Akira: Introduction to a Masterpiece

One of the most popular movie scenes of all time.

Akira was first published on December 6, 1982, in Japan's popular Young Magazine. Written by Katsuhiro Otomo, it took over 8 years to complete, spanned over 2,000 pages, and was collected in six huge volumes. Akira is a monster of a manga, in size and in depth. It was translated and brought to the States by Epic Comics, an imprint of Marvel from the 80s-90s that produced independent work. Akira wasn't like anything anybody had seen before. When it was first published in Japan, the term "cyberpunk" wasn't even widely being used yet. William Gibson wouldn't publish Neuromancer for another couple of years. Looking back at the 80s, there were jumps with computer technology almost daily, and it must have seemed scary for a lot of people back then; seeing this horizon where technology would be the end all be all. We forget that not long ago, the idea of a computer being able to sit on a desk was unthinkable, and now we carry tiny computers around in our pockets. This feeling of dread is what a lot of writers were able to encompass when working with the "cyberpunk" genre. Even with society moving towards more advanced machines and computers, there was no guarantee that it would make our lives better or easier.

Otomo was able to explore themes like this in his seminal work. He took ideas and inspirations from Star Wars, and an old manga by the name of Tetsujin 28-go to create Neo-Tokyo, the setting of our story in question. According to the manga, on December 6, 1982, an explosion rocks Tokyo, completely destroying it and starting World War III in the process. By 2019, Neo-Tokyo has been built to replace the old city. Gangs and misfits run amuck, seemingly uninhibited, while the Government conducts experiments in secret labs underground. The city looks massive, almost breathing from the page, and it shows not only in the writing but in Otomo's choices of wide shots of the entire city. Akira feels like a huge world.

Neo-Tokyo goes through vast changes throughout the novel. Far more than it goes through in the movie.

But Otomo didn't feel the comic alone could do justice to the world he was trying to create. After working on a film titled Harmagedon: The Great Battle With Genma, Otomo decided that he could make a film based on Akira. Animation was the only way people would be able to see Akira for what it truly was. So while the comic was still being produced, Otomo took a break and made the movie. Most of you have probably seen it. It's definitely one of most famous anime movies of all time, if not THE most famous.

Even with Akira being such a seminal piece of manga and anime history, I have not been able to find any analysis of the book online. Sure, you can see a bunch of articles and blogs written about the film (which it is a good film) but finding any sort of literature on the book itself doesn't seem to have been undertaken, which really is a shame because the book itself is vastly superior to the film. Don't get me wrong, the movie is amazing, but in order to get the entire scope of what Otomo is trying to say, you have to read the books.

Cover of Vol. 1. This is the most widely circulated copy of Akira, but Epic Comics did release a color version with different covers not found in this copy. It does still contain many of the colored pages of the Epic Comics printing, but only the first couple of pages of each new chapter.

Why? I'm sure that's a lot of people's minds. Why should I read 2,000 pages if there is a two-hour movie that covers pretty much the same broad strokes? To this person, I say they are missing out on a completely different journey than what the two hours has to offer. Sure, I will admit that the movie supplies an adequate summary of what the book means. But there is still this great book that you can dive into that has what the movie does, and so much more.

Too often, I feel that we use the excuse that if the movie is good enough, the book can be skipped. I've heard that excuse for books like Fight Club, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Breakfast at Tiffany's. For the original works to just be remembered as the source material isn't what the authors intended us to do with their work, but if the movie proves good enough, that is exactly what most of us do. I argue that this is the reason that Otomo's novel doesn't get the love and admiration that it so deserves. The movie surpasses all preconceived notions of what it is supposed to be by the end, and with that feeling, most people don't care to really find out what happened with the novel at all.

Did you know that there are entire story arcs left out of the movie Akira that took place in the manga? It's hard to cram 2000 plus pages into a two-hour movie. Otomo did a fantastic job, but some of the stories are really too good to be overlooked so easily.

I have decided to explore the manga and write a proper analysis on the story and themes. I do this in hopes that more people may want to go out and read the comic rather than just watch the movie again. I personally find it sometimes sad that we do take the easiest route to obtain information, while the best way is to do it is to study, and take in information with time and thought. A comic can achieve that a lot easier than a movie can. A movie is flashing, and constantly moving, while a comic is still, and can be stopped and pondered upon at any time, just like a regular novel. Akira is like an expensive steak dinner. You should savor every bite while anticipating the next. While the movie does a great job of that, one should never overlook how great this book really is.

NEXT TIME: THEMES OF AKIRA/NEO-TOKYO IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE/GETTING READY FOR VOL 1.