Akira - Volume I

A graphic and narrative explosion that redefined what could be expected from manga. Published between 1982 and 1990, this monumental work, spanning over two thousand pages, plunges the reader into a post-apocalyptic Japan, rebuilt after the devastation of a mysterious explosion in Tokyo. The city is reborn as Neo-Tokyo, a futuristic metropolis in moral ruin, steeped in corruption, youth violence and political paranoia.

At the heart of the narrative are Kaneda and Tetsuo, two teenagers drawn into a conflict between the government, revolutionary groups and an almost godlike psychic force called Akira.

What begins as a gang story rapidly evolves into a devastating reflection on power, identity, control and destruction. Otomo's art is obsessively detailed, almost claustrophobic, and brutally conveys the emotional and physical intensity of the story. 

Akira is as political as it is visual. A cry against authority, militarisation and the void left by war. A reminder that we are always very close to this. 

Katsuhiro Otomo, born in Japan in 1954, is a writer, illustrator and filmmaker. With Akira, he became one of the most influential names in manga and animation worldwide. The film adaptation he himself directed in 1988 catapulted anime to international audiences. Otomo confronts, provokes and forces the reader to face the collapse of social structures as a mirror of our own times. Andwrote, drew and supervised every detail of AKIRA practically alone. The scale of the work is monumental: hyper-realistic urban landscapes, meticulous destruction scenes, cinematic framing.

Akira does not age. It is a hand-drawn prophecy.