amount of detail, and Otomo, an avowed film buff, keeps things moving at a breathless, cinematic pace." In her book The Fantastic in Japanese Literature, Susan J. Napier described the work as a "no holds barred enjoyment of fluidity and chaos". Akira cemented Otomo's reputation and the success of the animated adaptation allowed him to concentrate on film rather than the manga form in which his career began. Katherine Dacey of MangaBookshelf called Akira one of manga's "greatest sci-fi epics." She also noted how Tetsuo and Kaneda seem like real teenage boys in the manga, not generic action figures like in the film's "grossly" simplified depiction of their relationship. Although stating that Akiras plot was still as topical as ever in the year 2009, Dacey felt that the art had not aged as gracefully. In his reviews of the first three volumes of Akira, Mark Pellegrini of AIPT Comics strongly praised Otomo's art as "simple, but very lively" and called him a master at drawing architecture. Pellegrini reviewed the series by making many comparisons to the animated film adaptation, calling the characterizations in the manga both "better and on par" with those in it. Anime News Network had four writers review Kodansha USA's 35th Anniversary box set of Akira. Austin Price and Lynzee Loveridge both gave it a perfect 5 out of 5 rating. Loveridge wrote that "Akira still feels incredibly relevant 35 years later. Giving it a three ½ star rating, Amy McNulty praised Otomo's art and setting. However, she called the characterizations weak and concluded that although Akira "does little to appeal to those who aren't interested in sci-fi, paranormal, or dystopian tales [...] manga fans owe it to themselves to at least check it out." Rebecca Silverman gave the series a rating of three out of five, calling Akira a must-read for anyone interested in manga. Related media While most of the character designs and basic settings were directly adapted from the original manga, the restructured plot of the movie differs considerably from the print version, changing much of the second half of the series. The film Akira is regarded by many critics as a landmark anime film: one that influenced much of the art in the anime world that followed its release. A video game, simply titled Akira, based on the animated film was released on December 24, 1988, by Taito for the Famicom console. The