The upcoming July 16 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Akira film adaptation. Beyond its natural differences with the manga, Akira is an essential stop for anyone wanting to dip their toes into the waters of anime. Many later works have drawn inspiration from Akira's dark and complex universe, and, of course, there has been no shortage of homages to Otomo's work. One of the most recent is Awaken Akira, created by the ALT-Creative team. If it were truly possible to bring Akira to the world of live action, it would probably look something like this.
Akira's Timeless Legacy
What can be added about Akira at this point? Its animation, its story, Kaneda's motorcycle, Tetsuo's powers... all of that springs to mind automatically just by mentioning the movie's name. Those needing an extra dose only have to turn to the manga. It was completed two years after the movie's release, and its details are much more expansive. Logically, Hollywood is dying to adapt Akira. Warner acquired the rights in 2002, but the list of directors, producers, and actors became too long, and if we go by the time James Cameron needed to adapt Battle Angel Alita, the difficulties are obvious. What's left for us until then? Memories, homages, optimized versions of the original material. Things like this little short called Awaken Akira.
Awaken Akira: 58 Seconds of Pure Homage
That's right: 58 seconds. Below an average trailer, but more than enough to share with us... well, almost everything we'd like to see in a future adaptation. Awaken Akira is a creation of ALT-Creative, made up of Ash Thorp and XiaoLin Zeng. On their official YouTube profile we can find a playlist that includes part of the development process, emphasizing scenes like the falling pills, the destroyed buildings, and "Neo Tokyo" in general. The music (by Pilotpriest) is another very positive aspect of this homage, and I must admit it fits perfectly.
A Testament to Fan Dedication
In short, Awaken Akira is more proof that fans can rise to the occasion while the big studios get lost in limbo changing directors and producers like a pair of socks. The project was not easy, and it took more than a year of work, but that makes it even more valuable.
