Katsuhiro Otomo speaks about

The anime

"I wanted to make a movie that would be a jumble of images, instead of just showing the highlights of each scene. I wnated to show the details, and if such detail could be seen as a mosaic of the whole, and in retrospect, if the viewer could recall the movie in that way, then that would fit my intension." "That`s why I created Neo-Tokyo to frame and enhance the image I had of AKIRA. Although the movie`s title is the name of a child, in fact it does not revolve around any single character. No one person is the main characterer, yet it is possible for many to be seen as such. All people have drama in their lives, so the plot is simply the intermingling of many such dramas."
"The final sequences for this movie were intended for the original story. I had expected for a long time to end the story with a nostalgic converstation between Kaneda and Tetsuo. In the original story, however, I was unalbe to control that because the characters seemed to go their own way. Once they gain their own momentum, it is difficult even for the creator to halt them - so the ending must be planned well in advanced." "One of the problems I had in creating this movie was connecting the scenes. Although I had sufficient images from the script to cover the major scenes, the problem was linking the ones leading to the climax. Another problem was the flow or tempo of the story. Because the movie had to fit within a framework of two hours, it was important not to waste any time cutting to other scenes. In comic stories, one is allowed greater freedom to digress, but if you try the same thing in a movie, it loses its clarity and sharpness." "When I was working on the storyboards, I kept the consideration of animation always in mind, but it was very difficult. There were so any simple scenes, such as a charater walking toward the camera,which makes things difficult. On a TV the camera can pan to the upper sections, but in this movie the charater`s whole body had to be in view, and its movements had to seem lifelike. The many such supposedly simple scenes like these created the greatest problems for me."
"In the final sequences, which feature Tetsuo`s transformation, a lot of the action can only be captured by animation. To show such scenes with a sense of realism depends a lot on the appearance of the backgrounds. If a comic character is established from the beginning, even realistic endings do not change that first impression. The viewer suspends disbelief in the character and is not surprised by anything that happens. For example, in order to show spectacular scenes or extraordinary powers, the artist has to depict normal backgrounds and scenes with a great sense of reality. In so doing, the sense of devastation take on a added sense of realism. I also pay much attention to the value of artwork and color in enhancing reality." "I feel that everybody does this in all movies; if the audience doesn`t believe in the character, then the movie will be a failture. So it is very necessary to create a sense of reality for the story to develop."