Horror, Sci-Fi & some...Soundtrack: アキラ Akira Original Soundtrack (1987-2002)

アキラ

Kana: アキラ

Rōmaji: Akira

Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo

Produced by Ryōhei Suzuki, Shunzō Katō

Screenplay by Katsuhiro Otomo, Izō Hashimoto

Based on "Akira" by Katsuhiro Otomo

Starring: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tarō Ishida, Mizuho Suzuki

Music by Shoji Yamashiro

Cinematography: Katsuji Misawa

Editing by Takeshi Seyama

Studio: TMS Entertainment

『AKIRA』（アキラ）は、大友克洋による漫画。講談社発行の漫画雑誌『週刊ヤングマガジン』で連載。アニメ映画化（1988年）、ゲーム化もされた。

Akira (アキラ, [akiɽa]) is a 1988 Japanese animated science fiction film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, and featuring the voices of Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama and Taro Ishida. The screenplay is based on Otomo's manga Akira.

The film depicts a dystopian version of the city of Tokyo in the year 2019, with cyberpunk tones. The plot focuses on teenage biker Tetsuo Shima (Nozomu Sasaki) and his psychic powers, and the leader of his biker gang, Shotaro Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata). Kaneda tries to prevent Tetsuo from releasing the imprisoned psychic Akira. While most of the character designs and settings were adapted from the original 2182-page manga epic, the restructured plot of the movie differs considerably from the print version, pruning much of the last half of the manga. The film became a hugely popular cult film and is widely considered to be a landmark in Japanese animation.

近未来の荒廃した世界を描いたSFコミックであり、緻密でリアルな描写や演出などが話題となり、漫画・映画共に大ヒットした。タイトルの「AKIRA」は大友自身がファンであり影響を受けた映画監督黒澤明に由来する。題字の毛筆による書は漫画家の平田弘史によるものである。

単行本は週刊誌と同じ大判サイズに小口への色付けを施すなど、凝った装丁になっている。日本国外ではアメリカンコミックのスタッフが着色した外国語版が流通しており、これを日本語に逆翻訳したものが『国際版AKIRA』及び『総天然色AKIRA』として日本で発売された。

アニメ映画の制作費には当時の日本のアニメとしては破格の10億円をかけている。制作手法としてアフレコではなくプレスコを採用している。通常リミテッドアニメーションでの人物の口の動きは3種類であるが、この作品では母音の数と同じ5種類で描かれている。音楽は芸能山城組が担当した。この映画は日本のみならず日本国外でも大きな人気を集めた。ビデオ化に際しても多くのカットに手を加えたり、音楽関係に手を加えており、今なお進化し続けている作品である。

現在、実写映画化が進行中。詳細は#実写版映画の項を参照。

In Neo-Tokyo, 2019, Shotaro Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) leads the Capsules, his bōsōzoku gang, to fight against the rival gang known as the Clowns. However, Kaneda's best friend Tetsuo Shima (Nozomu Sasaki) is injured when he almost crashes his motorcycle into Takashi (Tatsuhiko Nakamura), a small esper sprung from a secret government laboratory by a dissident underground revolutionary organization. Takashi is captured by armed soldiers and Tetsuo is hospitalized. When Kaneda and his gang are interrogated, he encounters Kei (Mami Koyama), a member of the revolutionary group, and arranges her release along with his own gang.

Meanwhile, Colonel Shikishima (Taro Ishida) and Doctor Onishi (Mizuho Suzuki) discover that Tetsuo possesses psychic capabilities similar to Akira, a young esper who caused Tokyo's destruction 31 years earlier. Kiyoko (Fukue Ito), another esper, has visions of Neo-Tokyo's destruction, and the Colonel tells Onishi to kill Tetsuo if he thinks the power may get out of control. Tetsuo flees from the hospital and meets up with his girlfriend, Kaori (Yuriko Fuchizaki), and they steal Kaneda's motorcycle. When Tetsuo and Kaori are confronted by the Clowns, Kaneda and the Capsules save them both. Tetsuo begins to suffer a psychic migraine, and Doctor Onishi has Tetsuo taken back to the hospital.

Saving Kei from being captured after a guerilla attack, Kaneda is led to the rebels' headquarters and cooperates with them after overhearing their plans to kidnap Tetsuo. Meanwhile, Takashi, Kiyoko and Masaru (Kazuhiro Kamafuji) — another Esper — unsuccessfully attempt to kill Tetsuo. Tetsuo eventually goes on a violent rampage through the hospital, intent on killing the espers. Kaneda, Kei, and the Colonel unsuccessfully try to stop Tetsuo's rampage. Discovering that Akira is in cryonic storage below Neo-Tokyo's new Olympic Stadium, Tetsuo flees.

Kei and Kaneda are detained, but Kiyoko — using Kei as a medium — explains that Tetsuo must be stopped, and facilitates the youths' escape before taking the girl away to combat Tetsuo. Desperate to find Tetsuo, the Colonel places Neo-Tokyo under martial law. Tetsuo confronts and kills Yamagata (Masaaki Okura), a member of the Capsules. He then proceeds to destroy the city as he makes his way to the Stadium, brutally dispatching the military forces who attempt to stand in his way. Upon learning of Yamagata's death from his friend Kai (Takeshi Kusao), Kaneda follows Tetsuo to the stadium, seeking revenge. When Tetsuo arrives at Akira's cryonic dewar flask, he defeats Kei and exhumes the Akira vault from the ground, but discovers all that is left of Akira are glass canisters filled with his remains, his body having been subjected to numerous scientific experiments.

Kaneda confronts and unsuccessfully tries to defeat Tetsuo with an experimental laser weapon, while the Colonel uses an orbital laser to sever Tetsuo's right arm. Tetsuo pulls the orbital weapon into the atmosphere and synthesizes an artificial arm from the remains while studying Akira's organs. When Kaori arrives, Tetsuo's psychokinetic powers have begun to cause him immense pain. The Colonel explains that the espers' migraine-controlling drugs administered to Tetsuo are to stunt the evolution of uncontrollable abilities. Despite the Colonel's pleas for Tetsuo to return to the hospital, Tetsuo nearly kills the Colonel, but Kaneda confronts him. Unable to control his powers, Tetsuo's body begins to transform into a giant mass, engulfing Kaneda and crushing Kaori to death.

The espers awaken Akira, who had merely grown beyond the requirement of a coherent biological form. Manifesting himself from the canisters, Akira reunites with his friends. Akira uses his psychic powers to create a blinding ball of light that engulfs the city, which he uses to contain Tetsuo. As Akira confronts Tetsuo, the espers hurry to teleport the Colonel to safety and — over Masaru and Kiyoko's objections — Takashi jumps into the light to rescue Kaneda. The other espers join Takashi, deciding that it will take all three of them to save Kaneda, aware they likely will not be able to return. Kaneda experiences Tetsuo's and the espers' childhood memories, including how much Tetsuo trusted Kaneda as a friend and how the children were first studied before Tokyo's destruction.

The espers remove Kaneda from the destruction and tell him that Akira will be taking Tetsuo to safety; Kiyoko implies that Kei is beginning to develop her own psychic powers, and this is confirmed when Kei calls Kaneda's name telepathically. Akira's psychic power destroys most of Neo-Tokyo, and — after disappearing — leaves a void that is quickly filled by the ocean. Doctor Onishi is killed when his research laboratory is crushed. Kaneda awakens to discover that Kei and Kai have survived, and they drive away into the city. The Colonel walks out of the tunnel that the espers teleported him to and watches the sun rising over the destroyed city. Tetsuo comes into full control of his powers as he initiates a Big Bang in another dimension, uttering the words "I Am Tetsuo".

アキラ Akira (1987)

大橋力

大橋力（おおはしつとむ、1933年 - ）は、日本の芸術家、科学者。栃木県生まれ。栃木県立栃木高等学校卒業。東北大学農学部卒業。農学博士。

筑波大学講師、文部省放送教育開発センター（現・メディア教育開発センター）教授、千葉工業大学教授、国際電気通信基礎技術研究所人間情報通信研究所感性脳機能特別研究室長等を歴任。

芸術家としては、作曲、指揮、演出、制作などに携わる一方、科学者として、情報環境学、感性科学、演出工学、分子生物学、人工生命、生態人類学などの分野で活躍する。

現在、文明科学研究所所長、財団法人国際科学振興財団理事・主席研究員。

1974年、芸能山城組創立、山城祥二の名前で主宰している

Tsutomu Ōhashi (Shoji Yamashiro)

Tsutomu Ōhashi (大橋力 Ōhashi Tsutomu, born 1933) is a Japanese artist and scientist. He is also known by his pseudonym, Shoji Yamashiro (山城祥二 Yamashiro Shōji). He is also known for composing and conducting the score for the renowned 1988 anime film Akira under his pseudonym, Shoji Yamashiro.

大友克洋

大友克洋（おおともかつひろ、本名同じ、1954年4月14日 - ）は、日本の漫画家、映画監督。宮城県登米郡迫町（現在の登米市迫町）出身。宮城県佐沼高等学校卒。血液型はA型。1973年『漫画アクション』にてデビュー。代表作に『童夢』『AKIRA』など。ペンタッチに頼らない均一な線による緻密な描き込み、複雑なパースを持つ画面構成などそれまでの日本の漫画にはなかった作風で、80年代以降の漫画界に大きな影響を与えた。息子はイラストレーターのSHOHEI（大友昇平）。

1988年、自作を元に自ら制作したアニメーション映画『AKIRA』は日本国外でも高い評価を得、「ジャパニメーション」と呼ばれる、日本国外における日本アニメムーブメントのさきがけとなった。近年は主に映画監督として活動している。

Katsuhiro Ōtomo

Katsuhiro Otomo (大友克洋 Ōtomo Katsuhiro, born April 14, 1954) is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the creator of the manga Akira and its animated film adaptation. Otomo has also directed several live-action films, such as the 2006 feature film adaptation of the manga Mushishi.

アキラ Akira Soundtrack

AKIRA: Original Soundtrack was recorded by Geinō Yamashirogumi (芸能山城組). The music was composed and conducted by musical director Shoji Yamashiro. It features music which was additionally rerecorded for release. "Kaneda", "Battle Against Clown" and "Exodus From the Underground Fortress" are really part of the same song cycle – elements of "Battle" can be heard during the opening bike sequence, for example. The score is generally sequenced in the same order that the music occurs in the film. The North American version featured extensive production notes by David Keith Riddick and Robert Napton.

A second soundtrack was released featuring the original music without rerecording, but it was made into character study collages with sound effects and dialogue from the film; the recording was probably a direct transfer from the film.

1987 アキラ Akira

The Original Japanese Soundtrack

アキラ Akira: The Original Japanese Soundtrack (Import)
Geinoh Yamashirogumi | Format: Audio CD

Title: アキラ Akira: The Original Japanese Soundtrack

Type OST: Anime

Artist: Geinoh Yamashirogumi (芸能山城組)

Composer: Shoji Yamashiro (大橋力)

DC’s: 1

Total songs: 4

Release: 1987, October 10, 1988, July 1, 1994

CD, Album, HD 1/1

Format: CD, Album
Country: Japan, UK

Genre: Anime, Film, Gamelan, Noh, Electronic
Style: Soundtrack, Modern Classical, Experimental

Catalog #: DSCD 7
ASIN: B000006SD2
Label: アキラ Akira Committee|Demon

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Tracklist:

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1 金田 Kaneda |9:56

2 鉄雄 Tetsuo I |12:36

3 鉄雄 Tetsuo II |12:33

4 アキラAkira |7:56

Total Time: 43:04

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| DDD | Audio CD | CBR 320 Kbps/48.1 kHz/Stereo |

| File Size: 111 mb. | Pass: アキラ |

Composed and conducted by Yamashiro Shōji in 1987.

Personnel:
Composed by, Conductor, Producer, Technician (Sound Architect): Shoji Yamashiro
Drums: Hideo Yamaki
Guitar: Tsuyoshi Kon
Keyboards: Shoji Namba, Sokihiko Morishita
Percussion: Nobu Saitoh
Performer: Geinou Yamashirogumi
Synthesizer: Kenji Niina, Kunihiko Tominaga
Technician (Sound Architect): Keishi Urata

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Here: MedFire!

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First off, I will just come clean by stating that I was never a fan of Geinoh Yamashirogumi's work on Akira. It's a very unique and distinctive score, I will give him that, but as a standalone experience I felt a number of the cues held the soundtrack back. Regardless of his efforts, though, this release from the UK based Demon Records is unfathomably poor. Contrary to what one would imagine this release to be, it's actually a "radio drama" for the movie. In other words it contains sound effects, dialogue and music directly from the film. The first track does have some actual isolated music, after a cumbersome 30 second segment of dead space, but it ends up being the only track on the CD that can boast that. This seems particularly shady given that the back of the release makes no mention of this at all, nor does the cover insert. To add insult to injury, even for fans of "radio dramas", this disc is only a scant 43 minutes long for a 124 minute film. So rather then trying to convey the story, this disc just slaps on a few scenes in four tracks. Why Demon Records didn't bother to include more parts from the film, to at least flesh out this disc's runtime, is beyond me, although it does add weight to the probability that this was a very rushed and half hearted attempt. Suffice to say, one is probably best off avoiding this release and going for the numerous other CDs, ones with ten tracks, that have the complete score.

Geinoh Yamashirogumi ~ Akira (1988)

Original Soundtrack

アキラ Akira: Original Soundtrack (Import, Soundtrack)
Geinoh Yamashirogumi | Format: Audio CD

Audio CD (March 10, 1994)
Artist: Geinoh Yamashirogumi (芸能山城組)
Composer: Shoji Yamashiro (大橋力)
Album: アキラ Akira
Format: CD, Album
Original Release Date: October 10, 1988, March 10, 1994, July 24, 2001
Number of Discs: 1
CD, Album, HD 1/1
Format: CD, Album
ASIN: B00000116S, B000003MLX, B00005NZZE
Genre: Anime, Film, Gamelan, Noh, Soundtrack
Style: Soundtrack, Modern Classical, Experimental
Label: Demon|JVC
© Demon Records UK. | © JVC Records

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Track Listings:

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1. Kaneda |3:10

2. Battle Against Clown |3:36

3. Winds Over Neo-Tokyo |2:48

4. Tetsuo |10:18

5. Doll's Polyphony |2:55

6. Shohmyoh |10:10

7. Mutation |4:50

8. Exodus From The Underground Fortress |3:18

9. Illusion |13:56

10. Requiem |14:20

Recording Time: 1:09:23

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| DDD | Audio CD | CBR 320 Kbps/48.1 kHz/Stereo |

| File Size: 179 mb. | Pass: akira |

Composed and conducted by Yamashiro Shōji in 1988.

Personnel:

Yamashiro Shoji (conductor); Geinoh Yamashirogumi (vocals); Kon Tsuyoshi (guitar); Morishita Tokihiko, Namba Takashi (keyboards); Tominaga Kunihiko, Ni-Ina Kenji (synthesizer); Yamaki Hideo (drums); Saito Nobu (percussion); Ida Bagus Sugata (Balinese tantra); Issoh Yukihiro, Miyamasu Junzo, Shirasaka Nobuyuki, Yamazaki Masamichi, Yoshitani Kiyoshi

Composed and conducted by Yamashiro Shōji in 1988.

Engineers: Takada Hideo, Yoshioka Kei-Ichoro..

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Here: MedFire!

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Akira Soundtrack songs The original soundtrack to the groundbreaking anime motion picture by Geinoh Yamashirogumi. Akira Soundtrack album. Original score written by Yamashiro Shoji.

2002 Symphonic Suite アキラ Akira

Symphonic Suite アキラ Akira 2002 (Import, Soundtrack)
Geinoh Yamashirogumi | Format: Audio CD

Title: Symphonic Suite AKIRA 2002
Type OST: Anime
Artist: Geinoh Yamashirogumi (芸能山城組)
Composer: Shoji Yamashiro (大橋力)
CD's: 1
Number of songs: 19
Release Date: Mars 21, 2002
CD, Album, HD 1/1
Format: CD, Album
CN: B00005S7GM
Catalog #: Victor VIAL-60001
Genre: Symphonic, Anime, Film, Gamelan, Noh
Style: Soundtrack, Modern Classical, Experimental
Label: Victor
© Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.

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Tracklist:

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1 Kaneda |3:43

2 Battle Against The Clowns |3:35

3 Winds Over Neo-Tokyo |3:22

4 Tetsuo: The Theme of Tetsuo · Special Patterns |3:28

5 Tetsuo: The Theme of Tetsuo II · Awakening I, II |1:36

6 Tetsuo: Awakening III · Meditation |3:12

7 Tetsuo: Coda |1:59

8 Dolls’ Polyphony |2:56

9 Shohmyoh: Kongohkaigobutsushingon · Shihosan |2:47

10 Shohmyoh: Shiharamitsusan |3:18

11 Shohmyoh: Shohgondarani |4:03

12 Mutation |5:21

13 Exodus From The Underground Fortress / Kei and Kaneda Escape |3:20

14 Illusion: Netori · Notto · Issei · Nanori |6:33

15 Illusion: Iroe · Tetsuo’s Statement |4:45

16 Illusion: Prayer |2:48

17 Requiem: Prologue · Requiem Aeternam · Vocalise |4:16

18 Requiem: Invention · Toccata |4:16

19 Requiem: Shu · Recollections of Festival · Rest in Peace |6:00

Total Time: 1:11:20 | 71:11

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| DDD | Audio CD | CBR 320 Kbps/48.1 kHz/Stereo |

| File Size: 163 mb. | Pass: アキラakira |

Composed and conducted by Yamashiro Shōji in 2002.

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Here: MedFire!

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あなたの味を選択して、楽しい時を過す！

Characters:

Akira (アキラ, codename #28) – The titular character. Akira was a young boy who developed transcendent psionic, god-like abilities when serving as a test subject for secret government ESP experiments in the 1980s. He subsequently lost control of this power and the ensuing blast completely annihilated Tokyo in a horrifying explosion in 1988. After the apocalyptic event, Akira was recovered and subjected to every test known to modern science, which proved unable to solve the mystery. He was dissected and placed within a cryonic chamber underneath the Neo-Tokyo Olympic Stadium.

Shotaro Kaneda (金田正太郎 Kaneda Shōtarō) – A carefree gang leader who has a custom-modified motorcycle. Kaneda and Tetsuo have been best friends since early childhood. He is brash and not above teasing Tetsuo despite feeling affection for him as a younger brother. Upon rescuing Kei, Kaneda becomes involved in the activities of her group of anti-government guerrillas in hopes of locating Tetsuo.

Tetsuo Shima (島鉄雄 Shima Tetsuo) – Kaneda's best friend since preschool and the second principal subject of the story's theme. Tetsuo is shown as a black sheep in the gang that he is part of and quietly suffers from a deeply rooted inferiority complex. Tetsuo admires Kaneda yet at the same time strongly resents his own reliance upon him. After his psychokinetic abilities manifest, Tetsuo quickly becomes Kaneda's nemesis; he desires Kaneda's motorcycle (a symbol of status and power) and seeks to prove himself supremely powerful, without need of protection. Eventually, his power overwhelms him.

Kei (ケイ) – A young revolutionary whom Kaneda meets and becomes enamored with on his quest to find Tetsuo. She is a member of an anti-government faction that Ryusaku and Nezu are also involved in. Initially, she does not possess any preternatural abilities, being manipulated by the Espers as a type of medium on several occasions, but upon coming in contact with the Espers' powers, due to their power constantly being channeled through her, she gains powers of her own.

Colonel Shikishima (敷島大佐 Shikishima-taisa?) or simply known as The Colonel – The current head of the ongoing government project which was responsible for inadvertently unleashing Akira's power thirty years earlier. Appearing tough and ruthless, he is nevertheless pragmatic enough to recognize the danger Tetsuo's fledgling powers pose and cares genuinely for the three Espers under his supervision. Amongst the other government figures depicted in the film, he is shown to be the most principled, eschewing the corruption and hedonism that typifies Neo-Tokyo, adhering instead to a strict code of soldierly honour.

The Espers – Masaru (マサル, codename #27), Takashi (タカシ, codename #26) and Kiyoko (キヨコ, codename #25) – Akira's fellow psychic test subjects. They exhibit a variety of paranormal powers which they use to influence the course of events to the best of their ability. While individually of lesser strength than Akira or Tetsuo, their combined effort proves decisive in the story's final confrontation. Physically, they resemble children with wrinkled faces, white hair and blue-green skin.

Nezu (根津) – A government mole for the resistance movement, and member of Neo-Tokyo's parliamentary executive council. Responsible for Takashi's abduction by the resistance and supplying intelligence to the underground, he is nevertheless corrupt and unprincipled, and quickly turns against his erstwhile revolutionary allies in a fit of paranoia during the Colonel's coup.

Yamagata (山形) – One of the most prominent members of Kaneda's gang. He often chides Tetsuo playfully, resulting in his death when Tetsuo's powers begin to emerge.

Kai (甲斐) – Another member of Kaneda's gang, Kai plays a minor supporting role in the eventual battle against Tetsuo. He is close friends with Yamagata and they remain together when the gang breaks up, being one of the only members to survive.

Kaori (カオリ) – Tetsuo's girlfriend. She stands by Tetsuo even though he treats her abusively in the hopes of appearing tough to his friends. When Tetsuo begins his rampage through Neo-Tokyo, she follows him, and when his powers manifest and cause his body to warp and expand to grotesque proportions, she is engulfed in his flesh and crushed by his organs.