Interest
Akira Film Easter Egg Hints at Artist's Exasperation With the Workload
posted on by Kim Morrissy
The 1988 Akira anime film, directed by the manga's creator Katsuhiro Ōtomo, is considered a classic among animation aficionados for its rich background art and animation details. It's so dense, in fact, that it's possible for viewers to notice new things even over 30 years later. One such detail recently started circulating on Twitter, when a user pointed out that a member of the staff left an Easter egg message in No. 25's prophecy scene.
AKIRAの25号予言シーンに作画スタッフの悲痛な叫びが隠されていました（いま知った pic.twitter.com/ScogXd89oN
— 非恵川ひこざ@2回接種マン (@HikozaTwi) December 24, 2021
The message is written with English letters, but contains a certain meaning in Japanese, which translates roughly as follows: "Why do we have to draw every little detail like this? Cut it out already! C'mon!"
Incidentally, such Easter eggs aren't unusual in animation, with VFX artist Yonghow Vong pointing out another instance of a hidden message in episode 7 of Otomo's Freedom Project.
[Via Yonghow Vong]
