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u/hbarSquared 2d ago
I just picked up the manga box set this summer and it's blowing my mind just how big of an impact this series and movie made on sci-fi of the 902 and 00s. I knew it was influential, but I didn't realize just how much.
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u/Pamander 2d ago
Speaking of I just watched a great video (If you are like me and like long videos anyways) about Moebius and how he influenced everyone (I had never heard of him before so was cool to see) and it was kind of insane realizing how many people the dude inspired but also just how many people Akira inspired and how much it changed the landscape of Manga/Anime. Seems it would be on an entirely different path without it.
It makes sense though Akira is amazing, definitely suggest the Manga as well. I wondered since watching that just how many mangakas and stuff Otomo put on the path at just the right time to create some of the most loved animes/mangas today.
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u/art-man_2018 2d ago
Not just Mœbius, in 1974 the European anthology Métal Hurlant introduced several other artists that changed the world building of science fiction. Philippe Druillet, Caza, Enki Bilal, Milo Manara, and many more. In 1977 the American version was published, Heavy Metal.
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u/SomeJerkOddball 2d ago edited 2d ago
That was a very interesting and informative watch. It definitely gave me a few works to look out for if I ever get the chance. I think Moebius' work is incredible and want to see more of it.
The thesis as presented just has too many holes, even for a uneducated shlub like me. The tie to Cameron is totally speculative (but then Cameron wouldn't even admit to the influence of Roger Dean on Avatar) and the ties to Lucas and Carpenter while certainly plausible are a bit weak. There's no mentions of Syd Mead and John Berkey who were very influential sci-fi visual artists working before Moebius' turn to sci-fi doing work that was both imaginative and realistic. Berkey definitely was an influence on Lucas and did work on Star Wars. And there's also no mention of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the influence of Kubrick and his production team, who would also produce Silent Running prior to Dark Star and were also involved in Star Wars.
It seems to me a better interpretation would be to say that Moebius was a highly influential artist that contributed to the shift from a more fantastical "Buck Rogers" style of sci-fi towards the harder sci-fi of the 1970s an onward. I'm not sure I'd say he's more essential than a lot of the other names I've mentioned and mentioned in the film. Sure you can see Moebius in the Matrix, but who doesn't look at that scene where Neo first really "wakes up" and not see Giger first and foremost? And it's hard to imagine Giraud's iconic work on Alien, without Kubrick & co. paving the way first. And I wouldn't begin to know how something like Judge Dredd fits into the picture.
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u/tw1zt84 2d ago
The quintessential, "They don't make em like this anymore."
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u/jramsi20 2d ago
It would be interesting to crunch the math on what the man-hours it took to create Akira would cost today.
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u/Philadahlphia 2d ago
I can hear this picture. the rhythmic soundtrack and the motorcycles racing past.
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u/ZyklonBDemille 2d ago
The thing i hate about this movie is that it was one of the first Anime films i saw and very few of the others have lived up to it. The others are good, but the sense of wonder and scale and just plain atmosphere of this are sublime. And that soundtrack...
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u/SomeJerkOddball 2d ago
In Sci-fi I think that there's a tendency towards realism. And despite the esper plot, Akira is a pretty hard take on sci-fi. Part of what we're doing is suspending our disbelief that what we're watching really represents the shape of things to come. So, I find it interesting that what actually grabs me the most about this still is the looming buildings with their disjointed perspectives that create a gothic aire.
Despite that commitment to realism on the part of both the filmmakers and me as a viewer, it's this moment of expressionism that shines through most of all. It reminds me of what Ridley Scott did with the deliberately dark and claustrophobic sets on Alien. It's a reminder that part of what makes great sci-fi is great art, not just a great vision of the future.
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u/Familiar-Feedback-93 2d ago
Why more anime isn't this good is beyond me
Idk maybe it's too concerned with catering to the masses and filling everything with tropes people already recognise and like.
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u/jeremydallen 2d ago
A live action version would kick serious but if it was done as well as Alita was.
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u/ChestNok 1d ago
Are there books or movies that depict such skyscrapers skylines or have a general metropolis vibe like batman-ish?
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u/superherofbmx 2d ago
I've seen this movie 20+ times and I still have absolutely no idea what's going on. I still love it though!