The Strange Origin Story Behind This Iconic Megacity

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A NOLLISTUDIO/NOLLIMEDIA Production

00:00 INTRO
01:04 KATSUHIRO OTOMO, Tokyo & Bōsōzoku
1:47 A JAPANESE ECONOMIC MIRACLE
02:48 TOKYO BAY & NEO TOKYO
03:41 Metabolism & Kenzo Tange
06:17 The Olympic Stadium
09:34 The Colours of Akira
10:57 Fritz Lang's Metropolis
13:17 The Soul Of A City

#akira #metropolis #anime #architecture #documentary #megacities

Special Thanks to Bar High Tide in Tokyo!

Synopsys

In this video, we explore the origins of Akira's iconic Neo-Tokyo, delving into its roots in post-war Tokyo and the visionary ideas that shaped it. We uncover how Katsuhiro Otomo's experiences and inspirations, including the chaotic streets of 1970s Tokyo and the influence of youth biker gangs, contributed to the creation of this futuristic megacity. We also reveal the surprising influence of German filmmaker Fritz Lang, whose 1920s film Metropolis inspired Akira's cityscape. Join us as we trace the architectural and cultural elements that led to the birth of one of the most iconic anime settings ever created.

[DamiLeeArch]

Go watch Akira if you haven't! It is a timeless masterpiece that you should not miss!

[vmpgsc]

I drove 3 hours in the late 80s to see Akira in a theater. Just epic on so many levels.

[AndyWarpol]

Also one thing that is never shown in Tokyo is how quiet it is. People aim to shoot the hustle and bustle of Shibuya and Shinjuku, but if you walk maybe 100 meters out of each hub, it’s extremely quiet and decentralised. You can walk down countless streets without bumping into a car or a person. It’s part of the soul of Tokyo that is hard to show on camera and can only be experienced by people who come here.

[armana]

Raise your hand if you love Dami Lee’s voice and enunciation. Just so unique and compelling. Like Stan Lee with his distinctive voice.

[countryclub]

A few years ago I lived in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles in modern a high rise apartment on the top floor. Sometimes, when I would look out my window, a helicopter would be flying by, and I could see all of the lights of the city, Japanese neon signs, and cars and motorcycles driving down below. I remember one night I was watching Akira on blue-ray and while I was watching the opening scenes of Neo-Tokyo, I looked out my window again and realized I'M HERE! 😀

[islembenzegouta]

"Akira" means "Bright, intelligent, clear" in Japanese. And that's what your content is, as always. This channel is Akira, DamiLee is Akira🧡

[Vedexent_]

Communicating knowledge of architecture is education. Communicating *passion* for archtecture, is art. This channel is art.

[KirkKiyosadaTome]

As a Japanese-American, I found this fascinating. Weirdly, this popped into my feed as I had just finished rewatching Akira, as it's my favorite anime of all time. Thanks, as always, for the super fun and interesting vids, Dami.

[sergpie]

There was also another anime, named “Metropolis”, released in 2001, and based upon not only the original silent film, but also upon Osamu Tezuka’s eponymous manga from 1949; the architecture there shows a megalomaniacal, ultra-dense, semi-brutalist art deco futurism.

The application of western aesthetic and architectural language by the Japanese in their visual storytelling, has created, in my opinion, some of the most otherworldly and simultaneously familiar, and at times foreboding, built environments. One of my favorite examples of this, also, are the cities and environments in “Reign: The Conqueror” and “Aeon Flux”.

[erichsieh]

Thank you so much for visiting these architectural sites that get discussed in the video. I know it's more work and more money, but we get to appreciate so many more things when shot that way. A sense of scale as you stand next to the building, a feeling of the weather when the wind blows your hair, revelations about the shape of objects in frame as parallax movement turns them from 2D to 3D.

[Sadistichippo]

Truly one of the most influential series in my entire life. Akira shaped my entire career, it got me into motorcycles, letting me to eventually run my own motorcycle dealership

[betterchapter]

Even 35 years later, this animation still holds up

[MassiveJetGrind]

When I was in Osaka, under my hotel in the same building were a mall, arcade, and the train station! No city flows like Japan. Great video!

[zalseon]

The architecture of a fictional setting really does add a ton of soul, but it's not talked about as much as it should be. It honestly kinda drew me to become an electrical engineer and writer.

[g-mav]

I’ve been on YouTube as long as any of us have — I mean it when I say it that this might possibly be my new favourite YouTube video of all time. Amazing work, Dami Lee. Watching this video felt like a sublime and visceral experience, and the love and enthusiasm you show for the subjects of architecture, cyberpunk and anime really seeps through in a way that almost feels tactile. Please keep this going!!

[JibberJabJones]

akira is a great example of a work of art so stratospherically ambitious, that not only had its like never been seen before, it will never be seen again. even the soundtrack is astonishing. i got to see it in the waterloo imax when lockdown restrictions began loosening. it was louder than a stadium gig, and filled a screen the size of a house. one of the best live show experiences i've ever had. i still can't believe such a piece of animation actually exists.

[andrewp.attivissimo]

Awesome video as always. To answer your question, Detroit feels like a city with a soul. Many buildings are being restored and brought back to life with a whole new purpose than originally intended. For example, old mechanic shops turned into restaurants, old churches turned into coffee shops, and the historic Michigan Central Train Station and a Book Depository Building became what is now known as an "innovation hub".

[Jordan-inJapan]

Wow, I loved this one on so many levels. First of all, AKIRA has a special place in my heart since it (just blew my mind when I saw it back in high school and) was probably the work of art that sparked off my initial interest in Japan…. where I’ve lived for the past 20+ years. (I’m originally from Vancouver too.) Also, I really love the idea of a city having a ‘soul’ and I really have felt it sometimes. Definitely in Osaka. In Tokyo, I really felt that each area of the city had its own soul, so the ‘megacity’ feels, to me, like a collection of distinct organisms inhabiting the same space. You don’t notice it so much when you’re riding the trains through Tokyo, but if you ever try WALKING through Tokyo, then you can feel it.

[FalconWindblader]

When you talked about cities having souls, it kinda reminded me of another anime, Karas, the setting of which actually took the concept of 'cities being living organisms' & 'cities having souls' in a very literal sense, so much so that souls of cities actually manifested in human forms & agents being appointed by said souls & given powers to protect said cities, acting like the cities' immune system. Karas, like Akira, also put a lotta heart into its illustration & animation, as well as the sound, so much so that one of the studios involved in the production was said to have actually run into bankruptcy because of it.

[rodrigoportellarodrigues]

This is one of the best produced videos I've ever seen on YouTube.