- What features make Akira cyberpunk, and how does it reference the wider subgenre?
Cyberpunk by definition is: a genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology. It is most notable by its incredible setting design. Skyscrapers as tall as the clouds, neon lights around every corner, but not the picture perfect city life we may be used to. Indigo Gaming describes cyberpunk’s aesthetic as “High tech, low life.” (unknown, 2019), which is why you’ll see a lot of characters living in poor conditions if not straight up poverty.
Akira fits this description like a glove, it’s rife with the city life with both our main characters and surrounding extras. It’s extremely technologically advanced, while at the same time being exceedingly dirty with litter decorated along the streets, graffiti on almost every wall, even governmental funded institutions- such as the school- is given no care for its appearance.
The reason for this is as the writer from The Guardian states: “The genre was formed as a response to a world where corporate power was proliferating and expanding across the globe, inequality was growing, [and] new forms of technology offered both the promise of liberation and the potential for new and dangerous forms of domination.” (Walker-Emig, 2018) Cyberpunk was- and is still- a meta-commentary on current and future social economics. It’s a believable dystopian future that many of us believe is inevitable, where the rich get richer and the poor stay poor.
Akira may not have much to say on the class divide that other works in the genre have, but it speaks numbers about corruption and abuse of power. With examples from government officials, police brutality and even teachers whose one job is to take care of their students all because they hold power over them.
The story ends with a rebirth of sorts- as do most Cyberpunk stories I believe, whether simply in the character or society as a whole- with Tokyo destroyed but the land still stable. “Destruction may lurk in familiar yet fantastic forms, but the construction remains – a gritty, breathing Tokyo, alive with realism, and not going away anytime soon.” (Lee, 2018)
References:
Indigo Gaming. (2019, December 1). Cyberpunk Documentary PART 1 | Neuromancer, Blade Runner, Shadowrun, Akira. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sttm8Q9rOdQ&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR0ZOnQmyGabIr8FMiM6Lkz-DBE1
Lee, G. (2018, January 15). Anime beyond Akira: The construction and destruction of cyberpunk Tokyo. Little White Lies. https://lwlies.com/articles/anime-beyond-akira-cyberpunk-tokyo/
Walker-Emig, P. (2020, April 16). Neon and corporate dystopias: Why does cyberpunk refuse to move on? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/games/2018/oct/16/neon-corporate-dystopias-why-does-cyberpunk-refuse-move-on
Pop Genres 2020 