1988 ‘アキラ’ Directed by Katsuhiro Ōtomo
Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda are pulled into the post-apocalyptic underworld of Neo-Tokyo and forced to fight for their very survival. Kaneda is a bike gang leader, and Tetsuo is a member of a tough motorcycle crew who becomes involved in a covert government project called Akira. But a bloody battle ensues when Kaneda sets out to save his friend.
Haruyo Kanesaku Shunzo Kato Yutaka Maseba Hiroe Tsukamoto James Yosuke Kobayashi Sawako Noma Yoshimasa Mizuo Ryôhei Suzuki
Bandai Visual Company Toho Company Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) Kodansha Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) TMS Entertainment Akira Committee Company Ltd. Sumitomo Corporation
Man, I watched this film so many times when I was younger.
In fact, you could say I watched A Keira Knightley.......
I'm sorry.
Thirteenth watch of Japanese July. A brief synopsis of Akira. It's 1988 and Tokio is destroyed. It’s 2019 and Neo-Tokyo is awesome. Kaneda yells: “Tetsuo!” Tetsuo yells: “Kaneda!” *Explosion* Tetsuo yells: “Kaneda!!” Kaneda yells: “Tetsuo!!” Some more beautiful animation. *Explosion* Kaneda yells: “Tetsuo!!!” Tetsuo yells: “Kaneda!!!” MIND BATTLE. Bodily mutations, so many bodily mutations. “Kaneda…” “Tetsuo!” *EXPLOSIONS* “Tetsuooooooooooooo!” MIND BATTLE. More stellar animation, yet another explosion, another mind battle and some more explosions. “Kanedaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
94/100
An aggressive tour de force of influential animation, tangible world-building, inferiority complexes, biker gangs, giant teddy bears, and overwhelming sequences of violence. It stays burrowed in your psyche, ruining a certain, seemingly simple nerve and, in the blink of an eye, shifting perspective and rendering previous knowledge meaningless. Strangely enough, this is only the second time I've seen Akira, with the first being my "initiation" (age 11) via a dubbed VHS copy, but I can't imagine spending more than a year away from this film ever again. It's a horrifyingly grandiose tragedy piece, melding flesh and metal, revolutions and minuscule angst, mind and body, rubber and pavement into a Nuclear aftermath of neon and rubble. In spite of its countless influences (Metropolis, 2001, A Clockwork Orange to name a few), there's nothing quite like it.
Neo-Tokyo. A giant-ass explosion. A crotch-rocket battle with the Insane Clown Posse. Suicide by cop. Ryu without Ken. Weird looking kids with cool powers. Student riots. Fuck is fuck in any language. Super-powers that make Carrie look like a Telekinesis Smurf. Oh Kaneda. Anime boobs. A barkeep's last pour. A determined general. Blowing a lot of shit up. Showdown at the Olympic Stadium with your best friend. A huge fuckin teddy bear. Attack of the giant arm. Becoming something you sure as fuck never dreamed of. A wild-ass visual adventure that is a must see for anyone who is Anime-curious.
"The future is not a straight line. It is filled with many crossroads. There must be a future that we can choose for ourselves."
Akira is one of the most important Japanese animated films of all time, and not simply because of the technical landmark it achieved in hand-drawn animation. It is an attempt to speak about one of the most unspeakable tragedies in human history, and to deal with the nature of atomic power and with historical change as such. The narrative begins with an image of a massive explosion devastating the city of Tokyo, but while the location is different and a title card claims that this is the beginning of World War III, there's no mistaking the…
probably the most galvanic and visceral example of a nation's collective psychic fallout since Honda's GODZILLA. simultaneously dreading and anticipating a return to power.
Very bizarre and weird but very beautifully animated. The story is deep and just told so well. This movie is so trippy and i’m worried a Live-Action US adaptation won’t live up to this film. Great watch though.
If the whole film was them cruising around those beautiful cityscapes, that would have been fine too.
Amazing action film. Has beautiful animation and a great storyline, the film also asks a lot of deep questions about power and responsibilities.
Like Blade Runner, it's a very influential sci-fi film that I would recognize its value of but can't enjoy at all. My rating 6.4/10.
A turning point in Japanese anime. It influenced a lot of Hollywood sci-fi films, although Blade Runner was there first.
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