Akira vol 1 back

The epic that started off the western manga interest. Kaneda and his bike gang cruise the streets of New Tokyo, high on pills, fighting with other gangs and looking for a release from the school days. One of them is different, filled with deadly potential, ready to be controlled by the government or unleashed on his own. This is Tetsuo, a boy who is yet to understand his telekinetic powers. Then there are the other kids who share his abilities, locked away in a government base, feared by those who know about them. And then there's Akira himself... If you've seen the film, you know this much already but there's plenty more inside the book.

At over two thousand pages, the manga has major differences to the anime. Different routes are taken, new characters introduced, other arguments put forward. The two stories have the same basic themes and some of the same events but differ wildly. Otomo's huge, powerful tale contains some amazing scenes thundering on with grand, panoramic energy.