Domu is a graphic novel created by Katsuhiro Otomo. Similar to his most famous work (Akira (film)), the story centers around children possessing telekinetic powers.

Synopsis

The death of a resident of a sprawling urban housing complex marks the climax of mounting concerns by city officials. Though apparently a suicide, Ueno's death is one of an unusually large number of deaths. Tamura, a young detective, is sent to investigate.

Meanwhile, Yamagawa, Tamura's senior investigator, learns what he can about the other residents. They include Yoshio Gujiyama (or "Little Yo"), a mentally retarded man of considerable size but infantile intelligence, Yoshikawa, an abusive alcoholic, and Uchida (or "Old Cho)," a senile old man with the "mind of a child."

After the death of a police office in the housing complex, Yamagawa discovers the truth: Old Cho has considerable telekinetic and psychich powers, and in his childlike senility, is using them to amorally kill residents because he covets trinkets in their possesion. Yamagawa does not survive this encounter.

Tamura is driven to discover the cause of Yamagawa's mysterious apparent sucide, while Old Cho meets his match in Etsuko, a young girl recently moved into the apartment complex with psychic powers as advanced as his. Taking control of Tsutomu, a student failing to pass his college entrace exams, Old Cho tries to kill Etsuko. Failing this Old Cho compelles Tsutomu to commit violent and bloody suicide in front of Etsuko to intimidate her.

Tamura continues to hunt for the truth, determining with the help of a Buddhist monk adept in animistic shamanism that some sort of supernatural conflict involving "children" is at work in the complex.

Meanwhile, Etsuko and Cho's rivalry escalates. Yoshikawa is given a gun and a murderous impulse to kill Etsuko, which he tries to use, instead shooting his own son and Little Yo, who goes berzerk and beats Yoshikawa to death.

A large-scale rooftop psychic duel ensues, which (through the combined forces of erupting gas mains and large-scale telekinetic manifestations) cause considerable damage to the housing complex, leaving Cho the humbled loser but still alive.

Tamura, piecing together the wreckage of this conflict, discovers that Cho is the common link in the murders by tracking down his collection of trinkets (including a pen taken from Yamagawa), and, while keeping an eye on him, see the final faceoff between Etsuko and Cho. Approaching him in the park, Etsuko brings to bear the collective power of all children in the area to end Cho's life quietly.

Themes

The work focuses primarily on a conflict between true children (who never grew up) and false children (irresponsible or childish adults). The former, represented by Etsuko and Little Yo, face off against the latter, represented by Old Cho and Yoshikawa. Ironically, true children are depicted as more responsible than childish adults, as well as morally pure in contrast to the amorallity of irresponsible childhood. The action is set against a complex backdrop (composed of literally dozens of painstaking recreations of the housing complex) worthy of the author's training as a student of architecture and drafting, and carries an underlying theme of the difficulties such dense living conditions.