Akira #5 (Manga Monday)

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Title: Akira #5
Series: Akira
Author & Artist: Katsuhiro Otomo
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 416


Synopsis:
America prepares to invade Japan to kill off Akira and Tetsuo.

Kei, Lady Miyako and the remaining 3 Special Children prepare to take Tetsuo over and use his power to kill Akira.

Kaneda gathers the last of the biker gangs, gets some serious hardware [another laser gun] and prepares to kill Tetsuo to spare Kei from harm in her attempt.

Tetsuo, clean from drugs, has his power soar. He goes nuts and puts a hole in the moon, takes over an American aircraft carrier and sets off some nuclear warheads. And he's losing control of his body to the power, which simply wants to use him as a conduit.

And Akira. A silent young child who is totally enigmatic and who we still don't understand a thing about.

My Thoughts:
I didn't enjoy this volume as much as the previous one, not sure why though.

This had more focused action, more plot advancement and Kaneda was back. I like Kaneda :-)

Part of it was this was lots of setup for the final volume and I wasn't expecting setup. That's what Volume 4 was for. This was like a 3rd down in football where the ball is handed off and advanced 1 yard. Strategic, but not that exciting run down the field or the unexpectedly clever long throw.

I will say that Tetsuo taking a chunk out of the moon was pretty exciting though! and seeing how using the power is affecting his body is just plain creepy. Speaking of creepy though, Akira, just sitting there looking through his almost slitted eyes.
For a young boy who has said nothing in 5 volumes, he gives me the shivers. I felt sorry for him at first but after the revelations by the group of scientists on the aircraft carrier that he is simply a pure conduit for the Power, I wanted him destroyed as much as the Colonel wants him destroyed.

Lordy, I want to read the final volume NOW! But delayed gratification, it is good too...