{"id":48734,"date":"2026-02-02T09:57:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T17:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/?p=48734"},"modified":"2026-02-02T09:57:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T17:57:26","slug":"akira-and-persepolis-a-fight-against-the-corrupt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/?p=48734","title":{"rendered":"Akira and Persepolis: A Fight Against the Corrupt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paper by Julia Dal Pozzo.<\/p>\n

\"\"War and corruption has stayed the same throughout human history in all cultures. Depictions of war in the media tend to represent similar stories of their violence, tragedies, and warnings against them in many different art forms. Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi; 2007) and Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo; 1988) are two films that share similar stories of coming of age and loss of innocence, rebellion, government\/political corruption, and the consequences of war. Both films were adapted into animation based on graphic novels of the same titles, directed by the authors who wrote them. Persepolis is a French\/Iranian post-revolutionary animated autobiographical film that tells the story of Marjane Satrapi\u2019s life growing up and facing oppression in Iran after the Islamic Revolution highlighting the power of propaganda, nationalism, censorship, and the evils of war. Akira is a science fiction Japanese anime cyberpunk film that follows a young delinquent biker gang as they attempt to save their friend
\nfrom corruption after being subjected to a secret military experiment, reflecting Katsuhiro Otomo\u2019s experiences living in Japanese society post World War II. The two films are critically acclaimed within the film and animation industry, are thematically very similar while historically and stylistically very different, and both use unique animation and film styles to tell their stories.<\/p>\n

While sharing similar themes, Persepolis and Akira have very different historical
\ncontexts that are important to understand first. Persepolis\u2019 graphic novel was published in 2000
\nthrough 2003, while the film was released in 2007. The story\u2019s setting takes place in Iran in the
\n1970s and 1980s. Persepolis follows the true story of author and director Marjane Satrapi\u2019s life
\ngrowing up during this time in Iran under the tyrannical rule of the Shah, and then under the
\ncontrol and censorship of a corrupt regime after the Islamic Revolution. The Islamic Revolution
\nwas an uprising in Iran from 1978 to 1979 \u201cresulted in the toppling of the monarchy on February
\n11, 1979, and led to the establishment of an Islamic republic\u201d (Janet Afary, Britannica).
\nHowever, this did not mean freedom from tyranny for the Iranian people. A new government
\nregime took power, and \u201ctook political vengeance, with hundreds of people who had worked for
\nthe shah\u2019s regime reportedly executed. The remaining domestic opposition was then suppressed,
\nits members being systematically imprisoned or killed. Iranian women were required to wear the
\nveil, Western music and alcohol were banned, and the punishments prescribed by Islamic law
\nwere reinstated\u201d (Afary, Britannica). Iranian society became increasingly oppressive, full of
\ncensorship, and lacked much freedom for its citizens. This is shown in Persepolis, as Marjane is
\nforced to wear the veil herself, buy music illegally, and her family must dump their alcohol into
\nthe toilet out of fear of being thrown in prison. On the other hand, the Akira manga began
\nserialization in 1982 and ended in 1990, the film was released in 1988. The setting of Akira
\nactually takes place in a futuristic Japan, 31 years after a fictional World War III in the year 2019.
\nThe film focuses on the story of mainly two boys, Kaneda, the leader of a rebellious teenage
\nbiker gang called The Capsules, and his best friend Tetsuo, who ends up as a victim of secret
\ngovernment experimentation. In the opening sequence of the film, there is an aerial shot of
\nTokyo as a large explosion levels the city. This mirrors the end of World War II and the atomic
\nbombs that were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. However, much of the rest of the
\nfilm seems to \u201cresemble real political actors and actions in Japanese history: the Colonel leads a
\ncoup that suggests Japan\u2019s prewar militarization or postwar remilitarization; graphic images of
\nstreet demonstrations recall the massive public protests of the 1950s and 1960s, whose targets
\nincluded Japan\u2019s support for U.S. military policy; and a vaguely defined group of \u201curban
\nguerrillas\u201d suggests the Japanese Red Army terrorism of the 1960s and 1970s\u201d (Christopher
\nBolton, From Ground Zero to Degree Zero: Akira from Origin to Oblivion). Akira seems to
\ncombine 50 years of political struggles in Japan since World War II into the Cold War along with
\nsociety\u2019s responses to those struggles.<\/p>\n

With historical context, the themes in Persepolis and Akira become much more clear.
\nThe most notable themes that the two films have in common is the focus on the corruption of the
\ngovernment and the suppression of the people and society. There are similar scenes of protestors
\nin both films that are dealt with by the government using force that show the citizen\u2019s attempts to
\nfight back against the corruption of the government. During the opening scene in Akira, a
\nbackground news broadcast provides context on how unemployed workers are protesting new tax
\nreforms put in place by the former Japanese prime minister. This is something that can be easily
\nmissed by the viewer if they aren\u2019t paying attention, but is a clever way the film adds to its world
\nbuilding without being too direct. The protest turns into a riot between student protestors and
\npolice. The protestors can be seen knocking over police vehicles and setting things on fire, while
\nthe police are shown beating protestors with batons and shooting them with tear gas canisters.
\nThis is shown as a montage or almost like a transitional scene in between scenes featuring the
\nmain characters and story. This causes the viewer to understand that the issues in the city are
\nmuch larger than the issues the main characters are facing, yet still affects their story. Protestors
\nand anti-government revolutionaries are labeled as terrorists by the government. The government
\nis unable to compromise, as throughout the film they are depicted as constantly disagreeing and
\nfighting within themselves and unable to find a way to lead their country. In Persepolis, there is a
\nprotest scene that is shown in a flashback sequence, with only blacked out silhouettes of the
\ncharacters. It shows unarmed protestors trying to fight back against tanks and masked officers
\nwearing gas masks under a heavy fog or mist. The use of the silhouette makes the scene feel
\nmore sinister and dehumanizing of the protestors as if they are just one movement and not people
\nwith their own lives. In the same way it dehumanizes the officers and makes them seem like a
\nmonster hunting its prey. The scene shows a close up shot of a man who is shot by the officers as
\nhe falls on the ground with blood pouring out of him as many hands reach for him and lift him
\ninto the air. In that moment he becomes a martyr of the revolution and a symbol of the people\u2019s
\ndisdain for the government and its oppression of them. Similar to Akira, the protestors are
\ndehumanized, but the film represents that through the way it is animated with silhouettes,
\nwhereas in Akira, the protestors are dehumanized through the narrative by the government
\nlabeling them as terrorists. Both films depict a corrupt government versus a fed up society.<\/p>\n

Another theme that both films explore is the distrust of the government and lack of
\nrespect for authority from the youth. In the beginning of Akira there are many establishing shots
\nwhere the viewer is introduced to the setting of Neo-Tokyo with run-down streets covered in
\ngraffiti full of profanities, trash, and a sleazy bar that sells illegal drugs and alcohol to minors.
\nThis setting in the city and even the school remains consistent throughout the film. These
\nestablishing shots tell the viewer a lot about the state of the city and the people who live there
\nwithout any other exposition. There are similar establishing aerial shots in Persepolis of the city
\nwith cars driving through like it’s a normal day, but with views of buildings that have been
\ndestroyed by bombings, rubble on the streets, and anti-American graffiti showing how the fear of
\nviolence and impending danger that hangs over the citizen\u2019s heads. Following this scene,
\nMarjane walks through a group of men all wearing long black coats offering to sell her
\ncontraband. She is caught by two old women who begin to question her about her veil and
\nthreaten to turn her in. The two women are animated to move like snakes with limbs hidden by
\ntheir clothes in a way that makes them feel creepy and untrustworthy to the viewer. Their
\nsnake-like movements are symbolic in a way of how it would be a betrayal to Marjane for two
\nwomen who are oppressed like her to turn her in for the way she wears her veil. Marjane lies and
\nbegins to cry to escape which works for her. She then happily listens to her illegal rock music as
\nscenes of the war begin to play out. This scene shows how Marjane is rebelling against an
\nextremely oppressive and controlling government in one of the few ways she can, and also how
\nshe has learned to easily lie to those who have authority over her. In Akira, rebellious youth is the
\ncentral focus, but the reaction to their outburst is much more telling. After getting into a violent
\nbrawl with a rival biker gang and being arrested by police, Kaneda\u2019s gang returns to their run
\ndown trade school for troubled teenagers. There are multiple wide establishing shots showing the
\nschool covered in trash and graffiti, kids smoking, fighting, sleeping on the ground, and more.<\/p>\n

These shots are all shown while the viewer can hear off screen dialogue of a teacher yelling at
\nthe gang telling them if they mess up again their lives will be over and they are otherwise
\nbasically worthless. The camera then shows the gang as the principal sits at his desk as the
\nteacher punches each boy in the face yelling \u201cDISCIPLINE!\u201d The viewer takes in all of these
\nthings at one time and is forced to realize that the students aren\u2019t the problem, but the school is
\ntoo as the imagery implies that it doesn\u2019t attempt to motivate or even help the kids. They are
\npunished with violence and only behave through fear. This is emphasized by a shot of an empty
\ntrash filled hallway outside of the principal\u2019s office where the only thing heard is the muffled
\nvoices of gang off screen telling the principal \u201cYes sir!\u201d, even if the gang doesn\u2019t respect the
\nprincipal or teachers at all. This scene represents how the youth is rebelling in a society that has
\nbeen neglected by a government that has basically given up on its citizens all together, and they
\nonly feel forced to comply out of the fear of violence. Also in Persepolis, there is a scene of
\nyoung boys being told they will be given the keys to paradise if they die in war for their country.<\/p>\n

Another scene shows Marjane\u2019s mother\u2019s fear that Marjane will be jailed and raped after she
\nquestions the government and authority in class. The government is manipulating them through
\nfear, violence, and education. In Akira, the government experiments on children attempting to
\nturn one into a super weapon they can control, including Tetsuo, which ends up with his
\npsychological decline. The Colonel does not care about Tetsuo\u2019s wellbeing, but instead if they
\nwill be able to control his power. The government does not care about the youth and only their
\nown gain of power. No authority in either film attempts to help society and especially the youth
\nand leaves them to figure out the unforgiving world they live in on their own.<\/p>\n

Persepolis and Akira also share the similarity of being animated films, but they are very
\ndistinct in the stylistic choices made during the animation and filmmaking process. Persepolis
\nand Akira were both animated using traditional hand drawn cell animation techniques. Akira\u2019s
\nuse of this technique was a product of its time, and actually was considered extremely innovative
\nin the animation techniques it used. The film was the result of extreme talent and hard work by
\n68 key animators who hand drew and hand painted every frame at the rate of 24 frames per
\nsecond which was a high standard at the time. Persepolis\u2019 use of this technique was in an attempt
\nto reflect the original hand drawn style of the graphic novel. The film\u2019s animators also utilized
\ntechniques that attempted to mimic Japanese manga which was actually popularized in the west
\nby the success of Akira and similar projects. Another extremely notable stylistic difference in
\nboth films is the use of color. In film and especially animation, color is a very intentional and
\nimportant element that helps convey a specific mood or feeling to the viewer. Persepolis was
\nanimated in black and white to reflect the original style of the graphic novel, similar to the reason
\nit was hand drawn, and Akira is known for its innovative use of color. According to an interview
\nwith Marjane Satrapi conducted by Jean-Pierre Lavoignat, she stated \u201cThe novels have been a
\nworldwide success because the drawings are abstract, black-and-white. I think this helped
\neverybody to relate to it, whether in China, Israel, Chile, or Korea; it’s a universal story.<\/p>\n

Persepolis has dreamlike moments; the drawings help us to maintain cohesion and consistency,
\nand the black-and-white also helped in this respect, as did the abstraction of the setting and
\nlocation\u201d (Animation World Network). Marjane Satrapi explains that the film was animated in
\nblack and white because the characters become someone the viewer can see themself in and the
\nstory stops being foreign or unreachable for people who would otherwise disregard it due to their
\nunconscious or conscious bias and or prejudice. Akira is well known for its use of color as it used
\na record-breaking 327 different color shades and is noted for inventing 50 colors specifically for
\nthe film. This was because of the fact that a majority of the film took place at night, along with
\nOtomo\u2019s decision of wanting to create a moody and dark atmosphere to help convey the dark
\ngrittiness of the story. The darkness of the city was highlighted by the bright neon colors of the
\nlights that truly made it feel alive in a distant cyberpunk future. Every choice made in the
\nanimation process of both of these films was distinctly intentional and important in conveying
\nthe stories they were meant to.<\/p>\n

The two films also had very unique receptions to them. Persepolis is technically a
\ncontemporary Iranian post-revolutionary film, which is characterized by their innovativeness to
\ncombat censorship by the Iranian government. In the early days of the revolution, \u201centertainers,
\nactors, and film-makers were also subjected to \u2018purification\u2019 involving legal charges,
\nincarceration, expropriation of their possessions, and various types of censorship including
\nbarring of their faces, voices, and bodies from the screen\u201d (The Oxford History of World
\nCinema, 675). Due to the fear by the government that films could be used to spread political and
\nsocial propaganda, they were heavily censored, and foreign films were banned altogether. Many
\nIranian filmmakers were inspired by foreign filmmakers, specifically those in France and other
\ncountries and the techniques they used. A lot of Iranian films are produced in foreign countries
\nso that they can avoid censorship altogether. Despite the commercial success of Iranian films
\nchanging the film industry to be more lenient, films still faced heavy censorship. Persepolis won
\nthe grand-jury award at the Cannes film festival in May 2007, but was denounced by the Iranian
\ngovernment and was not allowed to be featured in the Bangkok International Film Festival. In a
\nletter sent to the French cultural attach\u00e9 in Tehran, \u201cFarabi [Cinema Foundation] managing
\ndirector Alireza Rezadad accused \u201cPersepolis\u201d of presenting \u201can unreal picture of the outcomes
\nand achievements of the Islamic revolution.\u201d (Ali Jaafar, Variety). However, Satrapi was only
\ntelling the story of her life and the truth of the reality she lived. Internationally however,
\nPersepolis was very well received \u201cas a French-language, 2-D, black-and-white animated film
\nthat deals with social, political and cultural issues, Persepolis already [stood] apart from the CG,
\nfull-color animated movies that dominate the market\u201d (Animation World Network). According to
\nIMDb, the film has a total of 58 award nominations and 30 wins, including a nomination for Best
\nAnimated Feature at the 2008 Academy Awards. Despite facing censorship in the country that
\ninspired its story, Persepolis is a highly acclaimed film that is highly regarded for its animation,
\ncinematography, and storytelling.<\/p>\n

The reception of Akira was very different from that of Persepolis. Akira had a huge
\nimpact on the animation industry in not only Japan but also Western cinema. What made many
\nJapanese films unique was that for all genres of film \u201csince the mid-1980s, many major
\ncompanies\u2019 films had depended on manga (Japanese comics) as their story sources. By adapting
\nthe story of manga printed in weekly magazines, a certain measure of box-office profit is assured
\nbecause of the already tremendous popularity of the story-line and characters\u201d (The Oxford
\nHistory of World Cinema, 721). Akira is one such film that was animated as an adaptation from a
\nJapanese manga series. The manga series was already popular and well known in Japan which
\nprovided the film with a strong foundation for the film\u2019s success. Japan has created animated
\nfilms since the 1910s during the silent era, but there was a rise in animation when film
\ncompanies began to \u201c[emphasize] the production of feature-length animated films. Many
\nanimated films have been made for television in Japan, the majority for children. However the
\nsituation changed in the 1980s, with feature-length animation for a broader audience being
\nproduced\u201d (The Oxford History of World Cinema, 721). The success of Akira was a major
\ncontributor to this change. Akira is a major example of a film that contributed to the rise of
\nanime and \u201cits place in the history of narrative film has been assured by a number of anime
\nfeatures that approach or exceed their live-action counterparts in subtlety and sophistication of
\nform\u2026The best anime features evince a structural complexity, a visual density, and a richness of
\ntheme that give them a legitimate place within the history of Japanese narrative film\u201d (David
\nCook, A History of Narrative Film). Akira not only had an impact on animation and film, but
\nalso in Western pop culture as well where \u201cit kicked down the door for animated films with
\nmature themes, paving the way for renegade animation from directors like Satoshi Kon. Its
\nlegacy is such that it continues to reverberate in pop culture\u2019s echo chamber, occasionally
\nreappearing in properties clearly influenced by its stunning visuals. Without Akira, we wouldn\u2019t
\nhave The Matrix, Looper, Chronicle, or Inception\u201d (Trey Taylor, Dazed). Akira received a cult
\nfollowing and high critical acclaim on its international release. The film is still widely regarded
\nand referenced today throughout pop culture and other media as it is considered one of the most
\ninfluential anime films ever made.<\/p>\n

Persepolis and Akira are two animated films that touch on very dark topics in a unique
\nand compelling way. One is a true story of a young girl\u2019s life facing oppression and violence in
\nher everyday life, and the other is a story of what the future could be like if the corrupt are left
\nunchecked. Both films are completely separate from one another in their creation, and still
\nmanage to warn against similar ideas of a corrupt government showing how the desire for power
\nand violence can easily become a part of human nature. Both also show how animation as a
\nmedium is more than just entertainment for children and is actually a very unique form of story
\ntelling that represents emotions and stories in a way that live action cannot. Both Akira and
\nPersepolis are highly acclaimed and have made their mark on animation, film, and storytelling as
\na whole and will continue to do so.<\/p>\n

References<\/strong>
\nJanet Afary Professor of Feminist Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara.
\nAuthor of The Iranian Constitutional Revolution. \u201cIranian Revolution.\u201d Encyclop\u00e6dia
\nBritannica, Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica, inc., 5 Nov. 2025,
\nwww.britannica.com\/event\/Iranian-Revolution.
\nBolton, Christopher. \u201cFrom Ground Zero to Degree Zero: Akira from Origin to
\nOblivion.\u201d Mechademia: Second Arc, vol. 9, 2014, pp. 295\u2013315. JSTOR,
\nhttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.5749\/mech.9.2014.0295. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
\nNaficy, Hamid. \u201cIranian Cinema.\u201d The Oxford History of World Cinema, Oxford University
\nPress USA – OSO, Oxford, 1999, pp. 672\u2013677.
\nKomatsu, Hiroshi. \u201cThe Modernization of Japanese Film.\u201d The Oxford History of World
\nCinema, Oxford University Press USA – OSO, Oxford, 1999, pp. 714\u2013721.
\nCook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. W.W. Norton & Company, 2016.
\nJaafar, Ali. \u201cSatrapi Blasts Iran\u2019s \u2018persepolis\u2019 Protest.\u201d Variety, Variety, 24 May 2007,
\nvariety.com\/2007\/film\/markets-festivals\/satrapi-blasts-iran-s-persepolis-protest-1117965713\/.
\nHetherington, Janet. \u201c\u2018Persepolis\u2019 in Motion.\u201d Animation World Network, 2007,
\nwww.awn.com\/animationworld\/persepolis-motion.
\nTaylor, Trey. \u201cHow Akira Sent Shockwaves Through Pop Culture and Changed It.\u201d Dazed, 31
\nMay 2016,
\nwww.dazeddigital.com\/artsandculture\/article\/31328\/1\/akira-anime-studio-ghibli-kanye-west-mic
\nhael-jackson-pop-culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paper by Julia Dal Pozzo. War and corruption has stayed the same throughout human history in all cultures. Depictions of war in the media tend to represent similar stories of their violence, tragedies, and warnings against them in many different art forms. Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi; 2007) and Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo; 1988) are two films that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":504,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academic-papers","category-films"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/504"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48735,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48734\/revisions\/48735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studentfilmreviews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}