1988 ‘アキラ’ Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo
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 Yoshimasa Mizuo James Yosuke Kobayashi Sawako Noma Ryôhei Suzuki
Bandai Visual TMS Entertainment Akira Committee Company Ltd. Kodansha Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) Sumitomo Corporation Toho Company, Ltd. Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) Studio Fuga Studio Aoi
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.
Taking my 14 year old brother to see this for the first time tonight on the big screen. I saw it when I was his age and it was the movie that made me go from a Pokémon/Digimon/DBZ fan to a diehard anime nerd. Hoping it has the same eye opening effect on him. Even if it doesn’t, at least I get to see it an a theater.
I will never not be amazed that this movie exists. There is a very rare quality to the animation work here — you never forget it’s hand drawn, yet it’s always alive.
Influential anime film turns 30 this year. Motorcycle scenes through Neo-Tokyo never fail to impress.
explosions, great animation and amazing designs
and below that kinda messy (but still way too fun) surface, a story about the corruptive nature of power
9/10
Holy crap. This is the type of film I live for: compelling characters, great action, an insane story, and beautiful visuals. I don't have much to say cause it absolutely blew me away. And I loved that gut spillage hallucination.
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