Why Akira is the Most Important Anime Ever Made

It's not just the laser backpack and giant flesh blob.
Episode research by Matthew Jay

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[MrTheil]

Imagine during the 2020 Japan Olympics we see someone dressed up as Kaneda driving the iconic bike with the torch in hand

[digdog]

When a movie is so good that people still talk about it 30 years later

[TheSecondVersion]

"Akira predicted the 2020 Tokyo Olympics"

That, or Akira left such an impact that people spent 25 years trying to get Tokyo to the 2020 slot just because (Akira released in 1988; Japan won the bid to host the 2020 games in 2013).

[gametamer]

Tried to trick my dad into taping Golden Boy when I was kid and told him it was about a guy with a bike. My dad saw the description for bikers in the TV guide and taped this instead and my life was that much better for it

[GrahamMilkdrop]

Akira doesn't animate on 1s for every second. It mixes 1s 2s and 3s.

[akufromthefuture]

I LOVE Akira.
Kaneda is the first anime figure i ever got as a kid.
I was born in 92, so the figure I had was already aged when i got it.
As a kid, this film scared me. It still freaks me out a bit, but i absolutely adore the gross evolution throughout it

[x]

Not the first anime I saw, that title is held by warriors of the wind that I saw on HBO. Akira was a movie I remember renting at a place called music plus. I was 8 or 9 and my mom had no idea what she was getting me, neither did I. That night I went home and was scarred for the rest of my life. Best anime ever.

[LowellLucasJr.]

Who remembers that Glory Days of when Akira was shown religiously on Syfy channel?( back when it was spelled Sci-Fi)

[synaesthesia]

#4 is incorrect, the holgraphic representation of Tetsuo's power was digitally created, i've seen it on the official making of on the DVD, it was created, like Tron, frame by frame, purely using code

[jimb.]

*Am I the only that thought Kaneda's name was "Canada" when first seeing this movie?*

[yilong]

Akira is a hugely important movie, which 'brought' (the concept of) anime to the western world, but also animation to a mature serious audience. It was a mature and serious story. It broke boundaries, and at that time, could basically only have been told through animation.

That said, the manga it's based on, is even better. Much much better.

[LowellLucasJr.]

Akira is like a like describing the effect and magic of Starwars for the 1st time...or the majesty of The Lion King. Its just an absolute Marvel.

[MrGregory]

2:40 go watch the hallway running scene. One of the best pieces of animation ever created

[mrmeatman]

But Akira isn’t Hamtaro you fricken posing click-bait liars.

[Gothead]

Because _Kronenburg_ is the normal state of life for Akira.

[approximated_nerd]

I ain’t an anime fan but damn it looks neat. It’s also one of those older animes that really give you that... *older* anime feel.

[sirsparkles]

Redline is a modern masterpiece of hand-drawn art also!

[HayTatsuko]

The moving having 160, 000 animated cels goes hand-in-hand with the actual length of the source manga, which is more than 2, 500 pages long. I've read it a couple of times, and will do so again. The artwork is fantastic, and the story is far, far deeper than any one-off movie -- as good as it is! -- could properly present.

[gstvntt]

Im glad Tony hadnt had to be cringy in silence for 15 seconds at the end of the video as usual. Good content, the channel is significantly improving!

[AndySenpai]

That evangelion scene was a creative choice not a matter of saving. He was letting you take in the moment