Japan

• Akira: Book 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo (2000)

  [9/10]

  "I often find the story so compelling that I'm turning pages faster than I can take in the artwork, and have to constantly remind myself to take the time to carefully look at every frame."

• Akira: Book 2 by Katsuhiro Otomo (2001)

  [8/10]

  "An excellent progression of the storyline and marvelous artwork."

• Akira: Book 3 by Katsuhiro Otomo (2001)

  [7/10]

  "Otomo continues with the same level of highly detailed artwork."

• Akira: Book 4 by Katsuhiro Otomo (2001)

  [7/10]

  "A lot happens in Book 4 to move the plot forward, but nothing really gets resolved."

• Akira: Book 5 by Katsuhiro Otomo (2001)

  [7/10]

  "In several places, Ôtomo describes the psychic abilities as a form of human evolution. It seems odd that human beings would evolve into a form that ultimately would eliminate human personality and place no value on human life."

• Akira: Book 6 by Katsuhiro Otomo (2002)

  [8/10]

  "Otomo has created an incredible, compelling story that to me defines great manga and provides the epitome of the art form so far."

• Akira directed by Katsuhiro Otomo (1988)

  [7/10]

  "Most viewers who like science fiction should find Akira an accessible story, but I highly recommend reading the six volume graphic novel for a richer, more detailed version of the story."

• Pokémon the First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back directed by Michael Haigney, Kunohiko Yuyama (1999)

  [4/10]

  "I find the Pokémon TV series (at least the first couple of seasons) fun and interesting, but the movie lacks most of the endearing qualities of the series. My two-year-old, who sat through all of The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland begged me to take her home."

• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (1992)

  [7/10]

  "Stephenson smoothly conflates religion, linguistics, and programming into his storyline. Obviously, he did a lot of research for Snow Crash and much of that research appears in large blocks of exposition. I found the information interesting, but readers who like steady action will probably dislike the information dumps."

  Average score: 7.11