Akira Manga (An elaboration of the Japanese series by Katsuhiro Otomo)

Akira Manga was a Japanese series that found itself translated into English. It was written by Katsuhiro Otomo. The writer managed to capture the events that are happening in our society and bring them to life. It is no secret that corruption is something that is being fought against and he brought out the theme perfectly. He also showed how power and society can influence someone either positively or negatively. The story came in six volumes and each volume managed to explore each character at a more in-depth approach. This helped to readers to understand the characters and what drove them to be who they were. It was also made into an animated series therefore offering readers the chance to establish clear characters.

The series starts with a nuclear explosion in Tokyo that triggers the start of world war III. It then skips to more than thirty years later where a new city by the name Neo-Tokyo is brought into the series. The city is home to anti-government terrorism and gangs. It is also in volume one that we are introduced to two key characters Tetsuo who is a member of Kaneda's gang.

The rivalry is intense as each group tries to take power from the other and is willing to use any means possible. As the series progresses from one volume to the next more characters are brought to life. The main character Akira is also introduced who we learn was a test subject that caused the destruction of Tokyo.

Akira is a just a boy like any other, but has the ability to cause distress to the whole city and military. Akira escapes with from his holding cell with the help of Tetsuo. The city becomes divided between two groups one of them groups which Akira belongs to is known for terrorizing people,

It becomes apparent that Akira has the ability to trigger explosions and destroy everything in his path. This means that whoever has him in their team is ultimately the superior team. Different groups try to get a hold of Akira and friends suddenly turn into enemies because of power.

In the Climax the United Nations is brought into the picture and they become responsible for rescuing those who have survived the explosion triggered by Tetsuo who turns out to have similar powers similar to Akira's. Despite Akira's name being used as the title the main protagonist is Kaneda. Kaneda confronts the United Nations and declares the city sovereign. He also warns them that Akira is still alive. In the end he becomes friends with Colonel Shikshima.

Akira Manga is epic and will leave a person craving for more most especially if one factors in the time it was first produced. This might also be the reason that its animated series was a huge success. Technology then was not what it is now, but it has managed to beat all the odds and still maintain its position in the entertainment industry. It is action packed and this makes it very intense as one waits to see how characters are going to respond to different situations. It doesn’t matter which century you were born in Akira Manga is for you.

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