For Western anime fans of a certain age, Katsuhiro Otomo‘s 1988 cinematic masterpiece Akira was the gateway drug into Japanese animation’s wild and exotic world. Growing up in late 1980s Scotland, I was exposed to kid’s TV shows that, at the time, I had no idea were Japanese — especially my three favorites, Battle of the Planets, Mysterious Cities of Gold, and Ulysses 31.
Then BBC2 broadcast Akira late at night on January 8th, 1994 at 23:05, and I got permission from my parents to stay up late to watch this much-hyped movie. I was transfixed by the amazingly detailed visuals, brutal violence, and flawed but fascinating characters, and somewhat discombobulated by the complex plot. I needed to find out more.
At that time, Dark Horse Comics‘ short-lived UK branch produced a monthly magazine — Manga…
