Culturbia

The following ideas are partly inspired as well as being an extension and culmination of those proposed by Susan Napier in her book From Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle and those of Gresh and Weinberg in their book The Science of Anime.

Akira can be seen as a text that illustrates youth frustration, alienation, aesthetics and the human ageing process as well as embodying the reification of evolution. The dominant ideas proposed by the film are those of adolescent frustration and how this period of transformation is felt with equal intensity on both an external and internal level. The film also attempts to remind us of the ultimately biological nature of ourselves with its examination and representation of the ageing process as well as its conclusion that scientific principle is the power that ultimately governs humankind. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo in 1988 (having being based on an original manga by the director) the film tells the story of Tetsuo, an adolescent biker gang member, who inadvertently awakens deadly psychic powers within himself. Set in Neo Tokyo, a hyper city built around the nuclear devastated ruins of Tokyo, Tetsuo’s new found power leads the narrative down a path of violent and catastrophic destruction. The character of Tetsuo can be likened to a representation of an adolescent undergoing puberty with the film commenting on how the transformation being endured by the adolescent can appear horrifying to the individual undergoing the experience as well as those on the outside witnessing it. The way in which Tetsuo deals with this adolescent metamorphosis is reflective of the uncertainty and confusion that it bestows upon him. He often seems afraid and weary of his change, reluctant and resistant. However, conversely, he is seen at times to submit to the experience and revel in the power and authority that it affords him. Read More »