Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
He adapted the film’s plot for his “Stronger” video in 2007.
Kanye West’s love of the 1988 Japanese Anime film Akira is no secret. After all, his 2007 video for “Stronger,” directed by Hype Williams, was based on the movie’s storyline. In a recent tweet, however, the rapper revealed that the film’s inspiration runs far deeper than just one video.
As he explained in the tweet, all of his videos and concert staging have been inspired by the film:
Katsuhiro Otomo the creator of Akira This movie is my biggest creative inspiration pic.twitter.com/mbOK9u8u23
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) August 27, 2018
Every stage show I’ve ever worked on Every video not just Stronger every product even when I was in the hospital I would think… oh shit this is like Akira
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) August 27, 2018
This is not only the greatest animation achievement in history the subject matter is so relevant to the current state of the world
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) August 27, 2018
Akira is widely considered one of the best anime and sci-fi films of all time, and is often credited with pioneering the popularization of Japanese anime in the West. Kanye previously cited it alongside There Will Be Blood as his favorite movie of all time, and pushed back against the idea that Hayao Miyazaki’s also beloved Spirited Away was a better film.
In addition to the “Stronger” video, Genius contributor WannabeCollegeDropout previously noted that the title card for Akira is very reminiscent of the font and presentation for Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Fridays series:
It’s clear that Akira’s influence runs deep in his work.
