The conclusion to Akira is expertly thought out and superbly executed. There are so many awesome moments in this volume that after finishing it you actually feel drained, but in a good way. The visuals are the real star as Otomo pushes the boundaries of his already stunning artwork. His depiction of Tetsuo's body failing to maintain its original form is utterly disgusting, the panoramic views of the city are breathtaking and the collage pages just blew me away. With art this good you almost didn't need the words.
In previous posts I have made references to different films but after rereading volume six I realised that each section of Akira could be compared to a different type of film. The first part of the story is a science fiction mystery, like Dark City or The Matrix, where our hero is caught up in events far bigger than they realise. The second book, with its fast and furious pace is undoubtedly the action movie of the series, I genuinely would love to see an adaptation of this part of the book. Volume three is more of a thriller, its filled with political intrigue and we now know the threats our heroes are facing. Its a classic panic filled adventure like the Fugitive. Part four is obviously a disaster movie, part Day after Tomorrow part Doomsday with the fifth book being a post apocalyptic epic like the Postman or Waterworld. Except its actually good.
If I had to compare book six to a type of film I'd say it was a monster movie. It is filled with many different monsters in various forms. If we ignore the obviously monstrous form of Tetsuo we still have the foreign military, biological weaponry and the orbital lasers. Otomo's Akira has an underlying message of the dangers of misusing power. It was written and set in the only country that has been attacked with nuclear weapons and I think its no coincidence that Akira's power evokes the memory of an atomic blast. There is a sequence were a foreign general orders the indiscriminate bombing of Neo Tokyo that made me feel sick.
What I truly loved about this final chapter was the nods to the previous books. In volume one we see a ghost-like Kaneda appear and it isn't explained until the very end of volume six. When you consider the ghost first appeared seven years before thats pretty impressive. Its this attention to detail that really set Akira apart from other mangas. Rereading this masterpiece has been an absolute treat and I honestly think that if you only ever read one manga you should make it Akira.
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