I go to a lot of conventions and I see so much Akira merchandise. Eventually I had to re-watch the anime because I hadn't seen it since I was a small child.
Without watching super analytically, I noticed a lot of anti-war imagery. While this may not be a surprise, I feel that we may be glossing over some deep messages hidden within rhetoric and symbolism.
It deserves a deep analysis.
There are lots of articles out there about the A-bomb's influence on anime and manga that could help with an analysis. Lots of people have pointed to Akira as being an attempt to reckon with the events at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Although it doesn't have anything to do with anime, the book Life After Nagasaki is an amazing, in-depth look at both the events that transpired there as well as an investigation into the lives of several hibakusha (people who lived through the A-bomb and suffered injuries/radiation poisoning). – ees7 years ago
