Authorship in Music and Sound Design / 2: Geinō Yamashirogumi and Akira

This chapter encompasses a discussion of anime and the interaction between music and visuals in animated movies, again, like other chapters do, with special reference to the case study of the science fiction animated movie Akira (1988, by Katsuhiro Ōtomo), a theatrical film that emerged in the period when anime, as an expression form, gained an established cultural status, comparable to that of other media such as manga and live-action cinema. The chapter investigates the production process and artistic activities of the musical collective Yamashirogumi and its leader, Shōji Yamashiro, who were responsible for the music of Akira, and carries out a converging textual analysis of both its musical and visual aspects.