Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Akira 1
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Akira 1 [Paperback]

Katsuhiro Otomo (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Paperback CDN $18.80   -- --
Paperback, Feb 14 2002 --   -- --

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product Details

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Originally serialized in Japan between 1981 and 1993, Otomo's 2,000-plus-page science fiction epic Akira was reprinted as a monthly comic book in the U.S. in the early '90s. This new six-volume series is the first time it's appeared as an English-language graphic novel. Set in Tokyo 38 years after its destruction in World War III (which, according to this story, happened in 1992), Akira eventually evolves into a philosophical investigation of time. But this first volume is all action, nonstop car chases and gun fights strung together with exaggerated speed lines and lots of gigantic machinery. The complicated plot revolves around two teenagers in a motorbike gang that encounters a strange child with an old man's features. When one of the young bikers begins manifesting violent, supernatural powers that threaten to destroy him, both bikers find themselves enmeshed in a massive conflict between two sinister agencies (which both believe they're fighting to save the world) over some unnamed thing so terrifying it's locked away in a vault and frozen to absolute zero. Akira has been praised for "massively decompressed storytelling" a few seconds of story time can take pages and Otomo's hyperkinetic black-and-white drawings explode across the page. The translation is sometimes a bit awkward, although it still expresses the story's visceral force. The book has been adapted into an animated film that's a favorite among anime fans.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

“One of the most important manga of the 1980s, Akira influenced thousands of science fiction manga and anime with its dark urban future.”—Manga: The Complete Guide --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
NINE HOURS LATER, WORLD WAR III BEGAN. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

42 Reviews
5 star:
 (36)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Excellent, May 22 2004
By 
This review is from: Akira 1 (Paperback)
Wow! I saw the anime (which has some of the best animation I've seen) and had to buy the graphic novel. I found that the pictures were detailed and the action sequences were very, very good. I'm thankful that they didn't try to squeeze the pen and ink drawings into tiny little boxes, making everything barely visible. It didn't skimp on the number of panels in each scene, making it smooth and easy to read. Buy this book.

Complaints:
1. I saw ten books in the series at the book store at twenty dollars each. That's $200 for part of a series.
2. Not recomended for young readers. There's loads of blood and cussing.
3. I've heard that this series used to be in color. The first few pages are in color and it's very nice. However, I realize that if the entire comic was in color, the price would probably be doubled.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


4.0 out of 5 stars Visually stunning, Jun 3 2004
By 
Sibelius (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Akira 1 (Paperback)
Most readers who first come across this book were more then likely first exposed to this epic sci-fi tale by way of the excellent 2 hour animated movie. Those that actually make the commitment to read through this 6 volume, 2000+ page magnum opus of graphic storytelling are in for one heck of a ride. Don't let this 360 page bad-boy's size scare you off - Katsuhiro Otomo's crisp storytelling and fantastic artwork literally flows at 100 m.p.h. giving you a smooth and intense reading experience. Before you know it you'll be finished with this first volume and scrounging up the scratch to buy the rest of the books in this series.

Vol. 1 of, 'Akira,' sets the tone for the rest of the series at breakneck speed. For those of you enamored with the film you'll truly enjoy and appreciate the heaping portions of additional backstory and characterization that the original 'book' series provides. But perhaps most important of all is the stunning visuals of Otomo's fluid and highly detailed black & white drawings. The sheer amount of detail is breathtaking and will have you coming back for repeated reads just to appreciate the visuals. A must read for fans of the movie or of sci-fi in general.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


5.0 out of 5 stars Cool Manga, May 7 2004
By 
Lauren B. Floss "flossfg2" (Buffalo NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Akira 1 (Paperback)
Awsome book that started my favirtie movie Akira. The book is better than the movie because the charactor's are better. This is a really fun book to read. If you like this I would also recomend the movie.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
› Go to Amazon.com to see all 66 reviews  4.9 out of 5 stars 
 
 		 Most recent customer reviews











Only search this product's reviews


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject













i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?