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Title

Akira

Review

Neo-Tokyo is about to EXPLODE! Welcome to the year 2012! The heroes of this epic anime are streetwise teens: Kaneda and Tetsuo. They fight rival biker gangs from the backs of their motorcycles, which leave beautiful trails of red and orange light as they whip down the war-ravaged freeways. When Tetsuo crashes into a child with supernatural powers, the gang is thrust into the armed conflict that’s destroying the city. A war-mongering colonel takes Tetsuo to a special facility after the accident, but the disturbing hallucinations Tetsuo suffers there don’t prevent him from discovering overwhelming new powers.

Akira pulls no punches. It’s gritty, depressing, epic, and bloody, and it’s got almost everything a science fiction fan could ask for: Blade Runner-esque cityscapes; beautifully-animated action scenes; a Star Wars-like coming-of-age plot; and a cautionary tale about the consequences of nuclear power. Best of all there’s no campy dialogue. While the story feels sprawling and the cast of characters is too large, the denouement resonates on both a personal and universal level. There are graphic scenes of surreal horror and appalling violence throughout the film, so keep that in mind before checking it out. It’s definitely not for children or those seeking a pick me up. If you’re a fan of serious science fiction films, though, this is a definite must-see.

Akira is based on the graphic novels of the same name by Katsuhiro Otomo. Young Magazine, a Japanese manga mag, originally published Akira serially from December 1982 to June 1990. Otomo also directed this film, which was released in Japan in 1988 long before its limited release in the United States in 1990. Akira wasn’t released widely in the U.S. until 2001. ~ Paul Stenis

Review Date

Reviewed October 2009