I remember as a very young kid seeing posters for this movie around the place in Dublin city. I was fascinated simply because it was a cartoon, but one that all of my older brothers seemed very interested in seeing. Surely has to be the best cartoon ever then right? Well, actually yes.
When I finally caught Akira on tv some years later I was blown away. I had read a few issues of the Manga at that point and found it fascinating and very well written. But the movie was something else entirely. I had never seen animation like it for one. The Blade Runner-esque cityscapes, the biker gangs leaving trails of neon speedlines in their wake as they zip around Neo Tokyo in what appears to be a constant state of battle. The great, strange music. Only 5 minuets in and I was riveted. The plot revolves around two members of a bike gang, Kaneda and Tetsuo. When Testsuo is involved in an altercation with a wizened, paranormal child named Takashi he is taken by a Government agency headed by a man known as The Colonel. It turns out that this agency has been experimenting on psychically gifted children, trying to release and harness their full powers. Takashi is one such child, and there are two others; Masaru and Kiyoko. Once they were joined by a devastatingly powerful boy named Akira, who's rage once leveled the city almost causing a third World War. Tetsuo finds powers beginning to manifest within himself and becomes obsessed with finding Akira who in his growing arrogance he believes to be his only equal. Meanwhile Kaneda, while searching for his friend becomes involved with the beautiful Kay, part of a revolutionary group who are attempting to over throw the Government and rescue the psychic children.
Even that is just the tip of the iceberg really. There is much more to it. The Manga is thousands of pages, released over a number of years and this adaptation tries to condense everything into two hours. It makes a valiant effort, but as a result there are many character sand sub plots left out, and the ending is confusing to the point that you might actually start to think Otomo gave up trying to make any sense of it himself. The movie also falls foul of some of the staples of Anime with the overly dramatic shouting etc. You will hear "KANEDAAAAAAAAA" and "TETSUOOOOOOOOOOO" quite a bit. It doesn't take away from the spectacle though. And I'm not just talking visually. Akira is a thought provoking and philosophical film, with the added bonus of super powered scraps and bike gang skirmishes. It also subverts the notion of the hero and villain in many ways. Kaneda is not so much the cocky but brave protagonist as he is a bit of a selfish scumbag really. While Tesuso is a much more likable character. When his powers manifest he does become monstrous(both figuratively and literally), and Kaneda morphs into something approaching a hero but even at the very end it's never that clear where your sympathies are supposed to lie. The Colonel is also a bit of a contradiction. Clearly an antagonistic force towards our main characters but he shows tenderness and even love to the withered children in his care(captivity?). We also have the terrorist revolutionaries led by Kay and Ryu, who's goals are understandable but they are willing to blow up any number or buildings or people to achieve them.
Honestly, aside from this and maybe 2 or 3 others I am not really a big Anime fan. I find the majority of them juvenile, badly animated and boring. But thsi is something very special. The word masterpiece is thrown around a bit, particularly here on CBM I think. But if ever a movie, animated or otherwise deserved the accolade I believe it is Akira. If you haven't seen this, even if you don't think it looks like your cup of tea, I urge you to check it out. And even if you are already a fan be sure to pick up the Blu-ray, it's stunning. If the planned live action remake ever gets off the ground I just hope and pray that whatever changes they make, they don't lose sight of what makes this such a powerful story.
Often described as the movie that created a mass audience for Japanese animation in America, Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira (1988) has been eagerly awaited on Blu-Ray. The film has been remastered for 1080p HD, which showcases Otomo’s flamboyant palette and the translucent colors he uses for the opulent signage of Neo-Tokyo and the trails left by the thugs’ racing motorcycles. The film probably looks better in Blu-ray than it did in its initial release as dust, dirt and scratches have been digitally removed, and the state-of-the-art sampling and bit rates reveal previously undetectable elements in the complex soundtrack. There are fewer extras than 2001 Special Edition: two trailers, two teasers, and a TV commercial. But the clarity of the Blu-ray transfer makes it easier to read Otomo’s storyboards. Akira remains a landmark film in the history of Japanese animation and anime fandom: the Blu-ray edition is a must-have not just for otaku, but for anyone interested in animation.
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