Akira, Defining Culture
Defining a culture is a mission that is given, not taken. Katsuhiro Otomo’s magnum opus Akira took on that mission to revolutionize Japan’s cultural landscape and western culture as we know it.
After 36 years of its initial release the influence is still echoing with a resonance like no other. This was achieved through intricate hand-drawn style with delicate storytelling details and emotionally compact music that keeps the whole frame together just like a glue.
Akira is a universe set in the dystopian, cyberpunk Tokyo of a Japan emerging from the third world war. In the 31 years since the war, we find ourselves in a decaying world where high-tech gadgets have invaded the streets, social inequality and crime are on the rise, and police brutality has gone to extremes.
What makes the story powerful is Akira’s realistic lens on society. It is an attempt to tell one of the most unspeakable tragedies in human history. It is a manifesto of experiencing the power of the atom, the waves of change that arise from power, with real emotions in a fictionalized universe.
“The future is not a straight line. It is filled with many crossroads. There must be a future that we can choose for ourselves.”
Storytelling is a crucial part of the movie yet its core influence comes not from the story but how it is executed. Akira is like a metropolitan city with each individual element flowing so effortlessly to create an experience of life and belonging. Building the foundation for countless movies and changing the global perception of its genre.
In the making of the movie the Akira mission was critical. The project was a collective effort of seven Japanese entertainment companies who gave total creative control to Katsuhiro Otomo. 90’s was a time where the medium to create an animation was to hand draw it on transparent sheets of celluloid called “cels”. Then these cels were laid on a static background, bit by bit the animation took place on this delicate movements. A total of 327 shades of color was used to create lights, shadows and imagery over 160.000 cels. The sheer amount of detail is humbling as we dive deeper into the creation.
Cool is not a forced trait, you need to make amends with it. Motorcycles, red hot neon lights, explosions are elements of it for sure but the coolness of Akira comes from attitude, furthermore it conceptualizes it. Like a tsunami wave devouring a city, so did Akira.
Many welcomed this new wave of inspiration, taking it one step further. This inspiration grows cumulatively with each interpretation like a tree growing its roots to connect deeper with the earth. One of the first fruits to fall from this tree is Matrix. Movement is a big part of both movies, although they have tremendously different technicalities the two meet on one point: dramatic tension. Bill Pope’s masterful cinematography aided the anticipating nature of Japanese animation resulting in iconic scenes like “bullet time”.
If you are familiar with the ever-changing Kanye West universe this should be no surprise: Kanye is the biggest advocate for Akira. In every music video, show or design that he does he references Akira in some way. The most obvious way to see the influence is “Stronger” where Kanye recreates the hospital scenes directly from the movie.
Akira apart from being a phenomenal movie, is a powerful demonstration of world creation and brand building. The intricate design elements continue to inspire great art where imagined worlds meet with reality in a beautiful harmony.
With the inspiration of Akira, we invite you to this playlist: