In what turned out to be a worldwide famous coincidence, cult cyberpunk anime Akira predicted that (Neo) Tokyo would host the 2020 Olympic games. In a spooky parallel with the real world, in Akira’s post-apocalyptic world too, people are calling for the cancellation of the games.
Akira nailed it
Set in 2019, 31 years after World War III, Katsuhiro Otomo’s monument of science-fiction, Akira tells about a rather dark world struggling to get back to normal while a mysterious force is strengthening to plunge Neo Tokyo into yet another doom.
Akira is a phenomenal work of animation which has inspired countless movies and shows, including The Matrix trilogy no less. The combination of thrilling artwork and a highly complicated plot combining teenage gangs, psychic kids, and top-secret government experiments has not aged a bit.
But what certainly struck people the most is how Akira somehow foresaw the future on so many levels.
Just Cancel It
Last Friday marked exactly 147 days until the 2020 Games opening ceremony on July 24th. A countdown that echoed with a particular scene from the movie, which shows a signboard reading 東京オリンピック開催迄あと147日= “147 Days Until The Tokyo Olympic Games”.
Entirely in phase with the current call to cancel 2020’s Olympics due to the coronavirus, graffiti under the signboard reads 中止だ中止 which means “just cancel it!”
The hashtag #中止だ中止 is officially now trending on Twitter.
#中止だ中止
中止発表するタイミングは今日が一番いいぞ。 pic.twitter.com/Rhy2alw0JG— 恋々(renren) (@zombie0928) February 27, 2020
Twitter user @zombie0928 wrote “中止発表するタイミングは今日が一番いいぞ。” (Today is the best day to announce the cancellation of the Olympic games.)
#中止だ中止
今日かAKIRAと同じ日なんですねぇ
競技場蒸発しそう pic.twitter.com/YtZEpNdsDR— こせき@黄身だけを愛してる (@egg68389419) February 28, 2020
Another twitter user, @egg68389419, posted a screenshot from Akira side-by-side with an actual poster in real-life Tokyo. That is just spooky.
While we all wish for the Olympics to take place after all the effort Japan made for the infamous stadium to be ready on time, the current situation is quite worrisome. Was last Friday the best timing to announce a cancellation indeed?
“The best day is today.”
Here’s how to build a sentence to express that something is “the best” or “the most” using the expression 一番.
- Noun + は/が 一番 + adjective + だ
世界でジブリは一番有名だ。= Ghibli is the best known (studio) in the world.
- Verb-dictionary form + のは/のが 一番 + adjective + だ
アニメを見るのが一番好きだ。= Watching anime is what I prefer to do the most/the best.
Vocabulary
Japanese | Romaji | English |
東京オリンピック | toukyou orinpikku | Tokyo Olympics |
開催 | kaisei | opening |
迄 | made | until |
あと | ato | after |
日 | nichi | day |
中止 | chyuushi | cancel |
発表する | happyou suru | announce |
タイミング | taimingu | timing |
今日 | kyou | today |
一番 | ichiban | the best, the most |
いい | ii | good |
世界で | sekai de | in the world |
ジブリ | jiburi | Studio Ghibli |
有名 | yuumei | famous, known |
アニメ | anime | Japanese animation |
見る | miru | watch |
好き | suki | like |
Just to be clear, the International Olympic Committee has vehemently denied there is any chance of the Tokyo Olympic games being canceled.
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