feedingbrett's reviews
185 reviews

dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

As it builds towards its expected climax, we find our characters further converging towards a clearer goal, as our antagonist falls further from his grip. Expositions and key movements of its story pieces are heavily emphasised within these pages, carrying their ups and downs. Kaneda’s return brought a personality that became apparent to me that he was not entirely missed, despite the perceived growth that has been traced, his redemption arc feels sloppy at best - although I am willing to be proven wrong in its final volume. It was through Kei that acted as my emotional anchor and through her reflection and decisions I managed to feel more attuned to her emotions and all that she has endured. I will enter into its final chapters with strong hopes.

Akira, Volume 4 by Katsuhiro Otomo

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

With the devastation that was left upon the last volume’s final pages, here I found myself amid a narrative rebuild; a recalibration that resolves some of the previously burning questions, while laying down new ones that would set the course ahead. Familiar characters are introduced to us seemingly lost, found a new sense of purpose that, once its narrative threads begin to propel forward and slowly converge, restarted the kinetic energy we were familiar with. Reviewing the crumbling world surrounding them, one can be perplexed by the potential for further destruction and decay that can occur under their hands, and somehow the brutality that the author has laid out in his panelling has demonstrated an intensity beyond what has been offered. Humanity's risk of sinking further into the scummy bottom of the moral barrel is a fearful probability - a true worry that extends beyond the confines of its pages.

Akira, Volume 3 by Katsuhiro Otomo

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adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Without even slowing down for a drink of water, this third volume of Akira finds the characters frequently in motion. The titular character constantly shifted in ownership, sparking violence all around him, hoping that his potential for devastating violence wouldn’t erupt - a true irony. Yet, even the repetitiveness it has generated brought a broadening of perspective, and with Tetsuo essentially missing from these pages, the focus has spread onto the responsible stakeholders of the city’s integrity and progress. This has raised the stakes that were previously only intimate, leaving a shocking and traumatic stamp as the reader reaches its concluding pages. Much of this demonstrated tragedy may be seen from afar, but it didn’t take much imagination to recognise the theoretical damage that occurred within the impact. With all of that has been uncovered, I am impressed that this is only the halfway mark.

Akira, Volume 2 by Katsuhiro Otomo

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Introduced to a world suffering from decay, yet shrouded by a desperation for recovery, clashing political agendas hinder this world from meaningful progress. We are swept in a race; a sprint towards discovering and harnessing true power, an urgency to withhold such dangerous potential and placed under the wrongful hands, and a determination to recover a friend lost under the navigation of the political machine, entirely wrapped in a kinetic flow that never ceases to take a breath. This volume of Akira ramps up a momentum that is effectively sustained. While it may have left me in a state of hunger for things to decelerate and highlight more character moments rather than cater to tension, I remained patient in the hopes that such an appetite would be compensated later on.

Akira, Volume 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Treating us to a world of decay and fragility, much of what defines Akira is a desire, or in some respects, a desperation for power, demonstrated on both a large and minor scale. As we follow its set of characters, and watch the plot unfold, we are treated to a demonstration of a world only further succumbed to destruction rather than recovery. Ambitions stem from isolated points within the country rather than in unison, creating a monster that is beyond the means of their grasp. Akira feels like we are swimming in a constant state of damage control, and its repetitive failure in doing so has demonstratively shown the rubble and death trailing behind it.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The propulsion that generates my intrigue to move forward with the series has always been in the questions it generates in its bountiful humour. Step by step, as we follow the adventures of our now familiar characters, I am posed to question my existence in my amusement, as they travel to seek for an answer or a sense of clarity to a degree that I could never reach in my humble reach. Douglas Adams' writing lives in the absurdity, an absurdity that perhaps we are afraid to admit and anticipate, and yet we relish such to entertain us and cushion our anxieties and fears. This may not carry the novelty and the scenarios may not prove to be as lingering as its predecessor, but, all in all, it was a read that I appreciated.

Dissolving Classroom by Junji Ito

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dark mysterious fast-paced