An animated film adaptation released in 1988, shortened the plot considerably, while retaining many of the manga's primary characters and plot elements alongside additional scenes, settings, motifs and received similar critical acclaim and has served as a major influence to the anime industry and the cyberpunk genre, as a whole. The manga takes place over a longer time frame than the film and involves a much wider array of characters and subplots. Otomo's "Akira" anime film adaptation marked his transition from a career primarily in manga to one almost exclusively in anime.