Akira (1988) [Anime Review]

Akira; or, Dangerous Days in Neo-Tokyo

     Look at what they abandoned in their panic. They were afraid. They were too scared so they hid it away from the public... losing all sense of shame and honour, casting aside the civilisation... and abandoning the science that created it. Shutting the lid of the Pandora's box they, themselves, had opened!

Firstly, I have to point out that Akira was supposed to be the 98th review, but unexpected chores forced me to amend the queue list. However, it does not change the fact that for years I wanted to review this outstanding anime, yet I dreaded it at the same time. I was simply afraid that I won’t be able to handle the magnitude of this sci-fi masterpiece. Nevertheless, the fact that the movie has its 30th anniversary, and that 2019 is just around the corner, made me overcome my fears and finally review the one and only Akira.

Release Info

Directed by: Katsuhiro Otomo Voice actors: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama

Language: Japanese Original Title: アキラ Runtime: 124 min

 

Synopsis

It’s the future, it’s the year 2019, 31 years after the outbreak of World War III. On the ashes of Tokyo, a new capital called Neo-Tokyo has been built. The post-war society is divided between the out-of-touch ruling class, rioting workers, and youngsters who organise themselves into motorcycle gangs. One night, during the fight between the Capsules and the Clowns, Tetsuo barely avoids crashing into a child on a highway. All of a sudden, the army steps in and they take the child away along with wounded Tetsuo in front of his friend, Kaneda. Tetsuo is subjected to various tests and Doctor Onishi determines that he is a suitable candidate for the military project which involves training children with powerful psychic abilities. However, Tetsuo breaks loose and goes on a rampage. Head of the project, Colonel Shikishima, as well as Kaneda, try to stop him but without any effect. Tetsuo is hell-bent on facing his greatest opponent, the mysterious Akira himself.

 

“A future that we can choose for ourselves”

What can I say about Akira? Well, it’s undoubtedly the paragon of marvellously visual triumph. Even though the movie is already 30 years old, it still looks beautiful, especially when compared to modern-day computer animations. All in all, it was hand-drawn, frame by frame, by a team of skilled and relentless artists!

 

Katsuhiro Otomo can easily be considered a creative god as he not only came up with the idea for a manga story, but he also wrote and directed its adaptation, just two years before finishing the whole story-arc in the comic books. From my own experience, I can tell that watching Akira cold is not quite a good idea because the plot is very hard to follow. Some of the things are only alluded to and the origin of Akira is not clearly explained. When I read the manga, however, and came back to the movie again, the unfolding events became much clearer.

 

Still, I do not encourage you to read through 6 thick volumes of manga to get up to speed. It’s something I did on my own because I wanted to see and feel more of this post-apocalyptic cyberpunk world which Otomo created. Is the movie radically different from the manga? I would say no. In its two-hour runtime, it manages to cover roughly 50% of the events from the comics. The other 50% which did not make it into the picture are tons of subplots and side-quests, plus extensive exposition and character development.

 

I dare to say that the film is superior to the manga as it efficiently ties in everything together. Some of the things might have been explained more, but the story is still extremely enjoyable. Even Kaneda comes off as the real protagonist who undergoes an inner change by the end of the movie, instead of being a designated hero in the manga. In fact, the only thing which the manga does better (apart from dragging the plot by making the characters journey from point A to B all the time) is the dynamic between Tetsuo and Akira. Like... two thirds into the comic book tale, they become the rulers of Neo-Tokyo and it is uncertain who is the master and who is the slave in this twisted relation.

 

The amount of blood, sweat and tears that went into the making of this movie is unbelievable! 8 different companies involved, the budget of 1 billion yen, 2000 pages of notes, thousands of storyboards, and over 160,000 animation cells. The immensity of this endeavour is even more impressive in comparison to today’s standards. There was also a lot of stuff going on outside of the process of animation. Actors did pre-recorded dialogue on the basis of storyboards and they physically acted out their parts as if they were staging a radio drama. In addition, the awe-inspiring music score (composed by Shoji Yamashiro and recorded by Geino Yamashirogumi collective) provided a totally new dimension of depth to the world of Akira. All the evidence can be found in this making of featurette.

 

Recommendations

Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in discovering the highlights of the cyberpunk genre the right way. My only issue with Akira is that it’s at times extremely violent, thus I don’t come back to it as often as to, for example, Blade Runner (1982). In other words, you need to be in the right mood for Akira. Additionally, there’s a lot of talk going on about the Hollywood remake recently. My question is: Why? Akira does not need a live action adaptation because it IS a live action movie itself. Its immortal legacy will continue to influence new generations of sci-fi fans, just as Tetsuo will continue to exist in another dimension.

Overall score: 9.5/10
Upcoming next time: 100th review!