Review - Akira (1988)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, this is one review that has definitely been several years in the making. Akira, released in 1988, was directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, and has been hailed as one of the all-time greatest anime film of all time. 

       The movie starts off in 1988, with a massive explosion that destroys most Tokyo, which leads to World War III. Jump ahead to a dystopian 2019 in the city of Neo-Tokyo, and we see a city dealing with government corruption, mass protests, terrorism, and gang violence. It's here where we meet Shōtarō Kaneda, who leads a biker gang called The Capsules. Alongside Kaneda in the Capsules is his best friend Tetsuo Shima, who, while the Capsules are racing against the rival Clown gang, nearly crashes his bike into Takashi, an esper who escaped from a government facility. With help from another esper, Masaru, Colonel Shikishima of the Japan Self-Defense Forces recaptures Takashi, has Tetsuo hospitalized, and the Capsules placed under arrest. 

       In the hospital, tests reveal that Tetsuo has identical psychic powers to Akira, an esper responsible for the destruction of Tokyo in 1988. The scientist who discovered this, Doctor Ōnishi, presents this finding to Shikishima, who is also warned by the esper Kiyoko of Neo-Tokyo's impending destruction, which goes largely dismissed by the city's parliament. This leads Shikishima to come to one conclusion: kill Tetsuo and prevent another cataclysm. Meanwhile, Kaneda and the Capsules meet Kei, a resistance activist, who helps get them out of custody by tricking the authorities into releasing her with the Capsules. Tetsuo, meanwhile, escapes the hospital, steals Kaneda's bike, and attempts to flee Neo-Tokyo along with his girlfriend Kaori, but the two are ambushed by the Clowns. Luckily, Kaneda and the Capsules save the couple, but Tetsuo suffers intense headaches and hallucinations and is sent back to the hospital. 

        Kaneda, after overhearing a plan to rescue Tetsuo, joins the ranks of the resistance, and does his part in saving his friend. However, Tetsuo's powers are growing at a dangerous rate,.and the espers attempt to psychically kill him, to no avail. Enraged, Tetsuo cuts through orderlies and hospital staff to get to the espers for their actions, and they tell him of a chance to save his life: Akira, whose remains are buried beneath the Olympic Stadium's construction site. Unable to go with Kaneda, and still fighting off Shikishima and his men, Tetsuo goes on a psychic rampage through the streets of Neo-Tokyo, where a bunch of cultists see him as the second coming of Akira. Also, Tetsuo winds up killing Yamagata for refusing to hand over Kaneda's bike, and Kai informs Kaneda of this, which forces him to need to avenge Yamagata's death by killing Tetsuo. 

         All the while, Shikishima stages a coup d'état against the government of Neo-Tokyo, and directs the military forces against Tetsuo, and Tetsuo easily tears through them all. The espers use Kei as a medium to try and stop Tetsuo, but it doesn't work and Tetsuo beats her. Kaneda fends off Tetsuo with a laser rifle, and Shikishima attempts to use an orbital laser on Tetsuo. While the latter is able to blow off Tetsuo's arm, neither are fully able to stop his rampage, which ends with him finding Akira's remains in jars for scientific research. Both Shikishima and Kaori approach the stadium, where Tetsuo, now equipped with a robotic arm, is in a lot of pain, and is still losing control of his powers. Every attempt to help Tetsuo fails, and he erupts into a mass of flesh, enveloping both Kaori and Shikishima. Kaneda arrives in an effort to fight Tetsuo, but to little avail. 

        Using their powers, the espers revive Akira to stop Tetsuo, and Akira releases a singularity that takes Kaneda and Tetsuo into another dimension, while the espers send Shikishima to a safe location while the singularity destroys Neo-Tokyo. The espers agree to save Tetsuo, but do so knowing they won't be returning. After witnessing the memories of Tetsuo, including their childhood together and the psychic training the espers went through before Tokyo was destroyed, Kaneda is returned to Neo-Tokyo, and is told that Akira will take Tetsuo someplace safe, and Kei is developing psychic powers of her own. Mourning the loss of his friend, Kaneda rides off with Kei and Kai, while Shikishima watches the sunrise. Elsewhere, Tetsuo creates a new universe, showing how he's transcended the limits of human limitations. 

       Akira is one of those movies that many consider one of the greatest films in all of animation. The visual imagery, breathtaking scope, and visceral storytelling is a large part of what transcends the film beyond just being one of the greatest anime films ever made, but one of the greatest animated films ever made period. Also, in an age where the CAPS system was starting to be integrated into Western feature animation, to see a film of Akira's nature being crafted entirely by hand with no computer assistance is pretty amazing.

       One thing that is notable about the English translation of Akira is that its initial 1989 English dub by Streamline was notoriously bad, while the film's 2001 dub by Animaze, which featured Johnny Young Bosch as Kaneda and Joshua Seth as Tetsuo, was far better. Now, as far as the two dubs go, I highly recommend the 2001 Animaze dub over the Streamline dub, but you can watch the film in the original Japanese with English subtitles of you choose. Either way is perfectly fine. 

        Now, on the surface, Akira appears to be a cyberpunk film centered on biker gangs and kids with psychic powers. But, there is a much deeper element to the film that deals with militarism, government corruption, and such that really creates a far more visceral movie experience. 

        Overall, Akira is a feat of animation that, no matter which part of the world you're in, simply needs to be seen at least once. However, something to note is that, despite it being animated, this movie is intended mainly for an adult audience. I'm giving Akira a rating of 5/5. Now, another notorious note about Akira has been the infamous struggle by American filmmakers to adapt the film into a live-action project. But, as cool as it would look, I don't think that live-action film can capture the sheer visual marvel of the original anime film. So, as much as I would be willing to see a live-action version, I think I'll stick with the original anime version of Akira. 

       Alright guys, This is Chuck signing off, and I'll be back next time to discuss the latest batch of episodes for That '90s Show.