Akira vol 5 by katsuhiro otomo

Off the coast of Japan, a Japanese air carrier plays home base for some of the world’s best scientists. They’ve come together to analyze the data of the cataclysmic events happening in Japan, and to provide possible solutions and military tactics against it. Before they can get too far, Tetsuo susses out their location and pays them a visit, destroying their lab in the process. Between that and blowing a hole in the moon as a show of force to their waining subjects, Tetsuo is in danger of losing himself entirely to the psychic powers and becoming a shell of power as Akira has become. Lady Miyako is convinced she can combine forces with the remaining children to channel their power through Kei and take down Tetsuo before his spiral is complete. Kaneda, deep down, cares for Kei, so he sets off with his own band of former bikers to take down Tetsuo before more people get hurt.

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This volume was still full of lots of action like the rest of this series, but there was also a priority on tying up loose ends, as the series is nearing its close. There was also still plenty of violence, blood, and death on page for those readers who have come to expect that from this series. This volume also does provide some very small explanations (finally) about the strange powers these certain individuals have, but don't look for anything to be completely neat and bow-wrapped. There's a lot of inference and guessing still even with these explanations. The story is still extremely immersive and enthralling to the point where 400 pages fly by effortlessly.

Aside from the previous incidents in this series that keeps the rating at Older Teen, in this one we get some more nudity. Kei undergoes a cleansing ritual and we do see her naked from the waste up.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4

Publisher: Kodansha
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 9781935429074 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Action Adventure, ​Kodansha