Katsuhiro Otomo Interview (1993)

This interview was conducted after the movie was completed.
It was originally included on the Japanese Laserdisc of Akira,
released in 1993 by Pioneer LDC.

Questions

1. What was the first work that influenced you?
2. What was your first encounter with animation?
3. What are your feelings on having made animations yourself?
4. What made you decide to animate Akira?
5. What gave you trouble when animating it?

Katsuhiro Ôtomo is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the creator of the manga Akira and its animated film adaptation.

In 1979, after writing multiple short-stories for the magazine Action, Otomo created his first science-fiction work, titled Fireball. Although the manga was never completed, it is regarded as a milestone in Otomo's career as it contained many of the same themes he would explore in his later. In 1982, Otomo made his anime debut, working as character designer for the animated film Harmagedon. The next year, Otomo began work on a manga which would become his most acclaimed and famous work: Akira. It took eight years to complete and would eventually culminate in 2000 pages of artwork. While the serialization of Akira was taking place, Otomo decided to animate it into a feature film, although the manga was yet to be finished. In 1988, the animated film Akira was released.

Otomo became the fourth manga artist ever inducted into the American Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2012, and was awarded the Purple Medal of Honor from the Japanese government in 2013.

[MicahBuzanANIMATION]

So cool to see him hunched over the drawing board in the intro. It's interesting how humble these workspaces that produce masterpieces are.

[SW-SW]

Title Card Times:
0:44 - How Did AKIRA Come About?
4:04 - What were your guidelines in creating the AKIRA world?
4:37 - We're Told that there were production notes for AKIRA. What's in them?
7:33 - What was the first work that Influenced you?
10:40 - What was your first encounter with Animation?
11:16 - What are your feelings on having made animations yourself?
12:29 - What made you decide to animate AKIRA
13:26 - What gave you trouble when animating [AKIRA]?
15:49 - What was your intent with using prescoring?
17:25 - What was your intent with using the Quick Action Recorder?
19:44 - What was your intent in using computer graphics?
20:15 - Your intent in using the Synclavier?
21:00 - Your reason for using Geinoh Yamashiro Gumi for the music?
23:34 - On the reputation of AKIRA around the world.
24:51 - What's next for Katsuhiro Otomo?

[BAO-vepd]

Thanks for the upload. It was a great watch.

[irasbighairywizarddivision]

There's something so alluring about Otomo's artwork. It's unlike ANYTHING else out there. He manages to combine the vibrant pop up elements of Anime with the complex linework and detail from American and European animation and comics. Literally EVERY panel in the Akira Manga could be framed and hung on a wall. The attention to detail he puts to every drawing blows my mind. Easily the most skilled Manga Artist of all time imho.

[TheSabado]

The great Katsuhiro, incredible artist.

[ajayxerx]

Psalm 138 verse 6
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.