Akira: Order in Chaos
From the first time I watched Akira, it left an undeniable imprint towards my approach towards to film making and scoring and upon peeling the surface of Akira, it begins to unveil itself as supremely dense, with huge philosophical narratives, atomic destruction and the moral implications of science and war.
Directed by first time director and manga artist Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, follows the atomic apocalypse of Japan after World War III and the rise of Neo-Tokyo in 2019. Tokyo has been transformed into a dystopian, cyber-punk vision of the future where delinquent motorcycle gangs ravage the city as their playground, all overseen by corrupt governments and shady paramilitary organisations.
Akira is a power-house. From the opening sequence, it is rampant with ultra-violent energy, dense political symbolism and ground breaking animation. 30 years on, it remains unwavering in the catalysing repercussions that the film had. Not just for peak post-atomic Japan during the 80’s and 90’s, but signalling Japan’s emergence as a world superpower, as well as it’s lasting and influential impact on Japanese cinema - juxtaposing the more generic, universality that the west takes towards animation.
Akira is a slick fusion of cyber punk aesthetics, embellished in violence and crime. It is a cold and industrious vision of Neo-Tokyo, laced with deep philosophical theories as well as questioning our morality within the realms of science.
It was to usher in a changing new era of animation. By using advanced film making techniques, it shattered the paradigms set by western animation. Giving animation a serious and gritty reputation as a medium able bear the weight of delivering matured narratives to the child-friendly, financially driven cinema of the west.
I’ve always been fascinated by the score for Akira which for it’s time, pushed the boundaries of writing for animation and writing for the medium of film altogether. Rolled in with the heavy themes of the films subject matter, the context of the films narrative pushes the musical accompany to more than a mere auditory addition - but it actually starts as the sonic architecture for the film, and built the basis of which the ultra-violent, large scale action would be matched to the sonic framework.
The score was written by Shoji Yamashiro, who after years as part of a mixed choir in the 1950’s, led the group into becoming Geinoh Yamashirogumi. The group acted like a sort of collective think tank of musicians comprising of hundreds of rotating amateur musicians, academics and non-professionals performing. Following this, the group began to incorporate more elements of world music and took great influence from ethnic music and digital audio techniques. Akira was to be their crowning achievement and most wildly ambitious project following the release of their nine previous albums as the collective.
When approached with the task of writing the score, the crew were given an ample six months to write it. On top of that, they were given a blank check to create the score. Interestingly, Otomo wanted Yamashirogumi style music, rather than the standard dramatic accompaniment usually heard. This gave Yamashirogumi plenty of space to dictate the film’s pace and feel, evident from the start of the film, yet another hook that the soundtrack has in the overall interpretation made of it.
The unique and primitive Balinese Jegog, leads the charge within the first few minutes of the film, an instrument formed in a sort-of weapon of bamboo trunks, the jegogs' constant leitmotive is heard and developed throughout the core of the Symphonic Suit. It is altered with micro tuning to replicate an authentic tonality of Balinese gamelan and has an immediate brutality, the power of which hurls us through the opening sequences and one of the films most iconic set pieces.
Battle Against Clowns, the films violent fast-paced motorcycle chase sequence is a ride of intense animation and disorientation. Yamashirogumi is adept at taking primitive, human elements and crafts a soundscape contrasting the dystopian world which they inhabit. Instead, we can hear complex, churning polyrhythms and guttural chants -almost bordering on nausea inducing. This use of the choir to represent aggressive more animalistic connotations is only matched in the second half of where the choir takes a turn to the more unfamiliar Mixing hopeful relatively upbeat rhythms with dark, heavy chanting and breathing synthesises the theme of all consuming power. Inspired by a Balinese Kecak, which is essentially an archaic exorcism ritual.
This isn’t the only time that the choir is a highlight of the film, Shohmyoh can also be heard, a type of hypnotic and intentionally confusion buddhist chant. A fitting choice to parallel the confusion of the people in their city and their inability to comprehend the scientific phenomena of which they are witnessing. the end up turning to faith.
Doll’s Polyphony, another set piece in which we hear Tetsuos' theme is another score highlight. Used to represent both Tetsuos’ innocence and inner child versus his uncontrollable destructive power, which ultimately with consume him within darkness. Doll’s Polyphony is a cacophony of nightmarish, warped vocal samples, sweetly laced with angelic hums over the pipe organ. Initially beginning as a hypnotic two note repetition, it eventually grows more complex and monstrous, and nicely mirrors Testuos’ climactic growth towards his final grotesque transformation.
The group were asked to thematically structure the score into a binary formation. The first of which acting as the more ‘festival’ theme to represent the violence of the films opening act, the second half focuses more not he idea of a requiem and opposed the chaos of the first act. Interestingly this structure was beneficial for the score to diversify it’s sound. There may be no other who is able to amalgamate traditional elements of music with a heavy modern influence and in doing so, avoiding the sacrifice of it’s musical foundations.
Akira is a true symbiosis of collective artistic talent, signalling Japan's rise from the ashes of atomic warfare with a testament to the collective conscious of anti-war narrative. The film could not be without the score thanks to these sonic pillars setting the foundation of the films thematic components.
Until next time,
S