#big kaneda and tetsuo vibes

[theonlyfoolishquestions]

Kaneda trying to convince Tetsuo that he’s a good person

#if that wasnt clear enough #(Tets is the guy with the beard) #Tetsuo has kaneda MADE #seriously tho this made me chuckle #big kaneda and tetsuo vibes

[tetsuocommittee]

hi! i’m writing an kanekei 80s au inspired by the movie and manga but i’m having trouble writing kanedas personality. could you give me some tips for writing kaneda? especially how you think he’d be as a regular troublemaker in the 80s? thanks!

This ended up being very long so I’m putting it under a cut!!

Weeell I know Akira’s supposed to be futuristic but given that it came out in the 80s in real time, it kinda has an 80s vibe so I think Kaneda’s already kind of the regular 80s troublemaker, but you still could do some research about what the average 80s juvenile delinquent was like. I usually do that and sometimes watch films to get inspired too (I’d probably watch either The Breakfast Club or Grease for this case and yeah I know Grease was a bit before the 80s but like it’s 1978, close enough pf)

On another note, Japan’s bosozokus were actually a pretty big thing during the 80s which might be why they’re a theme in Akira at all so like Kaneda could still be a bosozoku without a problem!

Anyway, for his personality...

Remember to take all of this with a grain of salt since it’s my own interpretation of the character and like portrayals can vary depending on the author. 

I always make him act like an insensitive jerk but not out of cruelty, more like he’s immature. Like, okay, there might be some cruelty to it but it’s a childish cruelty. The world around him is filled with scary prospects of adulthood and adults he hates, so he doesn’t want to grow up, he rejects the idea entirely. Responsibility terrifies him and he’d rather not commit to things, which is easier to do when you pretend to be a jerk (I mean, he actually is a bit of a jerk for having this mindset but not as much as it would seem).

He also has trouble for understanding complex issues and emotions, like I think he’s a very literal guy that’s also been hardened by the mess that is Neo-Tokyo’s society so he’s even confused about his own feelings, and also rejects them to put up that strong front of his. This is why he often ends up getting disoriented and missing the point in those drabbles I’ve written where Tetsuo’s clearly struggling with self-doubt and depression. Kaneda’s not very empathetic and not very sensitive so he doesn’t know how to deal with it, he tries to do it in his own harsh way and fails.

I think his relationship with Kei is a little bumpy because of this as well, because Kei to me feels like a person who was forced to grow up beforehand, maybe witnessed a horrible accident or lost loved ones when she was very young. Or just the general awful reality of Neo-Tokyo affected her. Either way, she’s the polar opposite of Kaneda, pretty mature for her age (I’m not even sure of hold she is, I always suspected she’s a bit older than Kaneda actually, maybe 17-18?) so Kaneda isn’t sure of how to deal with her either, but oh my god does he try.

ANYWAY I hope this helped because I kinda suck to explain my thought processes and all, if it didn’t you can ask @cmrnfry, @haruki-ya and @fridge-04 since they have written some stuff with Kaneda in it too (which is great and if you haven’t checked it out I recommend) and could give better points of view!

Also if any of my followers would like to add some more words of advice, go ahead!

#Anonymous