Film Review: Akira

As with anybody else exploring Japanese animation for the first time, Akira was one of the first titles that I ran across, for it represents one of the most popular, most innovative, and most explosive experiences committed to the medium.  For at least one generation, the film served as a major gateway drug to the larger world of anime, with promises of pulpy and unbridled violence that normal American animation would never dare divulge in (and the cult of Akira thrived well on video tape bootlegs, before the advent of optical media).  If you are looking for animation with such elements as killer biker gangs, military takeovers, out-of-control psychic warfare, and mass destruction galore, then there's no better place to start than with Akira.

The film begins and ends with a bang...literally.  Set in the scuzzy streets of NeoTokyo, some 30 years after a cataclysmic explosion that heralded the coming of World War III, the film immediately kicks off with a thrilling biker gang chase.  When one of the gang members is captured by the military and experimented on, unlocking latent psychic powers. all hell continues to break loose.  Tetsuo's psychic rampage leaves nothing but awe in its wake, as he stops tanks shells and laser beams in the air, destroys entire city blocks, and sends vehicles careening out of control.  It all builds up to a huge showdown in the stadium, where evolution suddenly goes into overdrive, and the fate of the world is suddenly at stake.

The film is fast and densely-packed with loads of well-staged action setpieces.  Even when things aren't blowing up, the visuals are superbly-drawn, and often serve to express more to the story.  However, even I'll admit that the experience hasn't always been that endearing.  The film felt convoluted and stiff at first glance, but through repeat viewings (and after reading the original manga), I grew to connect much deeper to the story and characters.

When comparing the story to its source material, there is some missed potential; the Akira manga is a huge saga with numerous subplots and characters that would require more movies (or maybe an anime series) to fully cover.  Katsuhiro Otomo, however, takes his own story and completely remixes it for the film, paring down the whole story and cutting out whole characters to make it all fit in a two-hour time frame.  Even though the full story of Akira would be grand to see on the big screen, this film proves that less is more.  The movie is entirely set in NeoTokyo, and it methodically reveals all the characters and ideas it needs to to make sense.  I believe it actually handles all of this much better than the manga did, where characters seemed to bump into each other at random and then go on the run; in the movie, the characters receive a more pronounced introduction and are gradually tied into the various plots involving military coups, secret experiments, and all-out destruction.  The film squeezes in as much characterization as it can; more screen time for everybody would be welcome, but there's just enough to them to make them easy to understand.  The plot seems dense with all the different characters and concepts it has to juggle, but the film strings it all together aptly to make all the twists and themes feel natural.  Themes of power - the best and worst of it - resonates throughout the entire picture.

Made with a larger-than-average budget, the film boasts spectacular animation quality.  Every scene is laden with rich, highly-detailed, and brilliantly-colored artwork.  Action moves very smoothly.  Even character movements and lip flapping is very well-done (unlike other anime films, Akira is pre-scored, with dialogue recorded before the animation, allowing them to animate mouth movements to match the voices).  A few computer effects are used in the film, and generally match up with the film well.  Designs for all the settings, characters, costumes, vehicles, and things are really cool.  Voice acting can be a hit or a miss, depending on what version you see.  The Japanese dubbing is decent.  There are two different American dubs available, and they're both cheesy and over-the-top in their own right.  Writing is pretty well-balanced; exposition is used to condense some parts of the plot and make it more accessible to audiences, but it doesn't sacrifice much, and most lines are punchy and good.  Sound design is pretty cool.  The music score contains some of the weirdest music I've ever heard, but it's strangely fitting, and perhaps a little catchy.

Even though it seemed odd at first, I've grown to love Akira and its dystopian world of warring bikers and psychics.  Its style and levels of superpowered action inspired more films and shows in the medium, and it would inspire me (and others like me) to explore more of the exciting world of anime.  Even on its own merits, it has always been a thrilling, edgy, and inspiring experience unlike any other.  If you're open to watching this type of animation, it's recommended watching at least once for mature audiences.

5/5 (Entertainment:  Perfect | Story:  Good | Film:  Perfect)