AKIRA – The Architecture of Neo Tokyo presents the original background artwork of the classic science-fiction animation in an unprecedented exhibition.

Since its release in 1988 AKIRA was almost solely responsible for the boom in Japanese animation (anime) among an international audience during the early 1990s. For many viewers AKIRA was the first film that they perceived as anime – as specifically Japanese animation. As such, it had a tremendous influence on a whole generation of film enthusiasts. Much of AKIRA’s cinematic power stems from the opulent representation of the film’s iconic city of Neo Tokyo.

59 original production backgrounds, layout drawings, concept designs and image boards which had been used to create Neo Tokyo in the animated feature will be on display.

Exclusive access to the studio archives of the artists involved in AKIRA’s production allows the presentation of artworks that have never been shown outside of Japan and only very few of them have ever been published. The exhibition includes works by Toshiharu Mizutani who served as the production’s art director and his colleagues Katsufumi Hariu, Norihiro Hiraki, Shinji Kimura, Satoshi Kuroda, Hiromasa Ogura, Hiroshi Ōno, Hajime Soga, Tsutomu Uchida und Takashi Watabe.

The exhibition is curated by Stefan Riekeles, author of Anime Architecture and Managing Director of the Riekeles Gallery, in collaboration with Nadejda Bartels, Director of Tchoban Foundation. Hiroko Myokam of Eizo Workshop (Japan) is co-curator of the show.

The exhibition will be held at the Tchoban Foundation. Museum for Architectural Drawing in Berlin, Germany from 4 June – 4 September 2022.

Attached below are a few of the art pieces that will be on display.

(above) Hiroshi Ohno, Toshiharu Mizutani and Katsufumi Hariu at Studio Fuga, Tokyo, Japan in Dec. 2021. Photo by Yasuyuki Takagi.

Copyright credit for images – Based on the graphic novel “AKIRA” by Katsuhiro Otomo. First published by “Young Magazine”, Kodansha Ltd.© 1988 MASH・ROOM / AKIRA COMMITTEE. All Rights Reserved.

Exhibition details/location.

As much as I would love to attend the exhibition, I’ll have to give it a miss due to work priorities. If you’re unable to attend the exhibition like me, I highly recommend Stefan Riekeles’ most excellent book Anime Architecture, which showcases quite a few of the pieces seen above.

“Anime Architecture: Imagined Worlds and Endless Megacities” book details :

– Dimensions – 8.8 x 1.2 x 11.4 inches
– Hard cover, 256 pages
– Full color, In English Language

Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES

You might also be interested in these items :