kbrsuperstar's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Body horror
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
4.0
Reading the second book in a series you started four years ago is a little trippy, but it's not all that hard to figure out what's going on. The edition that I have does have a helpful summary of the entire story up till this book, so it was a perfectly little refresher course.
Anyway, volume two of Akira is all action, back to back, front to back, first page to the last. Unlike the first volume, which took its time to build up the characters and the city (as a character), this time it is all about Tetsuo being dead set on finding/meeting Akira, and everybody else trying to stop him.
Needless to say, the art is gorgeous on the page. Destruction has never looked better in a comic book, and Otomo's lines is as close to disaster porn as possible. And if high-octane action is what you seek, then it is what you are going to get. In fact, the characters themselves have little time to take a breather, as everybody's constantly rushing somewhere to find someone or something. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since there are four more books to go after this one, but this book is a little light on, well, development. Also, the sheer incompetence of the characters — from the Colonel to the Chief Scientist, as well as everybody in the military — is shocking to me. I mean, look, if shooting bullets at Tetsuo does next to nothing to him, shooting him a few more times is not going to work all of a sudden. Chain of command and standard operating procedures also go out of the window in times of crisis, with characters making their own decisions about a developing crisis without consulting anybody. Take over control of a satellite that shoots lasers from outer space? Sure, why not, even if it blasts gigantic craters in the ground. As long as it hits the people we need to hit, right? No, because the military people basically miss every single shot.
Like I said, incompetent.
It's still an enjoyable romp, but I do hope that the following volumes take their time to ramp up the story once again. I know the series was, in the late 1980s, advertised as an 'action comic' for young people, but that doesn't mean we need city-wide destruction and 'pew pew' lasers at every turn. You have, like, more than 1,000 pages in this series. Breathe in, hold it in there, take your time, breathe out, THEN destroy the fucking city — how's that? Thanks.
Anyway, volume two of Akira is all action, back to back, front to back, first page to the last. Unlike the first volume, which took its time to build up the characters and the city (as a character), this time it is all about Tetsuo being dead set on finding/meeting Akira, and everybody else trying to stop him.
Needless to say, the art is gorgeous on the page. Destruction has never looked better in a comic book, and Otomo's lines is as close to disaster porn as possible. And if high-octane action is what you seek, then it is what you are going to get. In fact, the characters themselves have little time to take a breather, as everybody's constantly rushing somewhere to find someone or something. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since there are four more books to go after this one, but this book is a little light on, well, development. Also, the sheer incompetence of the characters — from the Colonel to the Chief Scientist, as well as everybody in the military — is shocking to me. I mean, look, if shooting bullets at Tetsuo does next to nothing to him, shooting him a few more times is not going to work all of a sudden. Chain of command and standard operating procedures also go out of the window in times of crisis, with characters making their own decisions about a developing crisis without consulting anybody. Take over control of a satellite that shoots lasers from outer space? Sure, why not, even if it blasts gigantic craters in the ground. As long as it hits the people we need to hit, right? No, because the military people basically miss every single shot.
Like I said, incompetent.
It's still an enjoyable romp, but I do hope that the following volumes take their time to ramp up the story once again. I know the series was, in the late 1980s, advertised as an 'action comic' for young people, but that doesn't mean we need city-wide destruction and 'pew pew' lasers at every turn. You have, like, more than 1,000 pages in this series. Breathe in, hold it in there, take your time, breathe out, THEN destroy the fucking city — how's that? Thanks.
ostrava's review
4.0
Akira is a masterpiece and all that...it's influential and blah blah blah, you get the point.
But it has taken me an absurd amount of time to bring myself to continue with the story after volume 1. And I've come to realize it's because of the pacing and the tiring monotony of chaos.
Characters. Don't. Fucking. Stop. Moving.
And I can barely make sense out of the plot.
Now on the one hand, that's great. Some great action sequences, and an energy most comic books wished they shared. But the first volume felt more varied, and everything was fresh and new so the manga could get away with being ambiguous. But man, by chapter 10, I should see a basic plot forming. So far, there's none of it, just....chaos and intrigue.
But yeah, it's still Akira so it gets at least 4 stars. And yes, it was still enjoyable despite all of the above, but it's not an emotionally impactful work. Not so far anyway.
But it has taken me an absurd amount of time to bring myself to continue with the story after volume 1. And I've come to realize it's because of the pacing and the tiring monotony of chaos.
Characters. Don't. Fucking. Stop. Moving.
And I can barely make sense out of the plot.
Now on the one hand, that's great. Some great action sequences, and an energy most comic books wished they shared. But the first volume felt more varied, and everything was fresh and new so the manga could get away with being ambiguous. But man, by chapter 10, I should see a basic plot forming. So far, there's none of it, just....chaos and intrigue.
But yeah, it's still Akira so it gets at least 4 stars. And yes, it was still enjoyable despite all of the above, but it's not an emotionally impactful work. Not so far anyway.
robin_dh's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jimmypat's review
3.0
This volume is more of the same: a wonderful, cinematic quality marred by underdeveloped/unlikeable characters, a nebulous plot, and (too much) frenetic action. The ending does rise a bit above the rest of the book, so I have hope for the third volume.
germancho's review
5.0
Oh boy oh boy things are moving really fast now! Sadly, I read the whole thing in an hour and a half. I guess a later, more calm re-reading will do me good. Also, it was interesting to see that some very memorable scenes from the film weren't based on the source material.
schwertfeger49's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0