People keep calling 'Akira' a cyberpunk movie and it's missing the point

I saw three separate posts this month calling 'Akira' a cyberpunk classic, but it's really a post-apocalyptic story. The setting is Neo-Tokyo after a third world war, not a high-tech corporate dystopia. This matters because mixing up genres changes how we talk about what the film is actually about. Has anyone else noticed this mix-up happening a lot lately?

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the_hannah6mo ago

Feel like I've been guilty of that myself, honestly (I called it cyberpunk just last week to sound smart in a group chat). Getting the genre wrong is like trying to explain a dream you had, where you start strong but then just end up waving your hands around saying "and there was a bike, I guess." It definitely flattens what the movie's actually doing with its ruined world and psychic kids.

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jennifer696mo ago

It's both, honestly.

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norag386mo ago

Honestly, that "it's both" thing reminds me of my old car. The check engine light would come on, and the mechanic would say it's a sensor and also a loose wire. Fix one, the other pops up. Total money pit.

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