Sometimes, fiction does indeed meet reality. It’s always very intriguing and delightful to see the blending of both worlds – until a prediction comes true, and an added touch of eeriness enters the mix. The Simpsons, in particular, has seen moments come true time and time again, albeit with slight differences, making its mark as a reliable forecast of future events.
As it turns out, classic anime movie Akira also seems to be a member of the precognition family. The 1988 work successfully predicted Tokyo as the host nation of the 2020 Olympics, resulting in renewed interest in light of a possible event cancellation due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan.
In the scene, a signboard is shown to be counting down to the Olympics, with a sign that reads, “147 days until the Games.” What’s even more interesting is the scribbled grafitti beneath it, where the comment “Just cancel it!” can be seen. The topic then shot up the trending list on Japanese Twitter on 28 February 2020, exactly 147 days before the opening ceremony date of 24 July.
Of course, the prediction is nothing concrete, and only makes for an interesting observation. As the virus continues to spread within the country, the state of the Olympics remains uncertain, and we can only hope that the situation improves.
Elsewhere, Taika Waititi is set to direct a live-action Akira adaptation featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, but unfortunately has to shelf it temporarily in favour of Thor 4. Better late than never though, no?
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Sasha Nair
Yong Le
