A review by kessler93
Akira, #1: The Highway by Katsuhiro Otomo

3.0

This serves as my entire review for the series since I completed in just one go today. Akira is pretty hyped post apocalyptic science fiction manga that spans over 2000 pages praised for its stunning visuals and its complex story. Frankly speaking, I felt Akira's story was a convoluted mess. This was not helped by the fact that the main characters came off as one dimensional and highly unlikable in regards to its two main protagonists Tetsuo and Kaneda. The book felt entirely dependent on its action scenes with very little time spent on fleshing out the story. The dialogue is just simply plain and horrible and pretty bothersome to go through at times. I only gave the book its 3 stars just because of the artwork alone. Neo Tokyo and its post apocalyptic scenery was just simply gorgeous to behold especially with the much welcome color additions. Many modern comic art would simply feel pale in comparison to the sheer details and magnitude presented within the pages of Akira.

I really would not go out of my way to recommend this book to someone and would rather ask people excellent anime adaptation instead. Akira can come off as a real bummer especially with the length of the book. Its better treating this book as a visual eye candy in order to come out with a more rewarding/tolerable reading experience.