Akira did not use simple cel shading. They used "shadow volumes." Page 31 includes a chart dictating which cel receives a blue-tone shadow matte versus a black ink shadow. This is why Neo-Tokyo feels soggy and heavy; the shadows move independently of the characters.

: Insights into the film's record-breaking use of over 160,000 hand-drawn animation cels and pre-recorded dialogue for realistic lip-syncing. Halcyon Realms Accessing the Archives

The original Akira Animation Archives was a limited-edition production material set released exclusively in Japan in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It contained:

Akira Animation Archives (published in 2002) is a legendary 194-page collection of "behind-the-scenes" artwork from the 1988 film. It is widely sought after by animators and fans for its dense technical detail. Halcyon Realms Core Content Overview

While full, official digital copies are difficult to find, several resources offer significant portions of the production art:

The archives reveal the challenges faced by the production team, including: