A few years ago I bought a collection of original artists' stop-motion sketches from the iconic film AKIRA released in 1988. An amazing film about the boy Tetsuo and his rival Kenada, the cartoon effects were truly revolutionary and sparked the Anime/Manga craze in the west. The above painting and sketch are part of the tentacled machine scene as it emerges from Tokyo bay. There's something strange about holding original art, something other-worldly. It was someone's work, someone who may now be gone. A privelege no less.You can see the tentacled machine courtesy of You Tube (at the end), but spotting the actual moment in the sketch is nigh on impossible - its just too fast! It's funny, 80's stuff like Akira almost seem as old as the 60's now!
My entire Akira art collection is now available on Ebay.
I agree. Seeing (and holding, if you are lucky) original artwork is wonderful and, as you say, a privilege. I've been lucky enough to see a great many originals from comics I read as a child.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pity there is not a large public gallery devoted to such.
Although I'm more a fan of Japanese SF series than anime I have to say this was an amazing film.
ReplyDeleteA public gallery for such art would be really great. I suppose the first Anime in the UK was Marine Boy back in the 60's? What was the first Anime in the US? I reckon the turning point for 'cyberpunk' entering the mainstream was TRON, a film, like WAR GAMES, I could watch over and over again. Greatly under-rated.
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