AKIRA Fan Questionnaire

This is my own questionnaire made for AKIRA fans. [BLANK]

1. Introduce yourself.: i'm Tetsuo. i make art and write. i like motorcycles and loud music.
2. When/where did you first learn about AKIRA?: i think in October 2020 i watched a YouTube video about the animation but i forgot about it. then in April 2021 i noticed the movie at a public library and i rented it. i first watched it April 23.
3. Which came first for you, the movie or the manga?: the movie did but i read the manga a week or two after watching it the first (and 2nd) time.
4. Have you seen AKIRA in theaters?: no... some day.
5. What were your first impressions of AKIRA?: i can't remember exactly what i thought. i was speechless after the movie ended though. i felt drawn toward AKIRA like i hadn't with anything else before. i couldn't stop thinking about it.
6. How much of a fan of AKIRA would you say you are? Obsessive, casual...?: massive huge obsessive #1 fan.
7. When you saw the movie for the first time did you understand it? Or did you have to re-watch it?: i wasn't confused at all. i only rewatched it because i really wanted to.
8. What about the manga? Did it confuse you?: sometimes when Lady Miyako was talking i got confused but that's not really "out of character" for me lol.
9. What version of the manga did you read the first time? (Dark Horse, Epic Comics, YOUNG, 35th box set, etc.): volume 1-5 were the Dark Horse publication from the same public library i got the movie at. less than a weeklater on May 8, i got the 35th box set and read volume 6 from that.
10. What is your opinion of the Epic Comics colored version of AKIRA?: i don't like it. the coloring gets so bad volume 4 onwards. the whole thing feels and looks amateur despite how much work went into it. i think the translation is also lacking. it's so painfully 90s and very "creative liberties taken." but i still appreciate that it exists because it did a lot of new things for AKIRA and the world of comics.
11. Have you played any of the video games based off the AKIRA film?: yeah the SEGA Genesis prototype on my friend's phone.
12. How many times have you watched the movie?: at least 16-17 times. i lost count a while ago but still remember some specific times i watched it.
13. How many times have you read the manga?: i've read the whole manga twice. but i've read volume 1 five times, volume 2-5 three times and volume 6 twice.
14. Who voiced Kaneda best? Mitsuo Iwata, Cam Clarke, Johnny Yong Bosch, someone else?: dumb question and i made it. Mitsuo Iwata!!!
15. Who voiced Tetsuo best? Nozomu Sasaki, Jan Rabson, Joshua Seth, someone else?: Nozomu Sasaki!!!
16. Did you know about Otomo's work before you saw AKIRA?: i didn't.
17. Which of Otomo's other works do you like or is your favorite?: Fire-Ball or Dōmu. it's hard to choose between those. Dōmu is VERY good, it's a complete story. but Fire-Ball is so interesting, intriguing for where it wanted to go. i wish Otomo had got to finish it as he wanted.
18. Which do you like better, the movie or the manga? Why?: the manga. doesn't mean i hate the movie because it's my favorite of all time. but the manga is a complete story and for specific reasons that's something i like better.
19. What about the planned animated series? Do you think it's still gonna happen? Are you excited for it or apprehensive?: i do... i have hope. i'm excited so long as CGI use is very limited. i really, really don't want the AKIRA anime to be fully CGI. i know it's come a long way but please, no.
20. Who is/are your favorite character(s)?: unfortunately it's Kaneda. and fortunately Kaori.
21. What is your favorite volume?: volume 2
22. What about your favorite volume cover?: volume 2 and 5!!
23. Do you have a favorite title page?: right now i'm feeling [this one] but it changes all the time.
24. What's your favorite scene or part from the movie?: that shot in the beginning of the movie where Kaneda starts angrily revving his motorcycle and says "You bastard..." under his breath and he burns rubber into the camera.
25. What's your favorite scene or part from the manga?
26. How about the opposite: What's your least favorite part of the movie? Why?: i don't like that the movie condenses everything so much. i know why it's like that though. the only thing i really hate from the movie is any scene where Kaori is suffering or when she's assaulted by the Clowns.
27. And the manga? Why?: Kaneda and Kei's romantic relationship. it's so poorly developed and meaningless. their scene together in volume 5 is like having a splinter wedged under my fingernail.
28. Who are your least favorite character(s)?: Doctor Onishi, the Colonel, Nezu, Miyako (kind of)...
29. How about your least favorite AKIRA volume cover?: volume 6. the concept sketches in AKIRA Club for that cover are better than the final outcome imo. i wish we got the one that was supposed to be Kaneda, Kaisuke and Akira together, referencing a moment in the book. this:
30. Which song is your favorite from the AKIRA Soundtrack?: "Winds Over Neo-Tokyo" or "Exodus From The Underground Fortress" (but also "Tetsuo" because of course i like that one)
31. Have you listened to Geinoh Yamashirogumi besides the AKIRA Soundtrack? If not, you should.: yes i enjoy all their albums.
32. Do you think anyone in AKIRA is "good" or "evil"?: i think if anyone sees AKIRA as a story about "good" versus "evil" then they missed the point entirely.
33. What is your opinion on the attempts to make a live action AKIRA?: no.
34. What do you think of the "AKIRA slide" meme?: beating a dead horse.
35. What do you think of other AKIRA memes? (e.g. "Leave me alone!" or "KANEDAAAA! TETSUOOOO!"): the "leave me alone" meme causes a visceral reaction in me. other ones are overdone and annoying but i hate that one so much. the only good memes in my mind are the stupid ones full of references to things that only real fans will understand.
36. Do you own any merchandise (fanmade or official) related to AKIRA?: plenty of it.
37. If not, do you want to? Or, if you do, is there anything you wish you had?: i wish i had YOUNG Magazine #25 1989 (episode 104) because i could have bought it years ago and didn't. i also wish i had a cel of course.
38. How about tattoos related to AKIRA, do you have any?: no.
39. Do you want any?: yes. i want my right arm done up and the number "41" on my palm like how it is on the other ESPers. i also want the moon somewhere.
40. Have you ever been to special events related to AKIRA? Like a cel exhibition, etc.: i was able to go to Kodansha House in 2024. i wish i got to go to the last cel exhibition in Japan.
41. Have you ever made fan works related to AKIRA? Art, writing, etc?: plenty of art and hundreds of thousands of words.
42. Ever dressed up as anybody from AKIRA?: technically i do every day.
43. Do you have a favorite "AKIRA artist"? (Not just art, maybe a writer or something else): besides Otomo himself or my friends, a few Japanese artists who have been inactive for years now.
44. What's the best opinion or "take" on AKIRA you've seen?: i think any time people talk about how AKIRA isn't one allegory for something or another and emphasize the interpersonal aspect of the story, i'm very impressed and happy with that.
45. What about the worst?: that volume 2 is "filler." some people just get off on saying stupid shit.
46. Do you think you have a "hot take" or different opinion on AKIRA?: i mean, the only one i can think of right now is the whole opinion i have on Kaneda/Kei. i don't know if it's a "hot take" to say that it's done poorly and it's some stupid romance thrown in without the proper buildup or pay off. Kaneda starts off acting like a jackass, then in volume 2-3 he starts showing more respect for Kei and treating her equally and the jokes of romantic interest die off. then he disappears a whole volume and comes back and their scene in volume 5 is the opposite of romance or wholesome. it sucks.
47. Do you think AKIRA is underrated or overrated in any way?: i think it's underrated. it's popular but i think for a lot of superficial reasons these days. i guess its just how watching mainstream culture makes it seem, but people don't give a shit about AKIRA unless it's some stupid meme or same 5 shots turned into gifs in a #cyberpunk #tokyo #aesthetic #anime post.
48. If you had the chance to speak to Otomo or ask him any question about AKIRA, what would you say?: "thank you."
49. How has AKIRA impacted you?: i can't put it into words.
50. Last question: What is AKIRA to you?: everything.