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Akira (manga)

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For the eponymous film, see Akira (film).
Akira
Japanese cover of Akira Volume 1
アキラ
GenreCyberpunk
Manga
Written byKatsuhiro Otomo
Published byJapan Kodansha
English publisherUnited States Epic Comics, Dark Horse Comics
MagazineJapan Young Magazine
DemographicSeinen
Original run20 December 1982 – 25 June 1990
Volumes6

Akira (アキラ) is a black and white serial manga or graphic novel by Katsuhiro Otomo. Set in a post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo, the work uses conventions of the cyberpunk genre to detail a saga of turmoil.[1] Initially serialised in the pages of Young Magazine from 1982 until 1990, the work was collected in six volumes upon completion by Japanese publisher Kodansha.[2] The work was first published in an English language version by the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics, one of the first manga works to be translated in entirety.[3] Otomo's art on the series is considered outstanding, and the work is a breakthrough for both Otomo and the manga form.[1] An identically titled anime film adaptation was released in 1988 after releasing 5 comics, shortening the plot, but with its structure and scenes heavily informed by the manga and its serial origins.[4]

The manga takes place in a vastly larger timeframe than the film and involves a far wider array of characters and subplots. Through the breadth of the work, Otomo explicates themes of social isolation, corruption and power.

Otomo's Akira projects – the manga and its film adaptation – marked his transition from a career primarily in the creation and design of printed manga to one almost exclusively in the creation, direction and design of anime motion pictures and television.

Characters

Shōtarō Kaneda is a teenage delinquent and the leader of a motorcycle gang (known as The Capsules, not mentioned in the anime adaptation, but his clothing contains pictures of capsules). Kaneda is best friends with Tetsuo, a Capsule member, but that friendship is shattered after Tetsuo gains and abuses his psychic powers. Kaneda is the main protagonist of Akira. According to Akira Club, Kaneda was inspired by the boy lead from Tetsujin 28. Due to his influence on Tetsuo, Kaneda is the only regular person who without aid can physically hurt him, even after he has gained his powers. Shōtarō is voiced by Mitsuo Iwata in the Japanese version of the film, by Cam Clarke in the 1988 English version and by Johnny Yong Bosch in the 2001 English version.

Tetsuo Shima is Kaneda's best friend, a member of Kaneda's gang, and eventually Kaneda's foe. He is involved in an accident at the very beginning of the story, which causes him to display immense psychic powers. However, the evil ways in which he uses his powers, as well as his mental instability, causes his friendship with Kaneda to shatter. Tetsuo is the main antagonist (and possible anti-hero) of Akira. Tetsuo is voiced by Nozomu Sasaki in the Japanese version of the film, by Jan Rabson in the 1988 English version and by Joshua Seth in the 2001 English version. Tetsuo is also named after a Tetsujin 28 character, Professor Shikishima's son, Tetsuo Shikishima.designated "#41"

Kei – a member of a terrorist resistance movement led by the government mole Nezu, Kei is supposedly the sister of fellow resistance fighter Ryu, though it is implied that this is not really the case. Kei and Kaneda do not get along when they first meet, and Kei at first seems to view Kaneda with contempt. Later in the story, however, the two become increasingly attracted and fall in love with each other. She also is a powerful medium (she can't use psychic powers, but a psychic can channel their powers through her body), so Lady Miyako takes her in.

Colonel Shikishima – never explicitly identified as such and instead addressed simply as The Colonel, he is the head of the secret government project conducting research on psychic test subjects, including the Esper children, Tetsuo, and formerly Akira. The Colonel at first appears to be an antagonist early in the story, though he is really an honorable man who intends to save Neo-Tokyo from any second onslaught of Akira. He is usually referred to by Kaneda as "The Skinhead", due to his distinctive crew cut. He is named after the professor of the same name in Tetsujin 28.

The Espers – three 'children' who are test subjects for the secret project. They have the bodies of children but chronologically are in their 40's. Their bodies and faces have wizened with age but they haven't physically grown, either because of their powers, the battery of tests done on them, or the drugs used to keep those powers in check. They are former acquaintances of Akira, and survived his destruction of Tokyo. The Espers include:

  • Kiyoko – designated "#25", Kiyoko is an Esper who is physically so weak she is confined to a bed. She has the ability to use teleportation and precognition.
  • Takashi – designated "#26", Takashi is the first Esper to be introduced when he causes Tetsuo's accident in self-defense. He has the power to use psychokinesis. He is accidentally killed by Nezu
  • Masaru – designated "#27", Masaru is physically confined either to a wheelchair or a special floating chair. He has the power to use psychokinesis.

Akira – the character for whom the story is named. Designated "#28", Akira has immense, almost godlike, psychic powers, although from outward appearances he looks like a small, normal child. He is responsible for the destruction of Tokyo and the beginning of World War III, though this was probably unintentional on his part (he is so psychically powerful that simply teleporting can cause destruction on a massive scale) . After the war, he was put in a cryogenic chamber not far from the Heart of Destruction (the crater left by Akira's onslaught) and the future site of the Neo-Tokyo Olympic Games. When he first appears, we see that Akira has not aged in the decades he was kept frozen. Akira is essentially autistic; his powers have overwritten and destroyed his personality. Akira was inspired by the demon from the anime adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's Saiyuki.

Yamagata – a member of Kaneda's biker gang, who serves as Kaneda's right-hand-man. He is killed in the first tankōbon by Tetsuo.

Kaisuke – sometimes known simply as Kai, he is another high-ranking member of Kaneda's gang. He does not play a major role at first, but becomes more prominent later in the story.

Joker – the former leader of the Clown gang, a motorcycle gang made up of junkies and drug addicts. Joker plays a small role in the beginning, but becomes more prominent much later in the story.

Nezu – a parliament member who is also the leader of the terrorist resistance movement against the government. He seems to be the mentor of Kei and Ryu, and purports to be saving the nation from the corrupt and ineffective bureaucrats in power. It soon becomes evident, however, that Nezu is just as corrupt, and that all he seeks to do is to seize power for himself. He later betrays Lady Miyako, as well as various other characters, as he attempts to take Akira for himself. As the various groups fight it out over Akira, many of his private guards are killed off, and eventually the remaining few submit themselves to the military, leaving Nezu on his own. He loses Akira in the ensuing battles. When he finds Ryu in a dark corridor with Akira in tow, he attempts to kill Ryu, thinking he is a member of Lady Miyako's group all along. He misses his gunshot and Ryu in turn shoots Nezu. He fakes his death and later comes back. In one final attempt to selfishly take lives, he tries to shoot Akira, but misses, instead the stray shot instead hits Takashi (one of the three Esper children brought by the Colonel to take in Akira back to HQ) in the head, instantly killing him. The Colonel then orders his men to shoot Nezu. As Takashi dies, Akira goes berserk, killing all life in the approximate area, Nezu included. The surname, "Nezu," is reminiscent of the Japanese word, "nezumi," meaning "mouse" or "rat."[5]

Ryu – a comrade of Kei's in the resistance movement, he claims to be Kei's brother, but it is implied that this is not the case. As the story progresses, Ryu abandons his terrorist roots and becomes more heroic, but battles with alcoholism.

Chiyoko – claiming to be Kei's aunt, she is a tough, heavyset woman who is involved in the resistance and eventually becomes a key supporting character.

The Doctor, sometimes known in other media as Doctor Onishi, is the head scientist of the secret psychic research project who also serves as Colonel Shikishima's scientific advisor. He freezes to death when Akira escapes his cryogenic chamber.

Lady Miyako – a former test subject known as "#19", she is the high priestess of a temple in Neo-Tokyo, and a major ally of Kaneda and Kei as the story progresses. She is also an initial ally of Nezu.

  • Sakaki - an empowered and fond disciple of Lady Miyako, an unseemingly fast and strong girl who is sent to battle the Espers, the military, Kaneda and Nezu in order to recover Akira. She only appears and is killed in the third tankōbon by the military.
  • Mozu - another empowered girl, disciple of Lady Miyako, who later teams with Sakaki and Miki to recover Akira. She only appears and is killed in the third tankōbon by Takashi.
  • Miki - a third disciple of Lady Miyako. Another empowered girl. She only appears and is killed in the third tankōbon by Nezu's henchmen.
  • The Monks - aides of Lady Miyako, and to some extent, enhancers and channellers of her power.

Kaori – a young girl who appears late in the story and is recruited as one of Tetsuo's sex slaves, later becoming an object of his sincere affections. She also serves as Akira's babysitter. She is later shot to death by Tetsuo's Aide. Tetsuo attempts to resurrect her but fails.

Tetsuo's Aide – known only by this title, an opportunist posing as a fanatical devotee of Tetsuo who serves him as his aide-de-camp late in the story.

The Birdman - an integral character of the plot, who appears in the latter half of the series. A member of Akira and Tetsuo's gang, constantly seen wearing a blindfold standing in high places calling out to his fellow gang members when members not of the same gang trespass on their land, which in turn often ends with the gang members killing the trespasser, or a chase ensuing.

George Yamada – a Japanese-American soldier who is sent on a mission to assassinate Akira and Tetsuo in the latter-half of the story, after Akira has levelled Neo-Tokyo. While an apparent protagonist at first, Yamada becomes a more sinister character as his motivations for being in Neo-Tokyo are made more clear. Yamada plans to kill the two powerful psychics with darts containing a biological poison. It is later joined by a team of U.S. Marines to carry out the mission at the Olympic Stadium after it becomes the headquarters for Akira and Tetsuo's "Great Tokyo Empire". However, Tetsuo causes Yamada to violently explode after a failed assassination attempt.

Project "Juvenile A" – an international team of scientists who are appointed to investigate psychic events in Neo-Tokyo in the latter-half of the story. Project members include Dr. Dubrovsky, Dr. Simmons, Dr. Jorris, Dr. Hock, Professor Bernardi, and Karma Tangi.

History

Otomo had previously created Fireball (1979), an unfinished series in which he disregarded accepted manga art styles and which established his interest in science fiction as a setting. The setting was again used the following year in Domu, which was awarded the Science Fiction Grand Prix and became a bestseller. Otomo then began work on his most ambitious work to date, AKIRA. Inspired by both the American movie Star Wars and the Japanese animated series Tetsujin 28, Otomo created a work centred in the emerging cyberpunk tradition.[6][7] The story launched in 1982, serialised in Japan's Young Magazine, and concluded in July 1990. The work, totalling over 2000 pages, was then collected and released in six volumes by Kodansha.[3] Concurrently with working on the series, Otomo agreed to an anime adaptation of the work provided he retained creative control. This insistence was based on his experiences working on Harmagedon. The film itself was released in Japan in 1988, and to Western audiences from 1990 through 1991.[7][8]

In 1988, the manga was published in the United States by Epic Comics, a division of Marvel Comics. This colorized version ended its 38-issue run in 1995. The coloring was by Steve Oliff, hand-picked for the role by Otomo. Oliff persuaded Marvel to use computer coloring, and Akira became the first ongoing comic book to feature computer coloring. The coloring was more subtle than that seen before and far beyond the capabilities of Japanese technology of the time. It played an important part in AKIRA's success in Western markets, and revolutionised the way comics were colorized.[9] Also of note in the Marvel version are various "tributes" to Akira in the form of "fan-art" from American comic industry talent such as Dave Gibbons and John Romita. Delays in the publication were caused by Otomo's retouching of artwork for the Japanese collections. It was these works which formed the basis for translation, rather than the initial serialisation. Marvel collected the colorized versions as a 13-volume paperback series, each volume collecting four of the Epic issues, and also in six hardback volumes collecting the series as Otomo intended. The work was later reprinted in paperback from 2000 to 2002 by Dark Horse Comics, and in the UK by Titan Books, this time in black and white with a new translation, although Otomo's painted color pages were used minimally at the start of each book as in the original manga. This version is thought to be closer to the original serialisation than the Marvel/Epic translation. A partially colourized version was serialised in British comic/magazine Manga Mania in the early to mid '90s.

The serial nature of the work influenced the storyline structure, allowing for numerous sub-plots, a large cast and an extended middle sequence. This allowed for a focus on destructive imagery and afforded Otomo the chance to portray a strong sense of movement.[4] He also established a well-realised science fiction setting, and through his art evoked a strong sense of emotion within both character and reader.[1] The work has no consistent main character, but Shotaro Kaneda and Tetsuo Shima are central protagonists.[4]

Themes

AKIRA, like Otomo's other works (such as Domu), revolves around the basic idea of individuals with superhuman powers, especially psychokinetic abilities. However, these are not central to the story, which instead concerns itself with character, societal pressures and political machination.[3] Motifs common in the manga include youth alienation, government corruption and inefficiency, and a military grounded in old-fashioned Japanese honor, displeased with the compromises of modern society.

Jenny Kwok Wah Lau writes in Multiple Modernities that Akira is a "direct outgrowth of war and postwar experiences." She argues that Otomo grounds the work in recent Japanese history and culture, using the atomic bombing of Japan during World War II, alongside the economic resurgence and issues relating to over-crowding as inspirations and underlying issues. Thematically the work centres on the nature of youth to rebel against authority, control methods, community building and the transformation experienced in adolescent passage. The latter is best represented in the work by the morphing experienced by characters.[10]

Susan Napier has identified this morphing and metamorphosis as a factor which marks the work as postmodern; "a genre which suggests that identity is in constant fluctuation." She also sees the work as an attack on the Japanese establishment, arguing that Otomo satirizes aspects of Japanese culture, in particular schooling and the rush for new technology. AKIRA's central images, of characters aimlessly roaming the streets on motor bikes is seen to represent the futility of the quest for self-knowledge. The work also focusses on loss, with all characters in some form orphaned and having no sense of history. The landscapes depicted are ruinous, with old Tokyo represented only by a dark crater. The nihilistic nature of the work is felt by Napier to tie into a wider theme present in Japanese literature of the time.[11]

Reception

The series has won a great deal of recognition in the industry, including the 1984 Kodansha Manga Award for best general manga.[12] It was also nominated for the Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work in 2002. In her book The Fantastic in Japanese Literature, Susan Napier described the work as a "no holds barred enjoyment of fluidity and chaos".[13] The work is credited as having introduced both manga and anime to Western audiences.[7] The translation of the work into French in 1991 by Glénat "opened the floodgates to the Japanese invasion."[14] The imagery in AKIRA, together with that of Blade Runner formed the blueprint for similar Japanese works of a dystopian nature of the late 1990s. Examples include Ghost in the Shell and Armitage III.[8] Akira cemented Otomo's reputation and the success of the animated feature allowed him to concentrate on film rather than the manga form in which his career began.[3]

The movie led the way for the growing popularity of anime in the West, with Akira considered a forerunner of the second wave of anime fandom that began in the early 1990s. One of the reasons for the movie's success was the highly advanced quality of its animation. At the time, most anime was notorious for cutting production corners with limited motion, such as having only the characters' mouths move while their faces remained static. Akira broke from this trend with meticulously detailed scenes, exactingly lip-synched dialogue — a first for an anime production (voices were recorded before the animation was completed, rather than the opposite) — and super-fluid motion as realized in the film's more than 160,000 animation cels.[15]

Adaptations

See also: Akira (film), Akira (video game), and Akira (film) § Live action film

While most of the character designs and basic settings were directly adapted from the original 2,182-page manga epic, the restructured plot of the movie differs considerably from the print version, pruning much of the last half of the book. The film Akira is regarded by many critics as a landmark anime film, one that influenced much of the art in the anime world that followed its release.[7][16]

A graphic adventure game based on the animated movie adaptation was released in 1988 by Taito for the Famicom console. The video game version has the player in the role of Kaneda, with the storyline starting with Kaneda and his motorcycle gang in police custody. In 1994, a British-made action game was released for the Amiga CD32, and in 2002 Bandai released a pinball simulation, Akira Psycho Ball for the PlayStation 2.

Book references

Dark Horse brought Akira to American audiences. Each of the volumes below was also available in a limited edition hardcover version with nicer stock paper as an exclusive to Barnes and Noble.

  • AKIRA, Volume 1 : Publisher: Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-498-3 Release: December 2000
  • AKIRA, Volume 2 : Publisher: Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-499-1 Release: March 2001
  • AKIRA, Volume 3 : Publisher: Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-525-4 Release: June 2001
  • AKIRA, Volume 4 : Publisher: Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-526-2 Release: September 2001
  • AKIRA, Volume 5 : Publisher: Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-527-0 Release: December 2001
  • AKIRA, Volume 6 : Publisher: Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-528-9 Release: March 2002

Starting in 2009, Random House will be releasing the Akira volumes under their license.

  • AKIRA, Volume 1 : Publisher: Random House ISBN 1-93542-900-0 Release: October 13, 2009[17]
  • AKIRA, Volume 2 : Publisher: Random House ISBN 1-93542-902-7 Release: January 12, 2010[17]
  • AKIRA, Volume 3 : Publisher: Random House ISBN 1-93542-904-3 Release: April 13, 2010[17]
  • AKIRA, Volume 4 : Publisher: Random House Release: July 2010
  • AKIRA, Volume 5 : Publisher: Random House Release: October 2010
  • AKIRA, Volume 6 : Publisher: Random House Release: January 2011

References

  1. ^ a b c Amano, Masanao (2004). Manga Design. Taschen. p. 138. ISBN 3822825913. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Gresh, Lois H. (2005). The Science of Anime. Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 168. ISBN 1560257687. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d Brooks, Brad (2005). The Essential Guide to World Comics. London: Collins & Brown. p. 103. ISBN 1-84340-300-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c Martinez, Dolores P. (1998). The Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521637295.
  5. ^ "www.freedict.com/onldict/onldict.php".
  6. ^ Schilling, Mark (1997). The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. Weatherhill. p. 174. ISBN 0834803801.
  7. ^ a b c d Sabin, Roger (1996). Comics, Comix and Graphic Novels: a History of Comic Art. Phaidon. pp. 230–1. ISBN 0714839930.
  8. ^ a b Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Review Press. p. 7. ISBN 1556525915.
  9. ^ Kôsei, Ono (Winter, 1996). "Manga Publishing: Trends in the United States". Japanese Book News. 1 (16). The Japan Foundation: 6–7. ISSN 0918-9580. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Kwok Wah Lau, Jenny (2003). Multiple Modernities. Temple University Press. pp. 189–90. ISBN 1566399866.
  11. ^ Jolliffe Napier, Susan (1996). The Fantastic in Modern Japanese Literature. Routledge. pp. 214–8. ISBN 0415124581.
  12. ^ Joel Hahn. "Kodansha Manga Awards". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  13. ^ Bush, Laurence C. (2001). Asian Horror Encyclopedia. Writers Club Press. p. 7. ISBN 0595201814.
  14. ^ Brooks, Brad (2005). The Essential Guide to World Comics. London: Collins & Brown. p. 172. ISBN 1-84340-300-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Production insights, Akira #3 (Epic Comics, 1988). Kanye West has a tribute to the anime film in his Stronger video.
  16. ^ "Akira - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes".
  17. ^ a b c "Random House Author Page".
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