Akira

Without a doubt the necessary injection of Manga culture Western audiences needed. Personal objections (or should I say appraisals) aside, Akira deconstructs the form of narrative and character development that we had all become accustomed to through Hollywood and produces a reasonably honest translation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Manga epic, with mass deletions of unnecessary characters and plot avenues. The story is complex enough to keep western audiences attention, yet simple enough to digest whilst taking in the wonderfull animation and excellent soundtrack (a collection of traditional Japanese instruments and modern day synthesised electronica that allow for elements of cinema to establish themselves for the audience) The conflict between the two main characters, Tetsuo and Kaneda is ultimately superceded by the films namesake, the mystery of the boy Akira, and as with very few films Hollywood produces it leaves it's more labour intensive thinking until the end. A delight to follow, with periods of intense action and thought provoking predictions of a neo society, one would like to think of the film as the pipe dream of one who predicted such tragic events as of September 11. Akira, whilst violent for the medium, is a lush metropolis of gang warfare, a psuedo examination into the possible, and a fantasy tale of elements long lost in modern cinema. A cool, entertaining piece littered with cult visions and awesome bikes.

I remember the first time i watched this when i was 14, back then it didn't mean much to me i just watched it because of the violence. Growing up i cant count the number of times i have watched it but it seems as though every time i watched it i uncovered something new in the plot. On to the review then; There are two different dubs for this film in English, the initial one i watched on VHS is much better then the one on DVD. The voices match the characters and bring across emotions very well in the VHS dub. In the DVD dub the voices seem alien to the characters personalities, this may be due to the fact that I'm used to seeing the film with the old dub.

The animation is very fluid, definitely a revolution in animation. The vast range of colours used really bring the metropolis alive. The start of the film where Kaneda and the crew are riding through the city you get to witness all sorts of sub-environments of the city, from tight alley ways where you can almost sense the deprivation to the bustling streets bright from the flashing neon lights.

The characters grow on you the further in to the film you get, at the beginning you can sense friction between Kaneda and Tetsuo, however as the film progresses you understand the past between these two characters and come to terms with their feelings. The colonel is also a very interesting character who seems to represent a beacon of hope constantly attempting to avoid the inevitable catastrophe headed for neo-tokyo.

The storyline revolves around two central characters, Tetsuo and Akira. It is heavily emphasised towards revealing what the next evolution of man is and whether or not the evolution would be in the best interest of man.

Closing comments, Akira is a must watch for any anime fan who appreciates a thought provoking storyline and dense characters.

Also watch; Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell:Innocence and Perfect Blue

In 1988 Tokyo is destroyed in a nuclear style blast. 30 years later the city has been rebuilt but has become troubled by youth and biker gangs. An encounter with a powerful child leaves one of a gang, Tetsuo, injured and captured by the army. They find his mind has powers that can be developed – however the lessons of the mysterious Akira are still fresh in their minds and the army know they must control his development. Meanwhile Tetsuo's friend, Kaneda, fights corrupt politicians, a powerful military and the power of the opened human brain to get his friend back.

When I went to see this film at a big cinema chain that I won't name, it had been over 10 years since I'd last seen the movie and could remember very little of it. The screening was cancelled because the emergency lights couldn't be shut off (d'oh) but we were all offered free tickets for later. Coming back to it I hoped it would be worth the bother and, on the whole, it was. This type of film is usually all visual flair and some messed up plot about demons etc. Akira is almost that but rises about the average by being cleverer than that and by being one of the first of it's type.

The animation is excellent – breathtaking cityscapes and futuristic effects. The violence is graphic but is nothing compared to modern Japanese standards. It doesn't take away from the film and it all looks great. The use of sound (or rather silence) is also effective with powerful silences at key moments really adding to the film.

The plot goes a bit nuts at times and ends up with the body horror of many films of the genre. However at it's core it is looking at the idea of humans using their full brain power and possible next steps for evolution. That doesn't mean it doesn't drag at all and several bits do go on too long – the ending in particular never seems to reach a closing point! I felt it could easily have taken 20 minutes less and still done the same job.

The only problem I had with the version I saw was the hammy American voice work. It really made it feel clichéd. However overall the film looks good and has some great action. It may not be a classic film and the genre is a bit of an acquired taste but this is a solid film that (partly due to it's age) transcends many of the clichés the genre later acquired.

I only recently watched Akira (though I have heard a lot about it) and I must say I am impressed (so much that I bought the DVD). This is, beyond any doubt, one of the best animated films in existence. Visually impressive, solid direction, with a compelling story (if a little complicated), just the right amount of character development, good and very appropriate soundtrack and an extensively detailed New Tokyo, Akira manages to be as groundbreaking as it was when it was first released.

It's only drawback is that most people (including me) will probably have to watch it again (and again maybe) to completely understand the full story. Highly recommended (especially to anime fans). I give it 8 out of 10.

Oozing with metaphorical messages and warnings, as relevant today as when it was first released, this apocalyptic take on a future world takes place in 2019, some years after an Armageddon event in Tokyo. Often as confusing as hell, a little bit all over the place at times, if you manage to make it to the end you may need to pause for thought to consider what you have witnessed, which can only be a good thing with the shallowness in so much of what we're served up these days. Definitely worth a visit.