Akira (1988)

Hop on your motorcycle, avoid that "child" in the road and slide to a stop because we're discussing Katsuhiro Otomo's seminal anime Akira (1988)!

Join us as we offer a primer on all things Akira, as well as its influences on, uh, everything. We then work our way through its very, very dense plot, which somehow condenses hundreds of manga pages into a 2-hour runtime. This includes a queer read for Kaneda and Tetsuo, as well as debating whether or not the film has a "woman problem."

Plus: raisin-faced "children," singularities, and one horrifying sequence involving malevolent stuffed animals (and a lot of "milk").

Reference:

• Osmond, Andrew. Akira: The Story Behind the Film. Empire. June 21, 2011.
• Schupp, Ricky. Japan’s Violent Motorcycle Gangs that Influenced Akira – and Anime History. Tokyo Weekender

Questions? Comments? Snark? Connect with the boys on BlueSky, Instagram, Youtube, Letterboxd, Facebook, or join the Facebook Group or the Horror Queers Discord to get in touch with other listeners.

> Trace: @tracedthurman (BlueSky)/ @tracedthurman (Instagram)

> Joe: @joelipsett (BlueSky) / @bstolemyremote (Instagram) 

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Theme Music: Alexander Nakarada   

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