Review of Akira
What is the most famous anime of all time for casual viewers that aren't really huge otaku? If Akira isn't number 1, it is certainly in the top 3. When Akira was first released in the US, it quickly became a cult classic and a "movie that everyone has to see". I went to China and bought (for 1$ each) a massive criterion collection of classic films like Bicycle Thieves, La Dolce Vita, The 400 Blows, Ikiru, etc. Guess what came in that collection? fucking Akira! What is it that makes this film SO good? I will attempt to answer this in a few paragraphs. Warning:review contains spoilers! Skip the plot section if you haven't seen Akira. Seriously though, how have you not seen Akira?
Plot: 8/10
One thing that needs to be said about the plot is that a LOT is left out from the original manga. That means that much of the background info about the world of Akira is never answered in the movie and you will probably be left with many questions. The main plot is that a bike gang in post WW3 Japan are engaged in a turf war with another bike gang called the Clowns. Our bike gang is led by the charismatic and likeable Kaneda. The runt of the gang is a frustrated, psychological mess named Tetsuo. Tetsuo is always getting picked on and wishes for great power so that he could experience being on top and pushing other people around. After a motorcycle crash caused by a bizzare smurf creature running into the road, the government experiments on Tetsuo and gives him super psychic powers to try turn him into a government controlled psychic weapon. All the smurf creatures are actually children that were transformed by the Japanese government. Tetsuo predictably uses his powers to wreak havoc and be a massive dick. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Tetsuo was an evil little shit to begin with! The psychic counsil of smurfs decide to tell Tetsuo about a former powerful psychic named Akira, even though they say they don't want him to find Akira. Tetsuo obviously starts immediately searching for Akira. Kaneda and some chick named Kay now need to stop Tetsuo's rampage, but this is easier said than done. In the end, Tetsuo is only defeated after the Smurfs resurrect Akira, who summons a black hole that seems to wipe out Tetsuo and most of the city, besides Kaneda and Kay for some reason. The film ends in the style of Kubrick's 2001 with a mind bending WTF sequence and heavily hinting that Tetsuo has become a Godlike being in another universe. I feel sorry for that universe!
Characters: 8/10
The main characters are the fairly righteous and honorable gangster Kaneda and the weak, frustrated Tetsuo who becomes increasingly insane and corrupted by power. It is interesting that many of history's most horrible dictators were once abused children that felt powerless and angry just like Tetsuo. This makes Tetsuo a fairly realistic villian and far better than the average 80s anime villian that was simply evil because...why not? Now why the government was so stupid that they gave someone obviously evil and mentally unstable Godlike psychic powers is anyone's guess. Akira does have more than a few plotholes, especially since it is a VERY condensed adaptation of the original manga.
Sound: 5/10
The soundtrack is certainly...unique. I really didn't like it though. It is very hit and miss avant garde style of music.
Art: 10/10
When this first came out, it was one of the most incredible looking animated films the world had ever seen! Even today in 2014 it looks visually stunning. The number of colors, the animation, the character models. Everything is absolutely spectacular. The amazing and often surreal visuals are the highlight of Akira. If it was just a novel with no visuals, the story and characters are fine, but not good enough to give it such long lasting cult appeal. It is the visuals and imagery that steal the show and make Akira such a classic of anime and film in general! Akira looks so fucking cool my crazy Russian ex-girlfriend bought a motorcycle and got a motorcycle license immediately after watching Akira. Driving around on a motorcycle weilding a metal pipe makes you look like a badass!
Overall: 8/10
There has been talk for 20 years of a live action American remake of Akira. Eventually we did get Chronicle, which is extremely based off Akira and has the Tetsuo/Kaneda relation between the 2 main characters. The runt of the gang gets corrupted by his new powers and goes on a killing rampage in the same style as Tetsuo. When the Tetsuo character is wandering around killing people in a hospital gown with the exact same camera shots as the original Tetsuo's hospital rampage, it is pretty hard to miss. Hell, when the Kaneda character screams ANNDREEWWW as a blatant homage to the original infamous scene, everyone in my entire theater started screaming TEETTTSSSUUOOOOOOO! Despite the relative success of Chronicle, no "official" adaptation is likely any time soon. Honestly I don't think a live action film can capture the surreal visuals of the original that made it so special. Chronicle already did a great job remaking the plot and characters, but those weren't what made Akira truly great. Like I mentioned, the plot and characters are good, but it was those trippy visuals that took Akira from simply good to legendary!