Interesting picture! Did you know that the motorcycle gang, which Kaneda leads at the beginning of AKIRA and of course also their rivals, the Clowns, were inspired by Bosozoku, which are a long established underground gang culture in Japan? They have a very unique way of "tuning" their motorbikes, are into the culture primarily for companionship and tuning, while crime is only a secondary thing some of them do on the side. Nonetheless, the Yakuza regularly recruits fresh muscle from Bosozoku gangs. Its a deep rabbit hole! :)
this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2025
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Wow.. I did NOT know that. And indeed, that adds some welcome context to the piece, I should think.
And also (since I'm a blatant fool), I never did read the AKIRA manga, which as I understand it is considerably more detailed than the movie. Any thoughts on that series..?
Yes, as one would expect the manga is a lot more nuanced and fleshed out, it's also truly a feast for the eyes! The movie began production before the story was finished, so in a way it also influenced it. Both are some of my favorite pieces of media ever created, but even if the animation work in the movie is astounding , I think the better way to consume the story is by reading it.
Both are some of my favorite pieces of media ever created
Ah, I see you're a person of culture as well!
I never did read the AKIRA manga
I wholeheartedly recommend reading the manga. While the anime certainly is outstanding and legendary on its own, it only features the beginning of the actual full story arc, that is featured in the manga. I would go as far as calling the anime an intro/teaser for the manga, which takes the story to a whole new scale. I still remember reading it in 1993 as a twelve year old and how it pulled me in, enjoy!
Okay, thanks for explaining! In fact, I have something of a resistance to manga these days, but will keep it in mind for when I'm in the mood, again...