Akira

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. The hype built around “Akira” is there for a reason; see this animated film for yourself and get ready to have your mind blown. It’s 2019, post World War 3 Tokyo, now Neo-Tokyo. Shotaro Kaneda (voiced by Mitsuo Iwata) is the leader of the Capsules Biker gang. While out fighting their rivals, Kaneda’s best friend Tetsuo Shima (voiced by Nozomu Sasaki) nearly crashes into a small, odd-looking child. Tetsuo is injured and taken away by government agents, who discover that his brain patterns are very unusual. Colonel Shikishima (voiced by Taro Ishida) orders experimenting to begin on the boy, who begins to develop similar powers to Akira a mysterious boy with mental powers so powerful they were nearly God-like. The plot follows Kaneda, who allies himself with anti-government forces in the hopes of rescuing his friend and Tetsuo, whose growing abilities begin tearing at his sanity.

This film looks amazing. The post-war setting of 2019 Neo Tokyo makes for some truly incredible sights. This is one of those movies where any number of still could serve as backgrounds for your desktop because every little element is lush and detailed. Every frame was painstakingly hand-drawn and painted and you can tell everyone involved consistently delivered their best work. Every frame is beautiful and exciting to see. Populating this world is a story that fleshes out Neo-Tokyo and makes it seem very much alive. While we mostly follow Kaneda and Tetsuo, we also see glimpses of the rest of the population. We find out that there is political unrest between the youth of Japan and the corrupt government, that there is a religious cult following the mysterious Akira, that the youth who are disenchanted with rules and politics roam the streets, fighting each other and joining gangs. You get a glimpse at a world that’s very interesting; just enough to get you worried when the climax of the film threatens it all.

If you’re a big fan of animation and you want to break the stereotype that every animated film is for kids, this would be an excellent choice to show to the uninitiated. If you’re not a fan of animation and you want to jump into the format, this is a great spot to go; no silly sequences where a character screams, but only his mouth moves or backgrounds are replaced with streaming lines here. There are some shocking moments of violence and some frightening sequences (mostly Tetsuo’s hallucinations as he develops psychic powers) that are the stuff of nightmares. The story is complex, but not difficult to follow (kind of a must for a film that is subtitled and moves quickly) and the characters are well developed, with some nice subtle moments to them. It’s all set to a fantastic score that’s memorable and haunting, cleverly using vocals (but not necessarily words) and to me, what sounded like an extensive selection of wooden xylophones to generate a primal, haunting melody that hinted at the action that was incoming.

It all wraps itself up into an unforgettable climax and the film is filled with iconic moments that once you see, you will recognize in countless other films and stories. The film nevertheless stays fresh and stimulating throughout despite inspiring countless other filmmakers. I’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who I wouldn’t recommend “Akira” to and if you can see it on the big screen, it’s an engulfing experience you won’t easily forget. Even you, that guy that doesn’t really think of himself or herself as a person that likes animation, you have got to see this film. I can’t believe it took me this long to finally get around to watching it. It actually makes me angry that someone didn’t introduce it to me earlier! You absolutely must get around to watching “Akira”. (Original Japanese version with subtitles on the big screen, January 31, 2014)