Do Watch: 'Akira'

      I originally found Akira a few years ago, back when I first started watching anime. I skipped over it. Back then it was all about the new, the crisp, the clean. At first glance, Akira was none of those. Made in 1988, it certainly wasn't new, and the animation wasn't as clean and crisp as most of the shows I was watching at the time. Akira was made with traditional "cel animation", unlike modern digital animation. At first, I only gave it a glance. I had no idea how foolish that was...

     After hearing that some company here in America (make that Warner Bros.) had secured the rights to make a live-action version, I decided I had better watch the original so I can know how badly they mess it up when it comes out. It's a fact: we Americans ruin everything we touch when we try to make it our own (at least that's my opinion on things). So, I watched Akira.

PWNZORD in 3... 2... 1...

       Then, I watched it again. And again. Akira is one of those movies that makes you feel as though you missed something important the first time through. Even after watching it multiple times, I still feel like I'm missing something, and every time I watch it I notice something new. Fortunately, Akira isn't a movie that I get tired of watching over and over again. It's fast becoming one of my favorite movies. Because I only glanced at it before I wasn't able to realize how intelligent the story is, how fast and awesome the action is, and how smooth and detailed the animation is. Despite being drawn traditionally on "cels", it is surprisingly better than even the most modern anime.

Yeah, I hate it when that happens too.

      Most anime is notorious for cutting corners and limiting motion in any given scene, such as having only a character's mouth move while their faces remained stationary. It's easy to tell when this is done in modern anime. However, I can't recall a time when I noticed this in Akira (I'm sure it's there but they either hide it well, use that technique very rarely, or perhaps I'm not very perceptive). The animation is fluid, exceptionally so for a movie made in 1988. While watching it in Japanese, I noticed that the mouth movements were incredibly accurate. Most of the time you'd be lucky to have the mouth move at the same time the dialogue is played, let alone having it look like the character is saying the actual words. I was thoroughly impressed.

Dragonball Z 101: If you want to win a battle, yell louder than your enemy.

      I'm also a big fan of the cyber-punk, post-apocalyptic style of Akira. In the year 1989, an apocalyptic event destroys Tokyo, and sparks a world war. Thirty-one years pass (making it 2019), and "Neo Tokyo" is caught in a period of strife due to a corrupt government and the terrorists trying to oust them from office. Half of the city is new, a shining example of the post-war reconstruction, while the other half is a decaying remnant of the city's former greatness.

Occupy Neo-Tokyo...

      It seems a bit like Star Wars: the technology is obviously advanced, yet old and deteriorating. Fueled by this dystopian society, biker gangs roam the streets of both the "new" and the "old" city, wreaking havoc on the innocent populace. Kaneda is the leader of such a gang, known as the "Capsules", and his bike in particular is something else...

Hello, beautiful...

      Akira is the story of Kaneda and Tetsuo, and the strength of their friendship. Kaneda is constantly coming to Tetsuo's rescue, and Tetsuo is sick of it. Their friendship is strained as Tetsuo gains power and rejects Kaneda's help. Kaneda feels that Tetsuo is his responsibility, and takes it upon himself to stop him. I'm not going to spoil how he does it though, because that would ruin half the ending (which is pretty epic if you ask me).

Ha! Wouldn't it be terrible if this is how Kaneda killed Tetsuo? How do you know it isn't? Go watch it!

      There is a major theme throughout the entire movie: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely". Tetsuo is a textbook example of 'the victim'; always having been on the receiving end of pain and torment. When Tetsuo finally gains power, it consumes him. He's never had such power before, and it feels good to force others to bend to his will. Nothing can stop him... Not even himself. When he finally realizes the consequences of using this supreme power it's already too late. It's a sad ending, but it forces us to realize that our actions can sometimes have outcomes like that.

This is not exactly what I expected for Christmas...

      Akira is rated 'R' for language, blood, gore, disturbing images, violence, and a scene of brief nudity. This in and of itself is rather strange: a cartoon rated 'R' for almost everything in the book. However, it is a fantastic movie. Akira is considered to be a landmark in Japanese animation, combining several "firsts" to create a revolutionary animated movie. I definitely recommend it if you like anime; and even if you don't, you might want to check it out. Who knows, maybe you'll like it...

Kaneda approves...