Double Feature and anime. A continued attempt to learn about film purely through immersion. What Akira has in common with previous films Double Feature has covered. The influence of Akira on live-action American storytelling. Biological technology in a cyberpunk way instead of a body horror way. Doing new and unfamiliar things with body horror. The introduction of commercial Japanese animation to the American youth market. An obsession with power. Changing forms. Future Tokyo, animated. The animation breakthroughs unleashed by Akira. Keyframes, limited animation and sound. The Sky Crawler’s vision of corporate-sponsored warfare. Quenching the (probably not real) human need for violence. Modern-day gladiators. A surprisingly realistic depiction of a type of warfare not often seen. An element of mystery is revealed. Anime’s fixation on childhood. Inspecting youth in military. Foreign animation and eroticism. Continue reading
