AKIRA Pamphlet

Hi there! It’s been awhile. Apologies for the delay! Uni has been my top priority these days, but I still love sharing resources on this blog. Hopefully I’ll have more time this year to share findings as I discover them.

Anyway, thought I would jump back in with a new find that I discovered from the Archival site known as The Internet Archive (https://archive.org/), which is a fantastic source for paper, digital, software, and film resources, many of which would be lost to time without the site.

This specific Pamphlet that I’m sharing here seems to be from 1987-88, and contains a multitude of information about the film, including the voice cast, production staff, characters, story, and a section about Katsuhiro Otomo himself. Unfortunately, I can’t translate the text for you all, but it’s still a fantastic source that I would recommend checking out, especially if you’re interested in the promotional material produced for the film as it was being released.

Here is an embed of the PDF from Archive.org (Uploaded by user Mittermayer on June 2, 2020). It is also available for download in multiple formats on the website if you are interested!

Akira Movie Posters

• 

  illustrated by Tyler Stout

• 

  American Release Poster

• 

  original Japanese Poster

• 

• 

  Original Japanese Poster

• 

• 

  Original Japanese Poster

Akira X Supreme

In the fall of 2017, Katsuhiro Otomo and Supreme teamed up to make a collection based on the Akira Manga. The collection consisted of multiple different articles of clothing, as well as skateboard bases and plates. The prices ranged from 52 US dollars for printed tees to 448 US dollars for a fishtail parka.

• 

  Work Jacket

• 

  Fishtail Parka

• 

  Ceramic Plate

The collaboration deal also included a mural that was made by Katsuhiro Otomo himself and a muralist known as Kosuke Kawamura. “For this one, it’s more of a mix instead of an anime sequence.” Otomo said in an interview with Hypebeast, “This was our focus to introduce all of the art pieces from the number ones to the end as one poster.” The collage was made with handpicked images from the Akira Manga, with scenes not included in the feature film.

The final product of the collage

Otomo was also interviewed separately from the collaboration specifically about his process in making Akira. In this video, he explains the thought process in his development of the manga’s characters, specifically Tetsuo. “I wanted it to be about the marginal members of society. It’s society’s outsiders, those who don’t belong, who are more intriguing to draw.” While Otomo originally pitched Akira as a science fiction story, it speaks more like a work about young adults rebelling against their corrupt society and desolate upbringing. “Like we did, young people today should find their own way. It’s not for us to say.” Otomo goes on later to say, “They wouldn’t listen to us anyway.”