Akira has long been considered one of the greatest feature length films in the medium of anime, exploring a dystopian world taking place in the far off future of “2019”, and fans have noted recently that this year marks the 32nd anniversary of the beginning of World War 3 in this universe. The film focuses on a world where genetic experiments take place which unlock the psychic abilities of some unfortunate test subjects, one of which is the young man Tetsuo, a part of a biker gang that finds themselves wrapped up in a terrifying series of events.
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Akira as a franchise has seen a big resurgence lately, not just with the upcoming arrival of a re-mastered version of the film, but also with creator Katsuhiro Otomo announcing that the series would be making a return into the world of anime. Though we have little to no details when it comes to the upcoming project since it was announced last year, it definitely had a number of fans revisiting the futuristic landscape. In the series, in 1988, World War 3 started with the destruction of Tokyo, with many believing a nuclear blast being responsible but the cause always being a mystery. With the franchise being considered to be one of the most thought provoking in the world of anime, we’re excited to see what the new project has in store as it will hold more closely to the source material of the manga.
Twitter User Matt_Alt noted that recently the anniversary of the start of Akira’s Third World War had recently taken place, creating a futuristic cyberpunk world that continues to resonate with fans in a number of different ways across the board since the movie’s inception:
Just realized today’s a big day. It’s the 32nd anniversary of Akira blowing up Shinjuku and sparking World War III! #neverforget pic.twitter.com/zucdaXYF72
— Matt Alt (@Matt_Alt) July 15, 2020
As fans following the franchise know, there was originally supposed to be a live action adaptation made in the West that would be helmed by the director of Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Watiti, but was unfortunately postponed indefinitely. With a live action adaptation being mulled over for years, we’re crossing our fingers that the franchise will have a bright future!
What do you think of this ominous anniversary? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and this futuristic cyberpunk world!
