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Home > Books > Comics > Manga Comics > Akira - Katsuhiro Otomo

User Reviews

for Akira - Katsuhiro Otomo

Rating Summary based on 10 reviews

  • 5 Stars
    		8
  • 4 Stars
    		2
  • 3 Stars
    		0
  • 2 Stars
    		0
  • 1 Star
    		0

Detailed rating

  • Characters
  • Graphics
  • How does it compare to other works by the same author?
  • How does it compare to similar books?
  • Readability
  		• 4.4
  		• 4.9
  		• 3.4
  		• 4.3
  		• 4.8

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  • 35 of 35 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Trevni

    Trevni

    4 Stars Possible Outcome of Dubya's War-manga-ry Review with images 09/12/2004
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Classic Example of Japanese Anime/Manga Art, Cult following

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Expensive! And quite hard to find. American translation of Japanese is never positive either

    See what I did there? I thought that was quite clever, you disagree? Oh. On with the review then! While round at a course-mates flat, I spotted he was a bit of a comic buff. I paid it no mind and just casually flicked through some of his books while I was waiting for the pizza to arrive. This is when I came across AKIRA. Which I have promptly read most of, even though I'm not a big comic book fan. Akira is a Japanese comic book series, the brainchild of artist Katsuhiro Otomo, a ridiculously talented man that I have discovered has done many more works than just Akira, but I haven't checked ... more
  • 13 of 14 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Sumoeggnoodle

    Sumoeggnoodle

    5 Stars One of the best comic series ever 04/07/2004
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Beautiful artwork, epic plot

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Expensive

    I'll start by pointing out that my review is based on the Dark Horse reprint of Akira that was released in 2001 (I think?). Each copy is pretty difficult to get hold of and you can expect to pay in the region of £25 for each of the 6 volumes (thats right. I paid £150 for a comic). It is a 2,500+ page piece that took creator Katsuhiro Otomo 10 years to finish. The plot is essentially the same as the well known (and quite superb) anime but with one very major difference. The film was created mid-way through the creation of the comic meaning that the Akira story was not complete. This isn't to ... more
  • 8 of 8 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Mikewarren

    Mikewarren

    5 Stars Simply the best! 10/07/2004
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Detailed, essential manga, action packed

    Disadvantages Disadvantages pricey and hard to find

    Comics, in our western world its thought that they are only for children, but in Japan they are a beautiful artform for all ages (sometimes shocking and explicit). Akira, the complicated plot revolves around around a biker gang who, one oe of their hi-speed races around the city of Neo-Tokyo (destroyed in WWIII and rebuilt) they come across a child with the feaures of an old man. Which leads to the death of one of the bikers, later one of the gang members starts to find he has strange psychic powers. They then get tangled up with a strange agency and other gangs, and then the reader finds out ... more
  • 17 of 17 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of AmberHall

    Level 2 AmberHall

    Member since 19/03/2006

    Reviews written: 23

    5 Stars The *Real* Matrix 19/03/2006
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages A terrific storyline, and groundbreaking animation

    Disadvantages Disadvantages The fact that it is animated may put you off

    The Wachowski Brothers said that without Akira, the Matrix would never have been made, and I'm inclined to believe that they are right. Akira is action packed with explosive effects, and a terrific storyline. One of the best things about it, is that you do not need to be a manga expert, to be able to speak Japanese or to even like science fiction particularly in order to watch it. I won't ruin the storyline for you, but I can tell you that if motorbikes, telepathic powers, exploding objects and great characterization are your forte then you should check this out. People often suggest Akira as ... more
  • 21 of 22 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Raybid

    Raybid

    4 Stars Akira manga motorbike madness 06/07/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Unusual, Japanese, funky

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Hard to get into, hard to get hold of too.

    Anyone in the West who has heard of Akira has probably just heard of (or seen) the Manga animation, but the roots of that were in the long running japanese comic of the same name. Like so many comicbooks, there is a BIG backstory, and if you want to get into Akira, then your best bet is to hunt down a local comicbook store (or trawl the net for your nearest mail order stockist) and catch up by reading the trade paperbacks (collected editions of comics as big paperbacks). Akira is definative Manga, the strip has that slightly deformed look of most japanese art, big eyes and heads, action sweeps ... more
  • 3 of 6 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of mentalninjaboy

    Level 1 mentalninjaboy

    Member since 11/07/2011

    Reviews written: 6

    5 Stars Akira perfection... with a cost 12/07/2011
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages amazing visuals and plot

    Disadvantages Disadvantages very expensive

    Written by Katsuhiro Otomo in the space of ten years Akira is a 6 volume graphic novel. The story is set in Neo Tokyo after the original tokyo was destroyed by a nuclear explosion, this landscape is still recognizable through the beautiful artwork. As the story unfolds we discover more about what caused this destruction and follow the tales of the separate power groups striving for dominance after the wreckage. As powers psychic powers develop in residents of Neo Tokyo the power struggle increases in magnitude. The landscapes are mostly all from Otomos imagination which further enhances the ... more
  • 3 of 4 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of jonnyholden

    Level 1 jonnyholden

    Member since 02/03/2007

    Reviews written: 3

    5 Stars Akira: Pictures speak louder than words. 02/03/2007
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Full of Akira images not seen in the movie or manga

    Disadvantages Disadvantages A lot of the images would be better in colour.

    This is the first time that this exceptional book has been produced in the english language. Published by Dar Horse, this 256 page catalogue of images is a superb companion to the movie Akira and also to the Akira manga series. Inside this book, you will find a vast array of Katsushiro Otomo's mind blowing visions of neo-tokyo and also over 100 various comic book covers created for the printed series but never actually used. This book also has a lot of unseen alternate artwork, production sketches and initial drawings along with a variety of Akira posters.product advertisements and also an ... more
  • 2 of 17 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of sanjurosama

    sanjurosama

    5 Stars Akira-manga classic 09/12/2004
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages classic manga

    Disadvantages Disadvantages price

    Akira is a classic piece of manga. It was the first to really make an impression on non-japanese society. The story of a genetically engineered biker keeps you guessing about what is giving him his power. Is it implants? Psychics? or even his bike?! The great series over six HUGE volumes and a great milestone for modern manga. The only problem is that to buy the whole series, it would cost over one hundred english pounds to purchase the entire series!!! This landmark series was also the first series to banish the western thought process that comics were for children and when it was released as ... more
  • 9 of 43 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    5 Stars Quick review of Akira - Katsuhiro Otomo by twistedalice 02/06/2008
    This is one of the most indepth mangas that I have ever read. Its full of lots of humor and action.
  • 1 of 12 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of kelkster

    kelkster

    5 Stars An absolute stunner 31/03/2007
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Even greater than the film

    Disadvantages Disadvantages difficult to get hold of

    Akira has to be my favourite manga ever and my favourite anime, its storyline is unusual and complex. As soon as I had begun reading this i was instantly hooked to everything and anything Akira related, a must buy for any manga fan. It is quite a long manga, the version i have spans 6 books and is just above 2,500 pages long. Although after the first couple of pages the rest flies by. I would suggest buying this even if you saw the anime first as there are a few elements included that were missed out of the anime. This would also make a brilliant purchase for a first time buyer of manga. The ... more
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