Akira, Vol. 3

Vol. 3 is virtually a non-stop sequence of kidnappings, pursuits, comings and goings, including caretaker robots, soldiers, cars and even a tank. Regarding the latter, we get some occasional humorous gags involving Kaneda. Here he finally comes alive as a clumsy yet hard-headed anti-hero of sorts. His down-to-earth, naughty but ultimately honest nature is depicted in great detail along the volume, adding up to what we had already seen in volumes 1 and 2. We also get to see more of Chiyoko, a character who appeared in the previous volume and who becomes more and more relevant as the story progresses. Kei also gets rounded up as an atypical heroine ('anti-heroine', maybe?), thus straying off from the 'damsel-in-distress' female character so common in shounen manga and American comic-books alike. Three characters make a brief yet crucial appearance in this volume: Sakaki, Miki and Mozu (a bunch of girls trained by Lady Miyako to develop a small amount of psychic power). Sakaki in particular plays an important role throughout the volume, right until its conclusion. But the character that really shines in this part of Otomo's long work is Nezu, the leader of the Kohmin political party, who is constantly plotting against the Colonel, the government, Lady Miyako, and practically everyone, and who is obsessed with gaining power by using Akira as a weapon. Storywise, the world of motorbikes and teenager gangs has disappeared completely, which means we will have no Kaisuke, no Joker, no Clowns... The tone for most of the volume is, admittedly, a bit lighter than the oppressive atmosphere we encountered in the previous volume, making it look more like an action/gangsters/conspiracy story than a proper futuristic cyberpunk one. Paradoxically, instead of focusing on troublesome teenager angst and gang fights the plot seems to deal with more adult-oriented themes than those displayed in volume 1, thus diversifying the change of direction that had already started in volume 2. This, however, isn't distracting in the least, and I believe Otomo manages to develop this segment of his masterpiece with just as much brilliancy as he did with the impressive sewers/laboratory/secret base sequences in volume 2. The detail in the depiction of each panel in nothing short of amazing. Indoors or outdoors, every ambiance is rendered with a rarely-seen accuracy: we get to see the inside of Chiyoko's and Kei's small shelter, Nezu's grand mansion, government offices, or even the inside of a luxury boat. Everything exhales a feeling of verisimilitude that pushes you into the story and makes the reading flow easily. The inking is brilliant, and the handling of screentones is really solid too. The black and white printing is excellent in this edition, even though the paper could certainly be better--probably a glossy paper would work wonders with this kind of printing. Technically speaking, Kodansha Comics' edition of Akira is far superior than the former coloured edition by Epic Comics (which, by the way, is just terribly hand-coloured in the part where Kei, Chiyoko and Kaneda are held in the boat). A non-flipped edition would also probably be better, even though it might be harder to read for a western reader. At any rate, it should be black and white. In summary, this is a very worthy purchase: the story has a more down-to-earth tone, there are no motorbikes, gang fights, psychic fights or supernatural elements, yet it countermeasures the lack of those elements with a non-stop action flow, and the depiction of very diverse environments and surroundings is simply masterful. Although this volume does not end in as strong a cliffhanger as the one in volume 2, its ending just makes the term 'epic' sound like an understatement, and will certainly leave you dumbstruck. Highly recommended.

First off, Akira was one of the first few animes I've ever watched (Hokuto no Ken being one of my top tier favorites) and it's without a doubt a true classic. Secondly, I knew the manga would show at the minimum 50% more than what the original video animation showed and I was VERY satisfied with the original story development and conclusion. Finally, I bought all 6 volumes and it was one of the best purchases I've ever made online. I highly recommended that you own this very unique and awesome manga collection that's easily a top 10 of all time in my opinion. And also, in my opinion, nothing beats Berserk as far as Seinen manga is concerned ;).

Akira was one of the first anime I've ever watched. I remember reading some issues of the comic back when they first came out but they were hard to find. Then I saw the anime and loved it. Buying these collections now are such a deal and brings back memories. Great art, story and characters, highly recommended for most anime lovers!

Akira still stands head and shoulders above the competition. The pivotal and compelling stories of a group of low-life juvenile friends who find their fast-riding life style come into a literal collision with destiny. Gorgeous as it is grandiose Akira is painstakingly detailed and remains one of the only graphic novels that can truly be described as "a labor of love". If you are a fan of graphic novels that somehow missed this one, you need to read it. Now. For fans of the film who don't normally read comics, the same applies. There really is nothing else like it, this work needs to be experienced and appreciated for what it is: A stunning work of art.

having just finished this one, words kind of fail. just read this series. phenomenal. PS at the time of this review this volume is on sale for about 11 bucks. do not pass that up!

There are several volumes (6 I think), read them all if you are a fan of the movie. Start with volume 1 :) It adds more detail to the story and goes a lot more in depth about the characters.

mang ive been wanting to get for sometime now. and its arrived sooner than expected.

Akira is like nothing else I've ever read. Volume 3 is where the story escalates from a chase through Neo-Tokyo to global catastrophe. The art is amazing. The details of such wide spread destruction is staggering. The last 30 pages of this volume will drop your jaw and leave you ordering the next volume immediatly.

Lectura recomendada para los fanáticos del manga de culto. No en todos lados se encuentra su version en ingles. Si eres fanático del manga y el cyberpunk definitivamente esto es para ti.

Peccato che abbiano ribaltato le immagini per un ordine di lettura occentale. Da parte di uno che di manga non ne sa né ne vuole generalmente sapere, ma che è anche per un approccio filologico all'opera di altre culture (perché imbastardire qualcosa di straniero secondo il nostro gusto non ha senso: non è più originale, ma non è nemmeno nostro).

Este excelente mangá veio numa belíssima edição com páginas em preto e branco e as iniciais coloridas. A história é um clássico! Toda a essência da obra de Katsuhiro Otomo presente nesta edição. Perfeito mangá de ficção científica com ação e suspense!

海外だとカラー版が普通なんだということで、カラーの元にした原稿を使っているんじゃないかと思う。 薄いトーンはほぼ全滅状態、細かい描写は潰れてしまっている。 英語アキラが読みたいというのでなければ全くお勧めしない。 オリジナルと比較して大友克洋は上手いなーと思うのには非常に価値があります。 １巻はさほどでもないけれど巻を重ねるごとに上手さが際立ちます。 それと同時に、左綴じだと読みづらい構図に感じると思います。（日本人はね）

The wife loves anime. Wanted this for Xmas. Bought it for her. She hasn't read it, but she was happy, and I earned some brownie points.