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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
genius- worth more than 5 stars. a masterpiece., 15 May 2001
I first discovered Akira in 1988 in the fabulous and unfortunately long gone Red Rhino Records in York. What struck me was that this was a Japanese comic book, something of an absolute rarity in the west at the time, lovingly recreated by Epic comics. The story was intriguing, intelligent, spiritual and yet rebelious and unlike anything that I'd ever come across until The Invisibles.This is more than a comic. The comics I was used to were passe; musclebound idiots, and large breasted bimbos with stupid powers content on smashing up cities whilst fighting their evil and equally dumb counterparts in the quest for truth justice and the American way. Did they ever have any consideration for the tax payer; the inflation of insurance prices and how this would affect mortgages; trade prices and the cost of living for the people they were supposedly defending, as they picked up and hurled cars and buildings at one another? "All in a days work Mr President" Metropolis should have asked Superman to go back home! Akira was different.It had a sense of social struggle. There were drugs, psychics, teenage rebellion wrapped up in a paradigm. An attempt to capture the technolgy of the future in the bland interior settings of the 1950's office blocks and schools. There were the real feelings and lifelike speech of people affected by their world, in this nonsensical psychic paradox. There were terrorists, anarchists, and government conspiracies here long before rabbles of Brighton drop outs decided to protest about para-politics, descending upon Oxford Street and taking their aggressions out on a Ryman stationers as they do today. The style owes as much to Hokusai as it does to Marlon Brandos biker gang films and Ridley Scotts ICI Wilton and Redcar of the future (as depicted in Blade Runner). This was Fritz Langs Metropolis gone mad; Japans identity under a microscope, still suffering and fearful of the atom bomb after 40 years. Katsuhiro Otomo is one of my greatest influences, his neat line style in some instances is an idiosyncracy to his free and illustrious designs of a post apocalyptic metropolis. His sense of humanity and struggle is almost Dikensian crossed with a hefty chunk of H.P lovecraft, Philip K.Dick and Francis Ford Coppolas "Rumble Fish". It is beautiful yet horrific. And the sense of colour has a sense of graphical construction within itself. I grew up wanting to be Tetsuo, even seeking out similar clothing and jackets and wearing my hair in the same style. Sad but true. But I ask you how many people want to dress like The Mighty Thor? His clothes were not functional, but Tetsuo looked the part (Plus you could buy the same jacket from The Famous Army Stores for £10). The downside of Akira was its inspiration on further Japanese cartoons and cheap Animation. Devils and Demons raping scantily clad schoolgirls exposing their clean white underwear! This is not what Akira is about! If you want typical peaodiphillic and abusive, sexist manga rubbish then look elsewhere. The genius of Katsuhiro Otomo should not be held responsible for the offensive s**** that was to come. Please someone save use from the 4 frame per second c*** that constitutes pokemon and other rubbish from this genre.Its similar to comparing "Once Upon A Time In The West" to a "Django" movie. Akira has quality craftmanship and storytelling devices. Akira the book (as that is what it is, beyond a comic) and the fabulous animated film should be seen by anyone with a fascination in design, art, animation, literature and film. This (and his other work)will stand up as a classic alongside the works of Otomos greatest influence, Akira Kurosawa, where the rest of the genre will be long forgotten ...
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by Katsuhiro Otomo
by Katsuhiro Otomo
by Katsuhiro Otomo
by Katsuhiro Otomo
by Katsuhiro Otomo
