Akira (1988)

Akira was probably the first anime movie I ever saw. In fact, Akira was probably the first anime movie that a LOT of people saw. When it was released back in the US back in 1990, anime was still very much a fringe cult. Most people didn’t even know that the Japanese knew how to animate.

But then this huge movie showed up. Two hours of pure adrenaline…all animated in a style that most people in America had never seen before.

And that’s not even mentioning the kid being turned into a giant blob of goo and the awesome motorcycle.

Were Americans easily impressed?

Well, no. Not really. Back then, Akira was a state of the art animation. There were new colors invented for it. There were more shots used in it than any other animated film ever. It was amazing.

Now, it’s a little hard to see what all the fuss was about…kind of.

Akira is the story of a nation that has been destroyed and is looking for a way back. They’ve come back to an extent, but WWIII wiped them out pretty badly. Tokyo was basically leveled. Now, in Neo Tokyo, suicide bombers are a daily occurence and kids on motorcycles have mini-wars in the middle of the highways. The government tries, but they have basically lost all control.

In a secret base, they have three children who are going to mean the difference between military might and the downfall of Japan…or something like that. Scientists have poked and prodded these kids so much that their spirit is nearly broken. They have this immense power, but no one truly understands why. Somehow, they’ve managed to tap into the unused portion of their brains.

And it looks like young Tetsuo may be the next link.

Who is this Tetsuo, you ask?

He is the weak link of a gang led by his best friend, Kaneda. They met in an orphanage and have stayed together ever since. Through all of the acts of violence, Kaneda has been there to protect Tetsuo.

But now that Tetsuo has unleashed his inner madman, Kaneda might need protection from his buddy’s resentment.

Oh, and there’s a girl, too. Her name is Kei (which is really confusing, since one of the other gang members is named Kai…AND because Kei looks just like Kaneda. So much so that I at times lost track of who was talking) and she is part of a band of resistance fighters who are trying to get to the three kids.

And, oh yeah: who or what is Akira? What does it have to do with Tetsuo?

Can Kaneda and Kei save Tetsuo? Will the military save Neo Tokyo? Will the scientist have his way and make Neo Tokyo a testing ground for this new destructive technology?

That seems to be the prevailing argument here: military vs. science. And the military, for one of the few times in the history of film (outside of war films, of course), are the good guys. At one point, the scientist says, “Ah! You want to SAVE the city!” And the colonel says, “Something scientists wouldn’t understand.”

Strange.

For the most part, Akira holds up. It’s still a two hour thrill ride with lots of great animation and cool action. (And that awesome bike that is completely impossible.)

As political commentary…well, it’s hard to say. Here in America, things haven’t exactly gone this way. We don’t have a suicide bomber on every corner, anyway. But in other parts of the world, it is kinda like this. Just watch the news someday and look at Iraq. We have them over there and a military force trying to “keep the peace.” There are religious zealots there, too, who see these people as heroes. (Akira is worshiped by about half of the population of Neo Tokyo, even though they don’t know what the fuck it is. Sounds about right.)

I’ve never read the manga that the film was based on. Director/writer Katsuhiro Otomo (Steamboy and part of Memories) adapted his own manga for the screen, but apparently he just took about one page out of each book and threw the rest out. Six volumes of nearly 500 pages each and you’ve got an INCREDIBLY dense story. There’s no WAY you could put it all on screen.

I have the first volume, so I do intend to read it someday. Not sure if I’ll ever be able to afford all of them, though. DAMN, it’s huge.

Akira is pretty damn good, but it’s also kind of a movie that’s better in retrospect than it is in deed. Amazing for its time, kind of non-sensical, but well worth watching if you’re an anime fan.

I just wouldn’t make it the first one you ever see. Not these days. You might walk away kind of unimpressed.

But you’ll still want Kaneda’s bike and jacket. I hate motorcycles and I want that bike. And, honestly, I don’t care what the fuck the giant pill means on his back, it’s an awesome jacket.