Late to the Party Book Club - Episode 6 - Akira Vol 1

The serialized version of Akira ran from 1982 - 1990, and we were so excited to dive into the first collected volume of this renowned manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. As we are dropped into Neo-Tokyo after a decimating explosion leveled the old city, we meet a wild cast of characters and set off on a cyberpunk thriller! This month, we are joined by writer Mellow Brown, who is currently writing another cyberpunk series in Blade Runner: Origins from Titan Comics. Join us as we discuss the incredibly detailed line art, humor, influence, and humanity of Akira.

 

Tracklist:

00:39 - Guest intro: Mellow Brown
3:23 - Discussing the art style
10:47 - Characters informing the book's culture -- what exactly is cyberpunk
15:07 - Kids, gangs, and found families
20:07 - Dropped into this story with no backstory on characters (off topic but relevant: flashbacks, yay or nay?)
23:39 - Why, specifically in Japanese mediums, is the burden always on the kids to do something grandiose
30:53 - Where else do you see Akira's influence?
36:55 - Revolutionaries vs terrorists
41:29 - Despite the dire topic, this book is surprisingly hilarious
47:25 - Action set pieces
49:08 - Plans to finish the remaining 5 volumes?
52:56 - Where to find Mellow and his work, and he drops some video games, anime, and comic recommendations

 

You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.