Toshiharu Mizutani AKIRA - PRODUCTION BACKGROUND No. 84: Poster

Attention: NO SHIPPING AVAILABLE! You can buy this item online, but you have to pick it up in the store in Berlin!

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This background was used to create a pan down of the animation camera. It is the first view of the backalley behind Haruki’s Bar right at the beginning of the feature. Kaneda, Tetsuo and Yamagata start their adventure from this dark spot in Neo Tokyo.

The surface of Neo Tokyo seems to be glamorous. However, the streets lie in darkness, littered with garbage. The contrast of colours between the backalley and the high-rise buildings enforces the impression of Neo Tokyo's complex laminated structure. Asked about references which he used for the creation of this background artwork Toshiharu Mizutani, AKIRA’s art director, mentioned Syd Mead and Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. “I watched that video so many times.”, he confirmed in an interview conducted in preparation for our exhibition “Cityscapes in Anime Background Art”. The influence of the cyberpunk icon is palpable in this tableau.

Produced by Riekeles Gallery

Edition of 500 copies

Lithograph (offset print)

Magno Volume 200 g/m² paper

70 × 50 cm