35 Years Later, Akira's Impact Is as Strong As Ever
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Everyone has a piece of media that forever changed their relationship with a genre, creator, or entire medium. It’s especially true for animation, particularly when taking anime into account. For kids who grew up in the 90s, there were particular works that turned them into diehard fans of the medium: think Ghost in the Shell, Dragon Ball, and the now 35-year-old Akira.
Originally released in Japan on July 16, 1988, Katsuhiro Otomo directed and co-wrote the anime adaptation of his own 1982 manga. Notably, the film takes some notable divergences from the manga, and he noted in Jonathan Clements’ 2010 book Schoolgirl Crisis: Adventures in the Anime & Manga Trade that the movie left out more from the original than he would’ve liked. In his words back then, creating an anime for the movie before the manga was finished was “the worst possible idea,” but a real “me reaping, me sowing” of his own making. Once studios approached him offering to adapt Akira, he actively sought to retain creative control due to his experience working on the anime film for Harmagedon: Genma Wars.
Read more
Dealers Now Have Nearly Two Million New Cars Sitting On Their Lots
Diablo IV Is About To Make Loot Way Better For New Characters
Alabama Woman Who Went Missing Is Accused of a Hoax After Turning Up Alive
But on its own non-meme terms, Akira is clearly a catalyst for plenty in our nerdy space that dominates so much of the entertainment industry. It’s been referenced countless times in animation or featured in music videos for Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco songs. Much of cyberpunk draws upon it in some fashion, be it Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII or Ghost in the Shell. It helped inspire the Matrix series, Kill Bill, and the Star Wars movies—especially the prequels and both versions of the Clone Wars cartoon. Even more recent fair like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse are pulling on it in some fashion.
And most obviously, Akira is why anime is as big as it is now. Theatrical and VHS releases turned the movie into an international cult classic, and it led the second wave of international anime fandom that’s turned Pokemon and the aforementioned Naruto and Dragon Ball into the global powerhouses that they are. Anime’s influences on the larger animation industry (particularly here in the west) can’t really be understated, and you don’t get there without getting Akira.
Akira can be watched in sub and dub form via Hulu and Crunchyroll.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
More from Gizmodo
A Fan Miranda Lambert Publicly Chastised for Taking a Selfie Is...Not Pleased
Tears of the Kingdom Fans Think They See Link’s Well-Endowed Package
Matt Damon and his wife had a "Chris Nolan caveat" in their agreement for him to take time off
Stardew Valley's Next Update Includes A New Festival And...Secrets?
Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
