The Impact of Akira

Discover Katsuhiro Otomo’s visionary work and post-Akira Japanese comic
culture.

The catalyst of an era, of a world that was unaware of its downfall, Katsuhiro
Otomo’s visionary work marked a turning point in the industry. First, in his
homeland, Japan, in terms of graphics and plot on an entire generation of
post-Akira artists who adopted his attention to detail, his realism and his
dizzying views. But above all with his international reach, which threw
Japanese comic strips and animations into the limelight in numerous countries,
by trampling the rest of the world’s notion that cartoons are exclusively for
children. This book dives headfirst into the radioactive culture that is the
creative power of Katsuhiro Otomo, from the mangaka’s— already
explosive—beginnings, up to winning recognition for Akira. Discover the themes
and influences of this fundamentally anti-establishment work by exploring its
socio-economic or simply literary aspects. The author of the work analyzes the
phenomenon, from its tiny seed to the mighty tree, and reveals why Akira is,
above all, a purely Japanese series.

This book will provide you with an analysis of the socio-historical context of
Akira. It aims to help Western readers to better understand the escence of
this graphic and narrative treasure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rémi Lopez graduated with a degree in Japanese from Bordeaux III University.
In 2004, he cut his teeth as an author when he wrote website columns on video
game soundtracks. Two years later, he joined the Gameplay RPG magazine in
which he carried out the same task. He then followed the then editor-in-chief,
Christophe Brondy, and his entire team to a new project: the monthly Role
Playing Game magazine. Rémi wrote The Legend of Final Fantasy VIII and the
book on the Original Soundtrack for Pix'n Love publications in 2013.