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film, but the extended running time is needed to faithfully encompass the magna and its story from start to finish.
It is the year 2019, 30 years after the first AKIRA project led to the destruction of Tokyo and the start of World War III. The original AKIRA project was a secret experiment to develop a new form of human evolution through the manipulation of the abilities and powers of psychically gifted children. The military hoped to use the children as living weapons, while the scientists had hoped to develop a new genetically superior human being.
But both the military and scientists involved in the project learned too late that the power they were seeking could not be controlled. Akira, one of the children involved in the experiment, developed into a force so great, the he literally destroyed everything about him through a terrifying burst of psychic energy, setting off a nuclear-like explosion which led to the world war.
Now, 30 years later, the military and scientific communities decide to revive the AKIRA project, deluded by narrow-mindedness into thinking they could control a power their predecessors could not.
While each character has a level of importance to weaving the story together into its final outcome, the main characters are the doomed teenage delinquent Tetsuo and his one-time mentor, the equally delinquent
Kaneda. Tetsuo is part of the biker gang led by Kaneda. The small-framed Tetsuo is taken lightly by Kaneda and the other members of the bike group. Diminutive and weak, he hasn’t proven himself as an equal, in the mind of
Kaneda.
In an effort to improve his status in the gang, Tetsuo races ahead of Kaneda and the others while chasing one of the members of their rival biker gang, the clowns. He winds up accidentally crashing into a psychic child escapee, Takashi, from the scientific lab reinvestigating the AKIRA project.
Tetsuo is then taken by the military, led by the Colonel, to the lab for analysis himself. At the lab, it is discovered that the contact Tetsuo had with Takashi, also known as number 26, has unleashed psychic powers in Tetsuo that had previously been seen in only in Akira himself, number 28.
The effects of the psychic force’s release, however, are too much for Tetsuo to handle, who slowly goes mad as his powers increase. Unable to tolerate his imprisonment and be experimented on, Tetsuo flees the lab.
The Colonel, who recently imposed a military takeover of the government after an unsuccessful attempt to strip him of his authority, pursues Tetsuo. The Colonel intends to use Tetsuo to increase his martial rule.
Meanwhile, a separate faction, of which the agent Kay is part of, is trying to sabotage the AKIRA project to prevent a repeat of the destruction of 30 years ago. Kaneda becomes involved with Kay in his search for his lost friend Tetsuo.
With the Colonel and Kay waiting in the wings, everything leads to a final showdown between Tetsuo and
Kaneda. Tetsuo now sees Kaneda as an enemy, jealous of his new abilities.
Fighting against Kaneda with some interference from the Colonel and the military, Akira’s power is again unleashed, this time through Tetsuo, leaving another devastated Tokyo in its wake.
Using elements of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein interwoven with a clear criticism of a militaristic approach to government jurisdiction, the story follows the violent and bloody path of destruction created by those foolhardy enough to again try and control an uncontrollable force. And bloody is a perfect description for Akira. Gory scenes featuring human implosions and explosions and bullet-riddled bodies spewing blood are throughout the movie, so this is not a film for the faint of heart.
There is a saying that aptly fits the message purveyed by Akira: Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. (How else can you explain another George Bush in the White House?).
Artistically, the animation and sound in Akira is unparalleled. It is the attention to detail that makes the animation and sounds come alive so dramatically.
When Kaneda is riding on his treasured bike, the trail left by the taillights is amazing. In a glass-enclosed elevator, you can see the Colonel’s reflection in the glass as it slowly descends. The crackling of electricity from a broken overhead light in a back alley leading to the biker’s favorite bar hangout is eerily authentic. And the thumping of the Colonel’s helicopter landing at the scene of Tetsuo’s accident will resonate in your chest.
Ultra-realistic and fluid animation and convincing sound come together to send you on an unforgettable adventure like few other anime films have taken you.
The only disappointing aspect of the film is the voice acting, which ranges from the serviceable (The Colonel) to the barely-average
(Kaneda) to the downright bizarre (one of the girls in Kaneda’s group sounds a lot like an exaggerated Rosie O’Donnell).
Despite weak voice acting and a sometimes too-complex story line, Akira is overall a great movie. What clearly makes Akira stand out as a great anime film accomplishment is the incorporation of a strong story and superbly detailed animation and sound. 13 years after its release, Akira still can continue to identify itself as a classic of Japanese anime.
Anime became an even more respected media with the release of Akira. Without this movie, we may never have been treated to superior anime such as Ghost In The Shell (1995) that has followed in the years since.
I was lucky enough to see this film in an art-house theater in Philadelphia, circa 1989. If you think Akira is wonderful on your VCR, imagine how exhilarating it is on a movie screen. There is talk that Akira may again see a limited theatrical release. If it does get re-released, do yourself a favor and catch this one on the big screen if it comes to your town. You won’t regret it.
- Lee Cieniawa
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