Review of Akira

Akira is a mess and, based on the individual ratings I gave, should score closer to a 7 than a 'perfect' 10. So if you want a proper rating based on the separate elements of the movie, there you go. However the score of 10 comes bundled with a certain word on this site. Masterpiece. No matter how biased and subjective this may be, I cannot consider this legendary film anything other than a masterpiece. The story of Akira is a significantly abridged version of Katsuhiro Otomo's original 6 volume manga. It basically cuts the middle 4 and, as a result, there are elements ofthe story that feel rushed, confusing, and disjointed, especially regarding the resistance force and their ties to the government. To this day I have no idea what happened between Mr Nezu and Ryu during the military uprising, and I've watched the damn thing over 8 times. This lack of development also extends to the characters, again mainly those of the resistance. Even though the movie barely focuses on character development, something I'm perfectly fine with, it still manages to produce a few interesting and memorable characters. The same can't be said for Kei and Ryu, who do nothing and have nothing to be remembered by.

Colonel Shikishima stands out particularly as a no-nonsense military man who represents the only bit of morality and hope left in the corrupt inner-workings of Neo-Tokyo. Eventually he decides to take control of the city himself with one of my favourite scenes in the movie. Speaking of the city, I absolutely adore the fully-realised setting of Neo-Tokyo. It becomes a character itself through fully fleshing out all the different people that inhabit it and their actions, painting a vivid picture of a landscape tearing itself apart. We are introduced to corrupt politicians, biker gangs, student protesters, resistance fighters, riot police, and secret government test subjects all within the first half of the film. Coupled with the fantastically rich and expansive colour pallet utilised in Akira, Neo-Tokyo is able to be fully realised in all its self-destructive glory.

Speaking of destruction, the themes of Akira are next on the list of things it does flawlessly. Ideas of destruction and decay are embedded into the core of the film. The very first thing we see is a massive explosion and this theme continues with random acts of violence dotted throughout the film. I believe it’s incredibly strong visual direction is one of the two aspects that elevate Akira to masterpiece level. Its themes are able to tie together and connect everything in the film, from the violence on the streets to the self-destructive nature of the city and its society, all the way to the large-scale cataclysms that both begin and end the film.

The second more obvious aspect is the animation. What can I say? You can see it for yourself. It’s better than most anime released today and it was entirely hand drawn, made on the biggest anime budget at the time. Nothing comes close to how consistently fluid and expressive the animation is, from the stunning action scenes down to the mouth movements. Combined with the neon colours and unique art style, nothing even comes close to looking quite like Akira.

The more divisive part of Akira from what I've seen tends to revolve around the two main characters, Tetsuo and Kaneda. No matter how much of an idiot he is, I just cannot help immensely liking Kaneda. I suppose it’s because he shows a more human and caring side for all his friends, especially Tetsuo, in the face of all the destruction around him. Now Tetsuo may not have the charm of Kaneda, but I can understand the reasons for why he does what he does. The lack of significant development extends to these two as well, and I can see how people would dislike these characters if Kaneda fails to charm you and Tetsuo's actions seem too extreme for relatively insignificant reasons.

Akira is unique in the sense that the majority of the movie is an awe-inspiring spectacle of stunning animation and senseless violence. If you can handle the blood, the film seems to want you to stop thinking too hard and simply marvel at its achievements. However, the overarching plot and ideas that become more prevalent as the movie goes into its second half seem to want you to stop experiencing and start thinking. The ambiguous concepts and especially the nature of plot elements such as that of Akira himself, the psychic powers, the role of technology, and the ending of the film all push you to ponder over its true message, in a similar way to The End of Evangelion. Although unlike EoE, the rest of Akira is a technical marvel that also caters to those who are more interested in losing themselves in the non-stop thrill ride.

Going back to the listed categories, I really enjoyed the soundtrack to Akira. The tracks featured a unique style of synth music mixed with booming effects and haunting voices that fit perfectly into the neon-soaked world. Kaneda's Theme will always be memorable, and the way it was slowly built up in the background before being let loose alongside Kaneda's gang as they sped out of the alley for the first time made me break out into goose bumps when I initially watched it. Of the two dubs released I prefer Johnny Yong Bosch as Kaneda, who gave the character his signature charm for me. The first dub made these bikers call each other 'sport', which never felt right considering they would be blowing up cars a few moments later. However, sound is the most subjective part of any review, and as such this is all just personal preference. If you didn't find the soundtrack memorable, then there's not much anyone can do about that.

Now you may dislike Akira's characters, its plot, its music, its ambiguity, and its violence. You may find its themes and deeper meanings distracting and overbearing from the spectacle it tried to be in the beginning. Likewise, you may find the senseless violence and messy plot have only succeeded in providing a failed attempt at meaningful ideas and themes. Subjectively, you can hate this film and everything it stands for. Subjectively, you can love diving into the possible inspirations behind the story and what it's trying to say about society. Objectively, you cannot deny what Akira has done and achieved. It has pushed the limits of animation, art, and colour beyond anything that could be imagined at the time and even could be imagined now. Its themes of corruption, technology, and destruction are eternal and will be forever relevant far into the future. Its impact reached around the globe, bringing your favourite medium to the attention of the world and creating legions of fans in places where this foreign thing simply didn't exist. It broke down the barriers of what animation could do and proved to the masses that animation is definitely not just for kids. No matter what you think of it in a vacuum, there is no denying that Akira is incredibly important and technically groundbreaking. Simply put, a masterpiece.