Akira

In my pocket review that I wrote for Akira nearly eight years ago now, I called it "the ultimate cyberpunk anime." What is ultimately astounding is that the title is still very worthy even today. Certainly, there have been many entries since--from Ghost in the Shell, which I found essentially toothless in comparison, to Lain, a worthy but altogether different take on the genre. However, nothing has compared to Akira in terms of how much scope, depth, action, and sheer insanity can be packed into 2 hours and 5 minutes. No doubt that other shows have covered similar topics, but ultimately, Akira is a masterpiece in that it condenses a huge epic manga into a very short time frame while still being accessible to newcomers. Granted, those newcomers may feel things are a bit muddled, but ultimately that pulls the viewer back in, because by the end the viewer wants to understand the mystery known as Akira. It's this mystery, compounded by a rather lousy dub job that toured the US and over twelve years of speculation and backlash, that has made Akira into a misunderstood classic of anime.

(Warning: to discuss this film completely, there are a few mild spoilers here. Proceed at your own risk.)

On the surface, Akira is about a few young punks who get into a situation out of their control. Kaneda is the ringleader of the Capsule gang who keeps an eye out on the volatile, younger Tetsuo. Tetsuo desperately wants to be accepted, and in a motorcycle street clash with another gang, he nearly runs over a mysterious figure in the road. The bike explodes, Tetsuo is hauled off, and the kid disappears. Kaneda attempts to find out exactly what's happened to Tetsuo...and that's where the madness starts. For Tetsuo's latent psychic ability has been awakened, and everyone from government factions to religious groups want a piece of him, as they believe he is the key to the mysterious power known only as Akira. But Tetsuo is not about to let his newfound powers go to waste.

There has been a bit of backlash against Akira in recent years, ranging from comments about being incredibly violent (which it is) and indecipherable (which may be true for some) to it being inferior to other psychic stories in the anime canon (which I believe it is not.) I believe part of the backlash is due in part to Akira's nature--although there are similar anime out there, those who expect all anime to be the same as Akira are in for a disappointment, and may not stay interested in the genre. What's also true is that some misguided otaku see Akira as the film that opened the floodgates, that showed anime to able to pull a profit in the US and therefore led to its commercialization stateside. This is not a bad thing for most of us, but for those who preferred anime when it was an exclusive club limited to those with lots of money, laserdiscs, and ability to make fansubs, this spelled the beginning of the end. So let's take a look at each individual section of the film and spell out what makes it so deserving.

The first point, and possibly the easiest to discuss, is the animation. In terms of detail, color, style, and power, Akira's animation has virtually no equal. The opening sequence that immerses us in the "Blade Runner gone bad" setting is jaw dropping. From there, the movie continues to glide along with some of the most incredible animation put on the screen. Character designs in the movie are incredibly unique for anime--for once, someone could believe some of these kids might actually be Japanese--and they lend a flair and outlook that immediately sets Akira apart. Think what you want of everything else, but the movie looks virtually flawless.

The next point is the music. Why is music so important? Again, Akira goes a route completely separate from most anime. The themes present in the film are all captured in an expressive soundtrack that largely consists of music that sounds, well, Asian. With the abundance of JPop soundtracks that sound like their Western counterparts and BGMs that sound no different than an American movie, Akira stands out. What's also fabulous about the music of the film is that it ties in completely with the images on screen. One cannot help to listen to the soundtrack and picture characters they remember. Without the soundtrack, Akira would be a lesser movie.

Where it all lies, however, is in the plot, the pacing, and the elements that make or destroy a movie. Akira is complicated in many ways; its characters intersect in various ways at various times, but all of them have their own agendas, schemes, and power plays to hatch. Frankly, it's not unlike The X-Files in the way that characters are driven often by forces unseen, and it's just as confusing...nothing is spelled out, and nothing is going to make it clearer besides repeat viewings and possibly reading the manga. However, the ultimate strength of the film comes not from the crisscrossing paths of the power-hungry we trace during the show, but through the film's dedication to its protagonist and antagonist, Kaneda and Tetsuo. For at its heart, this film is about a boy who has been given nothing, who wants so badly to belong and yet never can overcome the shadow of his caretaker and friend. The bond between these two is strong, and the fact that the story between the two doesn't get lost is very important. Even if you don't understand the whole metaphysical side of the story, what's real here is the bonds of friendship that last even between two who must become enemies. Frankly, everything else is simply fantastic window dressing.

What's also important is that Katsuhiro Otomo, the film's director, has some points to make about society that go beyond what many consider to be the message of the film (that playing with powers humans don't understand can cost us in the long run, as evidenced by the nuclear-style explosions that bookends the story.) There is a second message here that is reflected much more strongly in Otomo's follow-up film, Roujin Z...a message about how we treat certain people with society. (And here's my major spoiler alert--if you haven't seen the movie, skip to the next paragraph.) During the course of the film, we find out that Akira and the other psychic children are actually quite old. However, instead of listening to them and trying to deal with them appropriately, those in control want to use them simply for their powers. One could very realistically argue that these children would actually be in power now had it not been for the experiments that left them forever young. Now, fast forward to the ending. Tetsuo finally loses control of all of his powers, and it's certain that his doom could also spell death for millions. It is only through Akira--the elder who has paved the way--that Tetsuo can actually be transported to the alternate universe where he can live and accept his destiny. Without Akira and the "old children", the world could have very well been lost. Roujin Z takes a pointed look at how society treats the elderly and makes a very good case that we ignore those who have gone before simply because they are old. Akira discusses many of the same issues, but in a veiled way. It's clear, however, that Otomo is worried that we are so concerned as a worldwide culture about discovering the future that we will lose the secrets the past and those who have gone before can teach us.

I can say without hesitation that Akira is the single anime I have watched the most. Although I wouldn't necessarily say it is my favorite anime of all time, it is one near the very top. No other film in anime is what Akira strives to be. If it fails because it is unclear in its paths or simply tries to compact too much into too little time, then it is possibly the best failure in all of film. However, I believe that what issues there are with the film are dwarfed by the immense power, intensity, and messages contained within. If you've never seen Akira, you must. You will never look at anime the same way again.

Akira -- language, brief nudity, EXTREME violence -- A