Akira Netflix – Is Akira on Netflix?

For years I intended to watch this classic anime called Akira, but life always got in the way. But that was until Netflix came through.

I have always been a fan of manga and anime since I was around 7. That was when I first watched Shurato and Dragonball. And even though my preferences in adulthood are more geared towards psychological anime or animes with generally high stakes, I still take a lot of time to simply appreciate various artistic styles,

content and groundbreaking animation.

For so long, I had told myself I would watch Akira (1988). But I never managed to convince myself to do so.

And then here comes Akira on Netflix.

Netflix added Akira to its catalogue earlier in June 2021. And for those of you who might not know, Akira is a 1988 cyberpunk anime film that is hailed as the ‘daddy’ of animation. To over-summarize, the Akira anime explores the relationship between 2 friends in a futuristic and dystopian Tokyo, as one of them begins to exhibit god-like powers. There is obviously a lot more to that, but hey, I promised you an over-simplification. And that’s what you get 😀

For the first time last week, I finally realised why Akira has had a very strong cult following 33 years on. And I’ll be honest. As immersive as the story itself was, I had never seen carnage, violence and destruction animated so deliberately and so beautifully – frame by frame. It reminded me so much of my favourite 2D videogame series – The Metal Slug Series.

And that is what I want to focus on today. Not the story, simply the animation.

I have no experience in animation. But what I do have, is extensive animation-viewing experience. And I can tell when something looks special. Fluidity, style, direction etc. And for a painstaking hand-drawn animation, there was just too much detail, love and fluidity in Akira 1988 that would put today’s 3D animations to shame. Call it a true labour of love.

Given the convenience of 3D animation today, I was left wondering just how much

sweat, blood and tears had been put into making Akira. For such a 2D masterpiece to stand the test of time 33 years on, there is absolutely no way that could have been made without enormous sacrifice. And if you know anything about Japanese work culture and ethic, then you know how specialised and dedicated Japanese creations can be.

However,…

…this also left me wondering. Wondering about whether I had nearly the same dedication in my work as a copywriter. And my answer is an honest no.

Do not get me wrong. I do enjoy the work I do, and I am very humbled by the fact there are people out there who believe my skill is worth paying for. I still study anything related to copywriting from time to time, and I’m working on a comprehensive plan to start scaling my freelance business, since I intend to do this full-time in the long term. Hell, I’d always write even if I didn’t get any financial reward for it.

However, I’d be damned if my dedication to copywriting made me alienate my loved ones, or God-forbid, send me to an early grave.

A work-life balance is very essential for me.

And I only began to experience this during the COVID-19 pandemic. I realised for the first time in my life that I could have my cake and ALMOST eat it too! All I needed to do was to take advantage of the current time benefits of my full-time job, and use it to build my freelance business. This allows me to kill two birds with one stone, while also allowing me some time to study, work out, meet my friends and family, or simply rest.

This is not in any way an attempt to look down on anyone working hard to achieve their goals. Trust me, I know what it takes. And I wish you nothing but the best. It just so happens that right now, I’m in a very lucky situation that allows me to do it smarter and not so much harder. And I intend to make full use of this opportunity before it fades away. To work hard to achieve my goals, but to make time to enjoy the little things when I can too. Because if I did die tomorrow, then what?

Regardless, in order to achieve something, you have to sacrifice something of similar value. That is a simple universal truth.

But the real question remains… how much are YOU willing to sacrifice?