There are very few films that stay relevant more than 20 years after their original release. That statement is certainly more accurate with science fiction films that have left several generations of adult nerds disappointed with the lack of hover boards, flying cars, and time machines that were predicted to happen in those classic films of the eighties.
At the same time in Japan, a science fiction revolution was happening in anime. Works were becoming more serious and the production values of films were rising greatly thanks to a booming Japanese economy. The defining anime film of the late eighties was not only depicted a more feasible technology-driven future, but also provided a plot and many themes that are still relevant to this day. That film would be the epic known as Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira!
In the world of Akira, building of Neo Tokyo on an artificial island has long been finished after the original city had been destroyed over 30 years prior at the beginning of World War III. It has been believed that old Tokyo had been destroyed by the being known as “Akira” and believers, dissatisfied with what the city has become after rebuilding had ended, now pray for his return.
While this is going on the citizens of Neo Tokyo and the press show their discontent for tax reform blunders and a terrorist resistance has been formed to take down a government secret project. This secret project, which relates to the Akira incident, exists within the government to perform studies and experiments on human subjects to learn more about the powers that Akira once possessed. (Whether to prevent such destruction from happening again or to harness such power as a weapon remains to be seen.)
With government dissension growing, gang warfare is also on the rise. The film starts with a stunning scene of two motorcycle gangs- the Capsules and the Jokers -riding through the streets of the Neo Tokyo metropolis while they violently attack each other in a bloody battle. During this battle, Capsule member Tetsuo gets into an accident in a government restricted area and is taken away to a undisclosed location to be studied and experimented upon when it discovered that he possesses mental frequencies similar to Akira.
Meanwhile Kaneda, the leader of the Capsules and owner of the sweetest motorcycle in fiction, is arrested along with the rest of the capsules but is freed when the police determine that they have no ties to the terrorist resistance. Ironically, Kaneda becomes enamoured with a young girl Kei who is a member of that resistance and joins the group once he finds out that they are trying to rescue Tetsuo.
Overtime, Tetsuo’s powers manifest and become extremely volitile and now the goverment and its other espers try to subdue only for his to break loose and reign terror on Neo Tokyo. It is now up to his once best friend Kaneda to stop him once and for all!
Akira is a visual and audio masterpiece. With over 160,000 animation cels featuring highly detailed futuristic architecture, fluidly animated action scenes, and lip-synced facial expressions animated to match pre-recorded voice acting(a first for anime), Akira still looks better than most of the anime coming out even today!
For the score of the film, Otomo was searching for a sound of the future that would mix the style of the eighties with what music may sound like in 2019. With those goals, he enlisted the group Geinoh Yamashiro Gumi who constucted the score(before Akira was even animated) using ethnic instruments, synthesizers, sound modules, and the power of the human voice. It makes for a distinctive soundtrack not heard in anything other anime or film.
Akira is a milestone in anime. No question about that. It has not aged at all and has only become even more relevant given the current chaotic situations that are currently happening around the world. There are some older anime fans that would state that you aren’t really an anime fan until you have seen this movie. While such a statement sounds rather elitist, that doesn’t make it any less credible.
Akira originally came to America(via Streamline Pictures) at a time when animation was still viewed as “kids stuff.” Few people thought that animation could be so sophisticated in both it’s art and it’s themes and story; however, when Akira was released in the states, that idea was challenged greatly and anime, then called “Japanimation”, would be viewed as adult animation for years to come until anime became more mainstream and diverse in America.
Whether or not seeing Akira is required to call yourself an anime fan, you should definitely see it. It’s a fantastic movie that only comes once in a lifetime and defines a whole generation of anime.
