Keanu Reeves’continued presence in Hollywood reflects the enduring popularity of his films. He’s currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity with the John Wick franchise, which is still going strong thanks to the spinoff filmFrom the World of John Wick: Ballerina. But the movie Reeves is best known for isThe Matrix, which remainsone of the most iconic science fiction films in history. It turns out that before Reeves stepped on the set ofThe Matrix,he had to watch two iconic anime movies.At San Diego Comic Con 2022, Reeves talked about how he was exposed to anime and revealed thatLanaandLily Wachowskimade him watchAkiraandGhost in the Shell. “I was watching anime on channel 79, and I didn’t even know what it was,”Reeves said. “And then when I worked with the Wachowskis onThe Matrix, they were like, ‘You need to watch these.’ So it wasAkira,Ghost in the Shell, and that’s pretty much the start of it." It turns out that the Wachowskis had a specific reason for making Reeves watch those two movies.
‘Akira’ and ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Shaped the World of ‘The Matrix’
Akirais often regarded as the film thatkick-started the rise of anime in America, and as a result, it’s been referenced across cinema multiple times. If you’ve seen any action, sci-fi, or animated movie,you’ve probably seen a reference to the “Akira slide”. It’s no surprise thatThe Matrixwould pay homage to it in multiple ways. The film’s cyberpunk setting is more or less similar to the desolate landscape of Neo-Tokyo inAkira, and visual effects supervisorJohn GaetalistedAkiraasan influence onThe Matrix’s infamous “bullet time” sequences, which slowed down, then ramped up the action in the film. The biggest way thatAkirainfluencedThe Matrixlies in Neo’s psychic powers.Akiraalso features multiple characters with psychic powers, including Kaneda (Johnny Yong Bosch). However, unlike Neo using his powers to fight the forces of the Matrix, Kaneda’s abilities slowly drive him insane.
That’s nothing compared to the major influence thatGhost in the Shellhad onThe Matrix. One of the biggest concepts ofThe Matrixinvolves Neo and his companions uploading their consciousness into virtual reality.Ghost in the Shellfeatures a similar concept where people are “cyberized”, replacing most of their body with robot parts. In the case of Major Motoko Kusanagi, her entire body is cyberized, leading her to question her own existence. A similar scene happens inThe Matrixwhen Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne)offers Neo a choicewhether or not to take a red pill and learn the truth about the Matrix, or take a blue pill and return to blissful ignorance. The biggest element fromGhost in the Shellthat influencedThe Matrixis that both films utilize a bright green computer code, representing the blending of technology and the human spirit. ProducerJoel Silvergave a special mention toGhost in the Shellin a behind-the-scenes featurette forThe Matrix, saying that the Wachowskis showed it to him and it inspired him: “We want to do that for real.”
Here’s How To Watch the Matrix Movies in Order (Chronologically and by Release Date)
Welcome, to the Desert of the Real.
Keanu Reeves Wrote a Comic That Will Have Its Own Anime Adaptation
While Keanu Reeves admitted that he doesn’t watch much anime, he’s actually inspired an anime project that’s currently in the works. In 2021, Reeves launchedBRZRKR, a BOOM! Studios comic that he co-created withMatt KindtandRon Garney.BRZRKRcenters on Unute, a.k.a “B”, an immortal warrior that carries out black ops missions while attempting to find a way to become mortal. After the release ofBRZRKR #1, it was announced that a feature film and anime series based on the comicwould be coming to Netflix, wtih Reeves starring in and producing both. While theBRZRKRmovie will adapt the main comic series, the anime will explore more of B’s 80,000-year-old history. TheBRZRKRanimerecently began productionwithMattson Tomlin(Terminator Zero)attached in a writing capacity, and it remains to be seen if it will draw inspiration from other anime projects likeThe Matrixdid, or if it’ll lead Reeves to check out more anime.
The Matrix
