Review of Akira

It looks pretty; that's for sure. Not the expanding mass of human organs: that was pretty gross. But, Akira's reputation as a technical marvel is well-earned. Fluidly-animated action takes place in detailed, Blade Runner-esque cityscapes and ominous military interiors. Everything from the futuristic motorcycles to the giant, sweating teddy bears creates a vision of the future that is captivating, haunting, and surreal. The iconic animation of Kaneda shouting "TETSUO!" consists of 131,354 cels. This marvelous display of excellence in animation goes on for about two hours. It was adapted from a manga series of six phone books. While watching the film, a particular thought flashedthrough my brain several times: "man, I bet that got a ton of development in the manga." The movie introduces this expansive world with its own tense political atmosphere, but I never knew what those protestors were protesting. I didn't know what that crooked politician was up to. Most of the character development goes to Tetsuo, the angsty psychic boy, while Kaneda never truly feels like that iconic hero he is supposed to be. And Kei: am I supposed to care who she is? The whole plot of the movie feels rushed and lacking that narrative detail I assume was in the phone books.

Should you watch Akira? Sure. Fans of animation will want to see all that hand-drawn, cyberpunk glory, and once again, it does look impressive. But, I don't think the story earns the word "iconic."