A guide to the manga series discusses the characters, settings, and plot lines through volume twenty-one, and provides an interview with its creator and several Bleach short stories.

A global manga phenomenon in the early 1990s, Akira is a futuristic depiction with apocalyptic elements set in a Neo-Tokyo on the brink of civil war. Katsuhiro Otomo's work is a graphical and narrative treasure trove, confronting the revolutionary views of a disillusioned youth with the danger of scientific progress spiraling out of control. This book provides the social and historical context of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga, which is reflected in its...