It's hard to put into words the impact this film had on USian viewers. Like Ghost in the Shell -- which came *after* this one -- it helped create the demand for animation directed to an adult audience.
It's overt violence, style, and gore made it clear from the start that "This is not for kids". No doubt USian conservatives latched onto those same qualities for their own moralizing and proselytizing. It was often included as a bullet point in the Satanic Panic.
Even so, Akira helped to establish animation as a *medium*, not just a target audience. And who could deny it? The animation is a technical achievement.
Shelly Duvall
1949-2024
While I'm not able to sign in here as often as I used to, you can follow me regularly on IG https://www.instagram.com/doran.colleen/ and my official FB page. https://www.facebook.com/OfficialColleenDoran/?ref=mf
Artist for Closetspace and A Wish for Wings
Creative Text Writer for MTG: Universes Beyond
Writer for Sea of Legends
One enchilada short of a Mexican Platter