will be a different story entirely. It’s really difficult to adapt a manga of this length into anything shorter than a 26-episode show, so the fact that many of the important images and ideas from the manga were adapted to the film is impressive. Both are impressive and impactful stories although I will say I like what the music and the characterization do for the movie more than the manga. But the printed story clears up so many details that the movie lacks. Both experiences are deeply moving and terrifying stories of human potential and impactful works of sequential art important to pop culture.

Overall Rating- 7 out of 10