Akira is a milestone in anime history. The film from 1988 was one of the most technically challenging works of its time. For the film, 50 colors had to be developed to create the atmosphere that the production team desired in Neo-Tokyo.
What is Akira about?
- Akira was created in 1988 by its creator Katsuhiro Otomo
- The film is set in 2019, 31 years in the future (from the time it was made)
- Tokyo was destroyed by an atomic explosion and rebuilt as Neo-Tokyo
- Shotaro Kaneda and Tetsuo Shima are in a gang and engage in fierce street battles
- One day, the two are taken to a military facility where special powers are revealed in one of them
We don’t want to spoil more of the plot so that you can watch the film completely unbiased. However, every anime fan should have seen Akira, as it set new standards in the field – both technically and in terms of color.
The following trailer shows how the groundbreaking technical standards become apparent:
Akira sets new technical standards
What makes Akira so special? Akira is especially remarkable for its aesthetics. For the production of Akira, 50 new shades had to be created. The colors were not available in any commercial portfolio before.
The majority of the story takes place at night, which is why the filmmakers needed a wider selection of colors to distinguish the planes from each other. Bright orange tones needed to stand out from murky blue tones even in the dark.
Moreover, vivid colors should bring out the cyberpunk-like Neo-Tokyo well. This could not be ensured with the color palette available at the time.
In addition, a technique for animation was developed in Akira that was unusual for its time. First, the dialogues were recorded before the production team began animating the characters.
This allowed the movements to be tailored to the dialogues, leading to more realistic animation and more precise lip sync. Normally, it was the other way around in Japanese animation studios at that time.
Through this special technique, Akira set new standards for future productions. Many animes like Cowboy Bebop are among the animes inspired by Akira. But also, Ghost in the Shell would not be the anime it is today without Akira.
Other anime films that every fan must have seen have also been compiled in a list by MeinMMO author Cortyn:
