Akira (1988)

Akira represents one of the most influential anime features of all time. It’s based on the 1982 manga series from Katsuhiro Otomo, who not only co-writes the adaptation, but he also directs this animated feature. Interestingly, Otomo deviates quite a bit from his own source material, adapting only about a third of it, and radically changing its ultimate direction in the plot once you get past the old Tokyo prologue. The manga that inspired the film, which ran in its initial print form from 1982 to 1990,  was still being produced and published at the time of production. Much of the screenplay had been developed early in the manga’s run, so the film has to go into a different direction, especially as the sprawling epic already had printed over 2000 pages of material by the time of the film’s release.

Made on a budget of about a billion yen (roughly $8-9 million), reportedly the most expensive animated film produced in Japan to that date, it looks and feels like an epic film, with giant explosions, heightened expressions, and plenty of technological prowess on display.  It was released into theaters in the United States, the first anime to get a considerable North American cinema distribution (reportedly, there were only ten prints of the film to show in the U.S., but they played for a long time at various art-house theaters and college campuses), on the hope that anime could have some crossover appeal in cinemas the way its style was influencing animated television shows in the U.S. like “Star Blazers” (aka, “Space Battleship Yamamoto”), “Robotech” and “Voltron”. Alas, it failed to get much traction, garnering less than a half-million dollars in its limited run, possibly because older audiences who were unaccustomed to the emotive Japanese anime didn’t really get it the way many teenagers did, but the R rating for the film, primarily due to its bloodiness and body horror elements, kept many of those teens from going to the theater, even though the film and manga are both aimed primarily at adults.  Still, it didn’t do gangbusters in Japan either, where such things are more readily understood, so other reasons for the marketing failure may also be in order.  Nevertheless, it would quickly become a cult film once it hit home video and on cable TV, where those same teenagers were not old enough to access it much easier.  It would also grow to be a regular favorite for adults at showings at midnight matinees in major cities for people whose eyes were beginning to open up to Japanese animation and its rich sci-fi based stories.

Akira starts out in 1988, much of Tokyo is destroyed by a mysterious that spreads like a dome of energy over the city. The rest of the film is set in the year 2019, coincidentally the same future year that Blade Runner is set, we peek into the post-apocalyptic megalopolis that has been rebuilt as Neo-Tokyo, where the government is corrupt, civil unrest looms large, and biker gangs run the streets. One member of such a biker gang is Tetsuo Shima, who ends up seemingly running into an escapee from a government experiment who uses some sort of powers to protect himself from getting run over. The escapee is taken back into custody, as is Tetsuo, who also becomes part of the experiment to bring out his dormant psychic abilities, trying to give their subject the ability to read minds and perform telekinesis. However, due to Tetsuo’s difficult life, the powers he attains becomes more than the less-than-grounded lad can handle emotionally, so he springs himself from the lab and begins to wreak havoc on the streets of Neo-Tokyo, on a search for the powerful but absent entity known as Akira, who is seen as the person responsible for causing the explosion in 1988.  Tetsuo’s emergence raises the specter of Akira anew, as the protestors in the city see him as a force to stem the tide of a military takeover, with all of the tension threatening to destroy the city all over again if his friends can’t stop the rampage.  As the city seeks to rebuild, especially in the wake of the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games (coincidentally, 2020’s Summer Olympics is actually taking place in Tokyo!), the problems that once plagued the city have continued to manifest, with history doomed to repeat itself for never addressing the woes the first time around.

One of the main themes to the film is that things are done for science and in the advancement of technology, especially on its effect on humans.  While technological experimentation may accelerate society, it may often bad for us as a whole because of safeguards we don’t put in place. We see this in the individuals experimented upon themselves, as they successfully show psychic and telekinetic powers, but those powers come as a detriment to the self when they cannot control the rapid changes occurring in their bodies and mind as a result (indeed, we are introduced to Tetsuo admiring Capsule gang-leader Kaneda’s teched-out bike and then being told it would eat him alive because he couldn’t handle it, foreshadowing his arc to come). You could extend this to civilization as a while, trying to take humanity to a higher plane, but those efforts result in the destruction of the civilization itself.  Capsules are a symbol within the film; drugs often come in a capsulized for the intent of making the consumer feel better, but misuse, abuse, and side effects can often make things much worse. Of course, much science fiction within Japanese manga, anime, and films alludes to the nuclear destruction incurred during World War II, the result of advancements in science that have led to the destruction of millions, and continues to be a threat to human existence to this day.  That it will happen again is the inevitable crux of Akira‘s narrative, as those who seek to stop it only end up adding more tension to the situation, perhaps further taking us to the brink of our own destruction.

Another theme within the film is the perpetuation of human cruelty. From the brutality of the police force to angry mobs, to rebellious teens, to bullies, to corrupt politicians, to government labs, Neo-Tokyo represents a society that does not care much about each other, and each faction serves only to propagate the advancement of their own particular interests, regardless of the impact they may have on everyone else. All of these factions cause perpetual friction upon one another, until the entire city is on edge, with just the slightest provocation necessary for things to boil over. The human race is much like Tetsuo: not emotionally or philosophically ready to handle the giant leap in capabilities, ultimately threatening to explode from the major changes that are continuing to occur without having a good handle on how to process it for the good of the self, and for others.

Although generally regarded as a landmark anime feature, there are a few things that do make Akira a tonally imbalanced viewing for many people coming into it without experience in the genre. One is the semi-romance subplot that develops within the course of otherwise harrowing, cataclysmic events. Another is the notion that Tetsuo’s friends have decided that they are the ones who will take their friend down, placing them in the middle of the story as some sort of action heroes.  Yet another is the shifting moods between angsty and emotional tragedy and borderline-slapstick comedy. The storytelling within Akira will also leave many viewers baffled as to exactly what is going on, especially on a first-time viewing, which may also make the venture to see it to the end a challenge for those who aren’t determined to look more deeply into the roots of its philosophical underpinnings on societal growing pains.

The animation is gorgeous, with Otomo’s gift for architecture coming into full play. The use of hundreds of colors, many of which were never used at any time in an animated movie prior to its release. is still without a rival.  In addition to the original Japanese language version, there have been two major dubbed releases of Akira, the one created for the U.S. theatrical release in 1988, and another one re-dubbed in 2001. Although both dubs are considered of good quality, older fans strongly prefer the original, while many who caught the 2001 dub can’t get used to hearing the old one they aren’t accustomed to.

Over the years, there have been several attempts to craft a live-action version of the film, but each one has found its way into development hell and then subsequently scrapped. Mostly, the reasons why stem from the escalating costs of bringing it to life, balanced with the difficulty of doing a proper adaptation that will appeal to mainstream audiences largely unfamiliar with the concept.  In the case of Josh Trank, he couldn’t secure the rights, so he made his own version of the film on a limited budget, released into theaters as Chronicle. At the time of this writing, however, Taika Waititi has announced his own live-action remake to be released in 2021, with Leonardo DiCaprio, who currently owns the film rights, producing.  Perhaps he’ll have better luck than all who’ve come before.

Qwipster’s rating: A

MPAA Rated: R for graphic violence and brief nudity
Running Time: 124 min.

Cast (voices): Mitsuo Iwata, Nozuma Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tessho Genda, Hiroshi Otake, Koichi Kitamura, Michihiro Ikemizu, Yuriko Fuchizaki
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Screenplay: Katsuhiro Otomo, Izo Hashimoto (based on the manga by Katsuhiro Otomo)