Talk:Akira (manga)

Latest comment: 2 years ago by Xfansd in topic Release dates

Subjective writing edit

Someone added the following to the movie-blurb: "The film will be set in New Manhattan - a decision which has drawn severe criticism from die-hard Akira fans.[4][5][6]" The links that the references led to had no mention of any fan responses, neither positive or negative. TorbenFrost (talk) 07:42, 5 August 2008 (UTC)Reply

AKIRA (2009 film) edit

why does that link to this page when in the AKIRA film section it mentions this film and says AKIRA (2009 film) main section. if you click on it it takes you to the manga section, that makes no sense! how do I get to the article on the 2009 film! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.19.224.124 (talk) 04:53, 30 April 2008 (UTC)Reply

Yes, there's a redirection circlejerk happening here: Akira (film) disambigs to Akira (2009 film) redirects to Akira (manga) disambigs to Akira (film). Will some fan please start the Akira (2009 film) article to solve this?--87.162.1.180 (talk) 11:28, 15 October 2008 (UTC)Reply

theres 2 endings for akira the 1 for japan story .an the other 1 for marvel in u.s. the marvel stip ed early in the early 1990s cuz otomo felt the he wanted a different ending.. sumtime in the the mid-1990s,otomo tools years to rewrite the u.s. ending ,marvel printed the bookk around 1996 ..i havent hread bout this since the 1990s... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.113.8.205 (talk) 18:39, 7 June 2008 (UTC)Reply


On a similar note, why is the anime mentioned so often in the intro to this article? The two are very distinct pieces of work and I think it would be much cleaner if the manga article simply linked to the anime article instead of trying to make comparisons in every single sentence. I haven't read or seen them recently enough to make these edits myself, but I think this article is doing a HUGE disservice to the manga by constantly referencing the inferior anime instead of simply stating: For more info about the anime title of the same name, see Akira (film). 76.24.24.170 (talk) 05:35, 1 August 2008 (UTC)Reply

Plot Summary edit

Ok, the current plot summary has been copied from the film article. I haven't read the comics in a while, so maybe someone who has could write a proper summary. Thanks. fataltourist 23:36, 2 January 2006 (UTC)Reply

  1. Groovemaster D. 10:29, 10 January 2006 (UTC)Reply

I've recently read them and this manga is the primary reason I signed in as a registered user. I'm glad to see someone else also thought this manga needed a page different from the movie. I'm busy writing a summary and I'm also thinking about analyzing the metaphores more elaborately. Maybe a good source for more information is http://www.ceri-sciencespo.com/archive/avril00/artjmb.pdf. It's a great article (eventhough it has several grammar errors) and that's the one I'm currently trying to incorporate in the Akira (Manga) article. I'll probably make a lot of errors with this because I'm not familiar with editing Wikipedia, or other, pages whatsoever.

It needs to be an objective outline of the plot. Metaphors are too open to interpretation. Just try to write a clear, concise outline of events. I can help edit and wikify the text. fataltourist 14:03, 10 January 2006 (UTC)Reply
Thanks, I'll take into mind. But it would be alright if a part of the page will be made where interpretations/meanings or something can be put, right? BTW, I'm Dutch and although I think I can speak and write pretty good English, don't be too surprised when a grammarmistake slips into my stuff. As of the moment, I'm still summarizing the story a bit more elaborately (as well as working for the my study). Groovemaster D.
  1. OK, So I've added my synopsis. Just adjust what you do not think is appropriate, what is bad English, add links or anything else you think should be adjusted. I'll probably now move on to adding some character paragraphes. Groovemaster D. 15:32, 22 January 2006 (UTC)Reply
I've read all the comics and am willing to help out where I can, I was planning on separating the Manga info myself and began a synopsis but I've been busy with exams, so this took a back seat. I personally recommened breaking up the synopsis into the six books, just to make it that little bit easier on the eyes and to make it more clear. I think V for Vendetta is a good example of a well organised comic book wikipage. What are your views on a more detailed list of characters? Ajplmr 09:45, 1 February 2006 (UTC)Reply
  1. We can always seperate the synopsis into the six books. I do not think it would be my preferation but just try and see what happens, maybe I'll end up liking it and even if I don't, that does not really matter. I think the thing I really wish to do is, at least, give an outline of Tetsuo's physical changes, what they (could) stand for and what Tetsuo's behaviour is at that time. Maybe we could also add more information about Kaneda, Kei, the Children and others? --Groovemaster D. 09:34, 8 February 2006 (UTC)Reply


I have all the books at home, I'll add to the undone summaries once I can find them all again.

Shamanic Enzan 14:47, 6 June 2006 (UTC)Reply

Year of the first destruction of Tokyo edit

The article says the first explosion, mentioned in the prologue happened in december 1992. My japanese version of the book says december 1982 (which would be right about the time Otomo started drawing OR the time the first pages were published). I'm not sure about the translations, the date could have been altered for them. Can someone elaborate on this? If not, I'll change the date to december 1982. 213.172.254.96 12:07, 28 April 2006 (UTC)Reply

My English version (Dark Horse) says 1992, and it also has the line "38 years after World War III (2030 AD)," and 2030-1992 = 38. Rapidflash 04:18, 15 May 2006 (UTC)Reply

user.lain's edits edit

Just for the record, all I did was edit the volume summaries for grammar and clarification in some places. --User.lain 06:37, 28 July 2006 (UTC)Reply

  • Thanks for your help! Book 4 needs to be condensed. I will try to work on turning it into a concise summary if I have time. --fataltourist 12:57, 28 July 2006 (UTC)Reply
On top of that, Book 1, at least, could use some expansion as far as I can tell. I've only just started reading the series today but I'm 2/3rds through and unless I'm mistaken, the summary for Book 1 ended quite a ways back from where I am. Looks like it needs to both cover more of the volume but also be condensed given how little ground the paragraph that's already there covers. (Kind of like this comment I just made!) --User.lain 09:53, 30 July 2006 (UTC)Reply

Can we state that there is a distinction between the Japanese and English version's date of the explosion? ObedMuta (talk) 04:18, 17 February 2019 (UTC)Reply

akira as a startpoint for animanga edit

Well, I don't think that needs a citation, I mean... Sure, NOR is very important but anyone that has dabbled on a few animanga communities can tell that this statement is true. That said, I think Akira popularity as a central animanga has declined over time, maybe replaced with newer centerpieces. Then again, that's original research and doesn't belong to Wikipedia, but...

No "buts". You've said it yourself: it's original research, so it doesn't belong here. And you're most probably wrong, like all those people on "animanga communities". 207.164.158.194 (talk) 01:13, 9 June 2008 (UTC)Reply

collected editions v. individual books edit

I've never looked at any of the six volumes, can anyone tell me when a new volume begins and ends in the series of 38 books? --Onesecond 21:28, 18 September 2006 (UTC)Reply

That depends. For example, I used to borrow a three-pack set of the smaller Marvel issues from a friend, and immediately noticed that the first of the three comprised the last part of Book 3 (where Kaneda and company come face-to-face with the Colonel and Akira unleashes his power again), and the other from the first part of Book 4, where the Great Tokyo Empire is established. --Eaglestorm (talk) 06:41, 18 September 2008 (UTC)Reply

AKIRA hardcovers by Graphitti Designs edit

Is there any word if Graphitti Designs ever plans to release the sixth and final volume of their limited edition hardcover collection? 74.244.63.126 00:48, 10 March 2007 (UTC)Reply

Themes? edit

"Akira, like Otomo's other work (such as Domu), revolves around the basic idea of individuals with superhuman powers, in particular psychokinetic abilities, but much of the story does not focus on these abilities themselves, but rather the people involved, social issues and the political ramifications of their existence. The social commentary is not particularly deep or philosophical, but rather a wry look at youth alienation, government corruption and inefficiency, and a military grounded in old-fashioned Japanese honor, displeased with the compromises of modern society."

Alright, the problem with this section, and a problem that pisses of people who understand their english classes, is that these are not themes, but are motifs. A theme can be written as a complete statement, esentially as one of the messages contained in the book. For instance, "the idea of the cosmic stream presented in Akira is used to assert that entropy and chaos is inevitable, and that order and society are destined to crumble." Now, the problem with a theme section is that themes are provable, but they are not encyclopedic fact.

"revolves around the basic idea of individuals with superhuman powers, in particular psychokinetic abilities" is definitely a motif, as are "youth alienation, government corruption and inefficiency, and a military grounded in old-fashioned Japanese honor".

Also, the statement "The social commentary is not particularly deep or philosophical" is a statement of opinion and is a violation of NPOV.

So I'm going to edit the section.

Yikes, overgrown plot section edit

This really needs to be trimmed down guys. A lot. I'd help, but my computer access is limited.--SeizureDog 19:10, 7 July 2007 (UTC)Reply

Seriously cut down. Like to a two or three paragraphs per volume, at most -- see WP:NOT#PLOT. I'd help, but no way I can pick out which of the profusion of details are the significant ones. —Quasirandom 01:29, 22 August 2007 (UTC)Reply
Cut way down. And I'm not going to do it either. Timothy Perper (talk) 14:25, 14 December 2007 (UTC)Reply
Ultra supermegasaiyan cut down. I'd be willing to help out if I can find the time. Eyeball kid (talk) 17:04, 30 March 2008 (UTC)Reply
Agreed. I'll help turn these into synopsis-length paragraphs.207.164.158.194 (talk) 01:16, 9 June 2008 (UTC)Reply
Okay, I've trimmed a bit of the Book 1 plot, but Jesus Christ, this is going to take forever. I still think it's too long. There should be a better way to go about this, like re-writing the whole thing.207.164.158.194 (talk) 02:00, 9 June 2008 (UTC)Reply
It's worth the effort, dont' worry. --Eaglestorm (talk) 16:40, 9 June 2008 (UTC)Reply
Ugh, we're all agreed, but what a task, and I don't feel comfortable doing it until I reread the manga. These entries are meticulously detailed but it's just too much information. Cripes, I'm usually in favor of more info on wikipedia but these synopses are just unreadable. 76.24.24.170 (talk) 05:41, 1 August 2008 (UTC)Reply

He, i too agree that the plot needs to be shortened, but please take into consideration two things: 1.- Akira's plot is extremely complicated, particularly the section between akira's awakening and the destruction of neo-tokio (the whole chase-in-the-streets sequence between Nezu, the army, the protagonists and miyako's girls), given that there are many characters with unrelated story lines that affect each other, and a shortened exposition could very well be very very confusing to someone that has not read the manga. 2.- As an encyclopedia article, the plot summary should server a reference purpose, by containing mention and context of all things that could be of interest to readers, particularly things that are part of the story setting, being as this is a soft science fiction plot and its full of things that only make sense in the context of the story.

I have an example for this, and it's the reason i came in the first place to the talk page, but found your discussion about the plot: i wanted to find the name of the american counterpart to SOL seen in the manga, that Tetsuo crashes into the aircraft carrier, and i noticed that there's a gaping hole in the plot, in the end of book five: "Back at the aircraft carrier, the Admiral goes to the ship's infirmary to check on the condition of the scientists of Project "Juvenile A" after Tetsuo's destructive onslaught", but no mention is made of this event, neither of Kay's fight with tetsuo in the aircraft as a medium for Miyako, nor the scene previous to that one that is critical to understanding the relationship between her and kaneda.

The above examples shows that a briefer plot exposition should be built with extreme care, as leaving this details out make the article useless as a reference source, and this is, after all, an encyclopedia and it should be the kind of place where one would be able to find answers to questions like "what is the name of the american satellite...". In the context of this article, this questions can only be answered in the plot exposition, unless one created reference sections for all the elements mentioned in the story that could motivate interest and searching form readers, which is much more difficult.

I haven't got access to all the books right now, and haven't read it in a long time, so i'm affraid that i, too, would be unable to assist with this daunting task. sorry. Gorgonzola (talk) 14:56, 1 August 2008 (UTC)Reply

ps: the funny thing is that while i was writing this comment, i had a sudden flash of memory and remembered the name: it's called Floyd.

People, fret not: the entire section has been CUT DOWN like you've wished. --Eaglestorm (talk) 06:42, 18 September 2008 (UTC)Reply

External Links edit

This external links need to be cleaned up per the policy guidelines at External Links to Be Avoided. Anyone up for the task?ask123 (talk) 14:12, 28 March 2008 (UTC)Reply

I am just trying to figure out how BlueBladeAkira is a relevant link and Akira2019.com isn't? It seems like some of the "new" editors of this page are taking an over zealous approach to what links can and can't be included based on their personal opinion. I've read the guidelines and still see akira2019.com as the most relevant link there is to any article about Akira. Seems like nothing more than a grudge against the site.

B-Class Assesment required edit

This article needs the B-Class checklist filled in to remain a B-Class article. If the checklist is not filled in by 7th August this article will be re-assessed as C-Class. The checklist should be filled out referencing the guidance given at Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Assessment/B-Class criteria. For further details please contact the Comics WikiProject. Comics-awb (talk) 11:26, 30 July 2008 (UTC)Reply

Copyedit edit

  • I changed "realised" to "realistic", and it got changed back, so I tried "well-realised"; let me know if that's not what you meant.
  • The refs section is broken. - Dan Dank55 (send/receive) 17:57, 17 September 2008 (UTC)Reply
Fixed. - Dan Dank55 (send/receive) 18:28, 17 September 2008 (UTC)Reply
    • I think "realistic" got changed during an edit conflict, to be honest, it wasn't a conscious decision and I do remember conflicting with you once. i thought I covered all the changes but it must have snuck by me. Hiding T 22:16, 17 September 2008 (UTC)Reply
  • Per Wikipedia:Waf#List of exemplary articles, it seems to me the list of characters is okay (or will be when I'm done with it), so I removed the "tone" tag. However, I'm not great with fiction articles, so feel free to revert me if I'm wrong. - Dan Dank55 (send/receive) 18:09, 17 September 2008 (UTC)Reply
  • Done. - Dan Dank55 (send/receive) 18:28, 17 September 2008 (UTC)Reply
    • I was thinking of culling the list, to be honest, I can never work out when you stop adding characters to it which is usually a good reason not to start. Hiding T 22:16, 17 September 2008 (UTC)Reply

Refs edit

Just bookmarking refs for later work:

I hate it when this happens. edit

Click Tetsuo Shima. This article redirects to itself.

Idiots. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.219.219.155 (talk) 06:36, 23 October 2008 (UTC)Reply

Review(s) edit

--KrebMarkt (talk) 18:33, 29 August 2010 (UTC)Reply

--Gabriel Yuji (talk) 05:54, 2 May 2012 (UTC)Reply

External links modified edit

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Kaneda's namesake edit

Specifically, it's a widely known fact (among Japanese circles) that Kaneda's name was taken directly from the protagonist of Tetsujin 28-go, who shares the same name down to the kanji. However, I can't find any English-language sources that state this. (As a side note, Tetsuo's name (鉄雄, literally "iron male"), as well as Akira's designation as "project 28", are also references to that series.) Can Japanese-language sources be used on English wiki pages? -Wohdin (talk) 08:45, 10 August 2017 (UTC)Reply

External links modified edit

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Requested move 24 July 2019 edit

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: withdrawn by nominator. The film being an equivalently primary topic slipped my mind. ZXCVBNM (TALK) 20:09, 24 July 2019 (UTC)Reply


(non-admin closure)

– The manga appears to be the primary topic here, pageview wise it gets an average of 1300 a day, far surpassing any other article called Akira. It's safe to say that if someone types Akira they usually want to look at the page for the manga. ZXCVBNM (TALK) 14:04, 24 July 2019 (UTC)Reply

  • Oppose Akira is a centuries-old common name, while the manga is a popular contemporary work. We generally do not override terms with longevity with popular contemporary works just because they get more hits (eg we did not move Avatar around when the film came out). --Masem (t) 14:43, 24 July 2019 (UTC)Reply
  • Oppose. Interested to know what stats you were looking at because the 1988 film generally pulls in well over twice as many pageviews as the manga. But I'm not convinced that any article can claim to be the primary topic here. PC78 (talk) 15:10, 24 July 2019 (UTC)Reply

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Split request edit

The sections "Plot" and "Characters" seem to be unnecessarily detailed for this article. I suggest that they be rewritten in a condensed form and a their bulk content be moved to another article, say "List of Akira chapters". Tetrahedron17 (talk) 13:04, 24 April 2020 (UTC)Reply

Release dates edit

So I just got the Akira Club book and I noticed that the release dates given in it for the six volumes differ from the ones currently listed in this article as sourced by Kodansha's website. The book also includes several original advertisements for the volumes from back in the day which show the same release dates and these dates also match the ones listed on the Japanese wiki article. The book also gives the magazine dates for each chapter and the first and last dates differ from the start and end dates currently listed in this article, but this is probably due to that cover date versus street date nonsense and this article currently doesn't have a source for the ones it uses. What are other people's opinions on which set of release dates to use? Xfansd (talk) 01:28, 23 September 2021 (UTC)Reply

@Xfansd: Older Kodansha links had different dates from the current ones. This from the first volume for example: [4] Is this the same date that figures on the book? - Xexerss (talk) 03:49, 23 September 2021 (UTC)Reply
I just checked the Japanese Wiki and they have the same dates. Here I will leave every volume: [5] [6] [7] [8][9] [10] - Xexerss (talk) 03:56, 23 September 2021 (UTC)Reply
Thanks, I'll use those when I get around to adding the pretty large amount of info from the book that I want to add. I noticed when you recently uploaded a new version of the vol 1 image that the cover lists the price at 1500 yen. Akira Club has early concept designs of each volume's cover next to images of what seem to be the final image used. But the prices in these seemingly final designs usually differ from the prices seen on the volume covers in the advertisements included later in the book (the price in most is hard to read due to the image size tho). The "seemingly final design" for vol 1 has the price at 1030 yen, but at least one advert shows it as 1000 yen. Basically, I don't know which price was on the actual first edition cover, I just wanted to note that the price has changed at times. Xfansd (talk) 04:37, 23 September 2021 (UTC)Reply
I'll try to search an image which includes the original price (or at least the lower price). - Xexerss (talk) 05:07, 23 September 2021 (UTC)Reply
BTW, by any chance, do you have any source for the actual dates of the series' publication in the magazine? I really know it's hard to get that kind of information, particularly for older series, but it would be helpful to add them. - Xexerss (talk) 05:57, 23 September 2021 (UTC)Reply
Yes, I mentioned in my first message that Akira Club has the magazine dates for all 120 chapters (they appear to be the cover dates). First was December 20, 1982 and last was June 25, 1990. I was gonna change the article to use these and cite the book as the source when I am able to add all the other stuff. Xfansd (talk) 22:04, 23 September 2021 (UTC)Reply
Sorry, I didn't notice. That's neat. - Xexerss (talk) 22:09, 23 September 2021 (UTC)Reply
I'm putting this here for posterity's sake in case any editor comes along years from now and tags my citations as needing page numbers; Akira Club has no page numbers at all (at least not the 2017 English edition by Kodansha Comics). Since I'm going to be adding a large amount of stuff from various different places in the book, I think it's a little unreasonable to expect someone to hand count hundreds of pages to put down the exact one(s). Please allow me to do just one citation for everything. Xfansd (talk) 01:27, 25 September 2021 (UTC)Reply