About
Akira is a Japanese manga series and anime film by Katsuhiro Otomo, which follows a group of teenagers an post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo, some of whom have developed superhuman powers and psychokinetic abilities.
History
In 1982, Akira debuted in the Japanese weekly seinen manga Young Magazine and ran until 1990. The complete work totaled 2,000 pages and was later published in six volumes by the Japanese manga publisher Kodansha. The story, written by Katushiro Otomo, explores issues of social isolation, political machination, power and corruption through its wide cast of characters.
Anime
On July 16th, 1988, an anime adaptation of the manga was released, which was written and directed by Otomo. The story focuses on the first half of the manga series, during which the teenage biker Tetsuo Shima develops powerful psychic abilities and battles against his former friend Shotaro Kaneda over releasing the imprisoned psychic Akira.
Online Presence
On October 28th, 2008, YouTuber Harry Partridge uploaded a American cartoon parody version of Akira, gathering more than 3.2 million views and 9,100 comments in the next seven years (shown below). On February 2nd, 2010, YouTuber Joe Peacock uploaded a video titled “Why Akira Matters,” highlighting a handpainted vista of Neo Tokyo from a background shot from the film (shown below, right).
On August 5th, 2014, a Facebook[3] page for the anime film was launched, which garnered upwards of 270,000 likes in the next year. On May 25th, 2015, the CineFix YouTube channel uploaded a video outlining the differences between the manga and anime versions of Akira (shown below).
The Akira Project
On May 9th, 2014, The Akira Project released a trailer for a crowdsourced live-action remake of the animated film (shown below). Over the next year, the video gained over three million views and 4,400 comments.
Fan Art
As of May 2015, there are over 256,000 search results for the keyword “Akira” on DeviantArt,[1] many of which feature depictions of the characters Tetsuo and Kaneda (shown below).
Akira Poster Parodies
Akria Poster Parodies refers to the parody usages of the iconic cover for the VHS release of the 1988 anime. It has been widely mimicked and parodied in crossover fanart in reference to Akira.
Kaneda’s Bike
Kaneda’s Bike (also simply known as the Akria Bike) is one of the most Iconic piece Akira in pop culture, due to its distinctive style. IT is frequently the source for Akira Fanart.
Akira Motorcycle Slide
Akria Motorcycle slide referrs to a specific scene in the anime where Kaneda brings his bike sliding into a stop. Although this scene is frequently parodied in fanart, there have also been many parodies to this scene in official media as well. On July 23rd, 2013, Kotaku posted an article[4] noting some of these homages in other shows
Bartika
In April 2013, the Tumblr[2] blog Bartika was launched, which highlights scenes from Akira redrawn with characters from The Simpsons
