I was about 12 or 13 the first time I saw any clips of Akira, the Katsuhiro Otomo anime that would crack open the North American market and allow in the flood that would follow.I wouldn't actually see the movie itself for five years. In between, there was a creative process, one based on a brief glimpse and long absence, that I think is common to a lot of people, but seldom spoken of.When it comes to Akira, I remember the Siskel & Ebert review in particular, a 1991 video pick of the week by Ebert. The clips included a brief glimpse of motorcycles winding through glowing city streets, and one of the child psychics unleashing his powers in a panic after witnessing a bloody shooting by the Tokyo police.