What features make Akira cyberpunk, and how does it reference the wider subgenre?
Cyberpunk can be described as a spin-off genre from science fiction, although it explores a different concept of the future (Indigo Gaming, 2019). It is heavily focused on high technology, as well as an oppressed society who are deprived of the benefits of this high technology and the advancements they bring (Indigo Gaming, 2019). Napier (2005) describes cyberpunk as a genre that centers on technologically advanced, dystopian futures where there is not always a clear distinction between human and machine. Many of the themes central to cyberpunk are explored in Akira, such as the use of technology, anti-establishment groups, and the overlap of humans and machines.
High technology features prominently throughout Akira. From Tetsuo’s metallic arm replacing his own after it gets shot off, the futuristic and stylized motorcycles used by Kaneda and his bōsōzoku motorcycle gang, and the laser rifle used against Tetsuo by Kaneda are all examples of advanced technology that is an essential cyberpunk element (de la Iglesia, 2018). Even the idea of the espers being laboratory experiments gone wrong, and the destruction of Tokyo and subsequently Neo-Tokyo because of these experiments, highlights the dangerous side effects of futurism and its quest for advancement (Indigo Gaming, 2019).
Another key component of cyberpunk are the themes of anti-establishment and non-conformity (Indigo Gaming, 2019). Akira explores these themes in several ways, where we see instances of anti-government and military power in which citizens fight back for control. For example, in the start of the movie there are protests and riots against the government and military, while the esper Takashi escapes a government lab with the help of a resistance organization, and Kaneda joins Kei’s resistance cell after learning about their plan to rescue Tetsuo (Gottesman, 2016). Akira also explores non-conformity with the use of the bōsōzoku motorcycle gang lead by Akira’s main character, Kaneda. The bōsōzoku are described by Standish (1998) as working-class youths who are unable to conform to society’s expectations of what they’re meant to be, and so resort to deviant behavior. Kaneda’s gang are an alienated, anti-establishment group who use their gang as a means to defy the control of the government and conventions of society (Gottesman, 2016). De la Iglesia (2018, page 2) also notes that within cyberpunk, “technology needs to be employed by anti-establishment, counter-cultural characters from the fringes of society.” This can be seen when Kaneda uses a laser rifle to try and stop Tetsuo, in an example of experimental and advanced technology used against a figure of authority, as Tetsuo has taken military and political control.
One question cyberpunk asks is, “what differentiates man and machine?” (Indigo Gaming, 2019). Again, this is explored in Akira. When Tetsuo has his arm shot off he tries to fuse with the metal and concrete of the Olympic stadium but loses control of its expansion (Gottesman, 2016). Tetsuo has become dehumanized through his transformation into an esper, and is now morphing into a machine (Gottesman, 2016). The espers also fit into the theme of humans versus machines, in the sense that they are dehumanized to the point where they become machines, with the sole purpose of aiding the government. The espers are a trio of children used in a government project to understand psychic powers, and are then held in isolation to prevent any information from being leaked. They are used as tools by the government and denied their humanity through their imprisonment. As Jordan Weisman points out, “Cyberpunk, at its core, is all about the dehumanization of humanity.” (Weisman, 2012, as cited in Indigo Gaming, 2019). This is true in the case of the espers, as they are only allowed to exist to serve the purposes of the government, rather than be free as their own autonomous people.
References
De la Iglesia, M. (2018). Has Akira Always Been a Cyberpunk Comic? Arts, 7(3), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts7030032
Gottesman, Z. (2016) Tetsuo and Marinetti: Akira as a cyberpunk critique of futurist modernity. Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema, 8(2), 104-126. https://doi.org/10.1080/17564905.2016.1221586
Indigo Gaming. (2019, December 1). Cyberpunk Documentary PART 1 | Neuromancer, Blade Runner, Shadowrun, Akira [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sttm8Q9rOdQ&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR0ZOnQmyGabIr8FMiM6Lkz-DBE1–cZrqPuIA2StGx-4WIjVmBrOKS9GeA
Napier, S. (2005). Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle. Palgrave Macmillan
Standish, I. (1998). Akira, postmodernism and resistance. In Martinez, D. P. (Eds.). The worlds of Japanese popular culture : gender, shifting boundaries and global cultures (pp 56-74). Cambridge University Press.
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