AKIRA, cut no. 955, solegraph

In its monolithic appearance, this building, the high security research centre of the army, is unique in the fictional city of Neo Tokyo. The blunt structural simplicity, sheer mass, scale and power are symbolic of the prevailing order. Its size in relation to the surrounding architecture and the flared plinth convey the impression of immovability and inviolability.
The pyramid-like pod at the bottom of the high-rise resembles the headquarters of Tyrell Corporation, the android manufacturer's headquarters in Blade Runner (1982). The large number of windows suggests that the building appears to be much bigger than current high-rise structures.

For the art department the most difficult part of this production was to depict the vastness and complexity of the cityscape. In order to achieve a sense of depth in the cityscape the illustrators would begin with 3 mm windows in the foreground, the buildings in the middle ground would have 1/2 mm windows, and the windows of the buildings in the background could be represented only by a dot or a line.

The original artwork consists of two layers, called a “book”. Hiroshi Ohno painted both layers with poster color on paper. The top element was then cut out and mounted on a cel (transparent foil). The independent movement of both layers in front of the animation camera allows to create a parallax effect which simulates a sense of depth in the picture.