Culture news The studios did the impossible to create this iconic sci-fi film that revolutionized cyberpunk
A sci-fi film has revolutionized the cyberpunk genre and it is thanks to the titanic work of the studios in charge of the project.
Akira is a classic in the world of animation and science fiction. Released in 1988, it impressed with its technique and this was due to the efforts of the studios with the support of its director Katsuhiro Otomo. He revolutionized the cyberpunk genre and continues to be an inspiration today. If this adaptation is legendary, it is also because different techniques were created specifically for the film.
Watch Akira by purchasing a Netflix subscription card on Micromania
A unique creation
The studios’ demands were high for the adaptation of Akira, so much so that 50 additional colors were invented for the film out of the 357 used in total. The goal is to bring as much life as possible to the futuristic world of Neo Tokyo, with bright oranges that stand out against the dark blacks and blues. Artificial lighting which stands out exceptionally in many scenes of the film. Details which mean that today, the feature film remains as impressive as ever and ages well despite the years. Added to this is an unusual animation technique for the time, combining completely new digital improvements. The movement of each character was adapted to a pre-recorded dialogue. A process that made it possible to obtain more realistic movements and more precise lip synchronization and which took the opposite approach to classic Japanese animation, then became a standard for current productions.
Akira, a great source of inspiration
Akira has passed on his legacy through the years. The film inspired the character of Neo, protagonist of the Matrix saga through Tetsuo, the main antagonist of the story, and the discovery of powers and the testing of their limits. Director Rian Johnson admitted during an Ask Me Anything on Reddit that his feature film Looper was largely inspired by the title, notably the character of Joe who resembles Tetsuo (yes him again). Chronicle by Josh Trank was compared upon its release to a sort of American Akira with themes like telekinesis, a tormented adolescence and a desire for revenge. Psychic powers became fashionable following the work of Katsuhiro Otomo with characters like Murdoch in Dark City, and more recently Eleven in Stranger Things. Suffice it to say that the inspiration given by Akira seems limitless and will continue in new films and new series..
This page contains affiliate links to certain products that JV has selected for you. Each purchase you make by clicking on one of these links will not cost you more, but the e-merchant will pay us a commission. The prices indicated in the article are those offered by the merchant sites at the time of publication of the article and these prices are likely to vary at the sole discretion of the merchant site without JV being informed.
Learn more.