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?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hannah2d 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.

jennifer6916d ago

It's both, honestly.

norag3815d 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.