Akira
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Akira アキラ |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | Katsuhiro Otomo |
| Date(s): | 20 Dec 1982 (Manga release) 16 July 1988 (Film release) |
| Medium: | Manga, film |
| Country of Origin: | Japan |
| External Links: | Wikipedia Fanposter for Akira, depicting the character Tetsuo Shima. Art by Sinpiggyhead. |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Akira (アキラ) (stylized as AKIRA) is a cyberpunk & action manga written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otomo, serialized from 1982 to 1990. It was later adapted into a 1988 animated film of the same name, also directed by Otomo.
The story follows Shōtarō Kaneda, a biker gang member living in Neo-Tokyo after the destruction of Tokyo decades prior. During a gang confrontation, a government escapee with psychic powers interrupts the fight. After Kaneda's friend Tetsuo Shima comes into contact with the escapee, Tetsuo gains psychic powers himself. The government then kidnaps Tetsuo and subjects him to human experimentation. With his newly acquired abilities, Tetsuo escapes and rampages through the city, with Kaneda trying to stop his destruction.
Both the manga and the film versions of Akira have developed a substantial fandom. Film scholars and resources often cite the film's fanbase as an example of a cult following. In addition, the film has had a sizable impact on popular culture, contributing to the growth of the anime and manga fandom in the Western world. Many works have been influenced or inspired by Akira, particularly those in the action, cyberpunk, and science fiction genres.
Canon
Manga
Film
Fandom
Influences on other works
Bartkira
Bike replica
Kanye West
Live-action film adaptation reaction
Fansites
2020 Tokyo Olympics
Bid
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. Examples of comments from Japanese-language websites, such as the comments on the NAVER blog post and 2Ch |
In 2012, the International Olympics Committee announced that Tokyo was a candidate city for the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2013, the IOC selected Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. This coincides with Akira's setting, which takes place leading up to the 2020 Neo-Tokyo Olympics, which serves as a plot point.
After the 2013 announcement, several popular culture blogs and news outlets published articles noting the similarities between Akira and the real world announcement.[1][2][3][4][5][6] In addition, search queries for アキラ (the Japanese title of Akira) in Japan increased on both Google and Yahoo! on 8 September 2013, the day of the announcement. Some fans noticed the similarities before the 2013 announcement, with a NAVER Matome blog post on the similarities published in August 2012.[7]
Fans made jokes and comments on the coincidence in various places online, such as in the comments section of news articles and on social media. Due to the dystopian setting of Akira and the destruction of Tokyo that occurs within the story, some comments were apocalyptic in nature. A few commentators also drew comparisons between the explosion at the beginning of Akira's plot and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Hah! I immediately thought of Akira the moment I heard the news about Toyko’s win.
I’m sure the Opening Ceremony will feature a giant Techno-Amoeba.[8]
During the march of the athletes, they should have a guy dressed like Tetsuo come out when the Canadian athletes enter the field and yell out "CANADA!" (Kaneda).[9]
Well then I'm staying home and building a large underground bunker for no reason.[10]
@experiencejapan Let's hope its other predictions are less accurate, though....[11]
This is fucking eerie.[12]
Akira predicted Japan having the 2020 Olympics. The end is near.[13]
2020年の東京五輪招致活動にAKIRA活躍してくれないかな～。AKIRAの東京オリンピックも2020年の設定だったしさ。金田バイクで聖火リレーとか妄想が膨らむお！
I wish AKIRA can be a part of Tokyo Olympics Bid campaign~ since the Tokyo Olympics in AKIRA is also set in 2020. I can't help but fantasize about a torch relay on top of Kaneda Bike!
もしかして石原慎太郎はAKIRAを意識してオリンピックを東京に……！
Maybe Ishihara Shintaro backed the Tokyo bid with AKIRA in his mind...!
Cancellation
In early 2020, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, some health experts, governmental figures, and portions of the public were concerned about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes and attendees of the Tokyo Olympic Games and called for their cancellation. Similarly, in the film version of Akira, a piece of graffiti beneath a sign advertising the Neo-Tokyo Olympic Games reads "Just cancel it" (中止だ中止).
On 27 Feburary 2020, 147 days before the planned start of the Games (24 July), Japanese fans of the film began to use the hashtags #中止だ中止 and #147日 (147 days) on Twitter to call for the cancelation of the Games.[14][15][16][17][18] This trend was accompanied by fan art and other types of fanworks. Political demonstrators adopted 中止だ中止 for use in protests, with the phrase appearing on signs and banners used in demonstrations.
A few replicas of the in-universe sign were constructed by fans or demonstrators and displayed in public locations, such as Kyoto University and Japan National Stadium.[19] In addition, a cosplay of the sign by WANIGUNNSOU at Comiket Summer 2019 went viral on Twitter during Feburary 2020, in a tweet made by a Kaneda cosplayer who had met WANIGUNNSOU during the convention.[20]
Gallery
Kyoto University sign replica. Fanart is placed next to the replica, with a picture of Tetsuo on the left and a picture of Kaneda on the right.
Sign cosplay at Comiket Summer 2019.
Bike slide
The 'Akira bike slide' or 'Akira slide' refers to a scene in the film version of Akira in which Kaneda comes to a stop on his bike perpendicular to a sliding skid. This shot is a popular subject of Akira fanart and other visual fanworks. In addition, the scene has been referenced or homaged in many works of animation, film, television, and video games, such as Steven Universe, Adventure Time, No More Heroes 3, and Nope. The inclusion of the homage has resulted in fan artists for other fandoms referencing the scene in their works.
Examples Gallery
The original slide as seen in the 1988 film.
Fanart for Nope, depicting the character Emerald “Em” Haywood performing the slide. Art by xiaobaofufu.
Fanart for Dragon Booster, depicting the character Artha Tannis Penn performing the slide with Beau. Art by itslanners.
Toy photography for Batman, depicting a Batman figurine posed to resemble the slide. Photo by toymadness.
Fanart for Persona 5, depicting the character Makoto Niijima performing the slide. Art by luuxxart.
Fanart for Boku no Hero Academia, depicting the character Kirishima Eijirou performing the slide. Art by Rainy Soul.
Fan animation for Boku no Hero Academia, depicting the character Bakugou Katsuki performing the slide. Art by kiisaes.
Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Cosplay
Fanart
Fanfiction
Fanvids
Gifsets
Meta
- The Impact of Akira: The Film that Changed Everything by Super Eyepatch Wolf
Memes
Other
Communities & Blogs
- /r/akira on Reddit
- AKIRA PORTFOLIO on Tumblr
Archives & Fannish Links
- Akira (Anime & Manga) tag on Archive of Our Own
- Akira tag on Fanfiction.net
- akira tag on DeviantArt
- Akira Wiki
- AKIRA (Manga) article on TV Tropes
Fansites
Tumblr
- akira tag on Tumblr
- akira movie tag on Tumblr
- akira 1988 tag on Tumblr
- akira manga tag on Tumblr
Wikpedia
- Akira (1988) article on Wikipedia
- Akira (franchise) article on Wikipedia
- Akira (manga) article on Wikipedia
References
Citations
- ^ Ashcraft, 2013
- ^ Moran, 2013
- ^ McFarland, 2013
- ^ Otaku Mode, 2013
- ^ William, 2013
- ^ ねとらぼ (Netorabo), 2013
- ^ みすたちるさん (Misutachiru-san), 2012
- ^ https://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/09/the-2020-tokyo-olympics-were-predicted-30-years-ago-by-akira/#comment-1881666
- ^ https://kotaku.com/the-2020-tokyo-olympics-were-predicted-30-years-ago-by-1276381444
- ^ https://imgur.com/gallery/MkpMb8g/comment/128585720[dead link]
- ^ https://twitter.com/jamesmoar/status/376612992437059585
- ^ https://chocobilly.tumblr.com/post/149361923851/congratulations-to-tokyo-for-winning-the-bid-to
- ^ https://twitter.com/JustinWhang/status/377180823381753856
- ^ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-28/30-year-old-anime-prediction-sparks-talk-of-olympic-cancellation
- ^ https://www.buzzfeed.com/jp/rihotakatsuto/neo-tokyo-akira-respect
- ^ https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/how-japanese-sci-fi-anime-akira-became-a-global-pop-culture-phenomenon-7409659/
- ^ https://www.slashfilm.com/582722/the-anime-classic-akira-foresaw-the-2020-tokyo-summer-olympics-and-its-empty-stadium/
- ^ https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-04-20-intl-hnk/h_aeefc0d2fc12ad6b29d6b6cfdb25715f
- ^ https://twitter.com/toto34466974/status/1132144102076628992
- ^ https://twitter.com/SHONATiN/status/1233044941925863425
Works cited
Ashcraft, Brain (9 Sep 2013). "The 2020 Tokyo Olympics Were Predicted 30 Years Ago by Akira". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 11 Sep 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
McFarland, Kevin (9 Sep 2013). "Akira predicted that the 2020 Olympics would be held in Tokyo". The AV Club. Archived from the original on 20 Nov 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
Moran, Rob (10 Sep 2013). "Akira Predicted The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Way Back In 1982". Junkee. Archived from the original on 13 Sep 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
"An Eerie Coincidence with the World of Akira! Attention Gathers for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo". Otaku Mode. 21 Sep 2013. Archived from the original on 24 Sep 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
William (9 September 2013). "Tokyo 2020? Forget it, "AKIRA" got there first in 1988". Japan Trends. Archived from the original on 26 Mar 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
"2020年東京オリンピック開催を秘かに期待する「AKIRA」ファンまとめ". ねとらぼ (Netorabo). 9 Sep 2013. Archived from the original on 11 Sep 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
みすたちるさん (Misutachiru-san) (12 Aug 2012). "「AKIRA」の世界と一致！ 2020年東京オリンピックで注目集まる". NAVERまとめ (NAVER Matome). Archived from the original on 12 Aug 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2022.