Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Year: 1988
Genre: Sci-fi/Action
The film which started it all, is considered one of the best anime films of all time due to its stunning visuals which was way ahead of its time when it was released.
Kaneda, a biker, is helping out his friend Tetsuo, who is part of this government project, confronted Kaneda by a bunch of anti-social elements. The story takes place in 2019, when an explosion took place over 31 years ago and it started World War III.
Released over 35 years ago, safe to say that thanks to this film, it has produced several shows/films such as Cyberpunk: Edgerunners which showcases heavy elements of this 'Cyberpunk' theme with a futuristic city with colours making it pop out and all of these vehicles which look way ahead of its future. Not only in anime but directors such as David Cameron and The Wachowskis sisters were inspired by Otomo's work. Notable films such as The Matrix and Blade Runner are some films which took influences from it (Adarsh, 2023). A film like this which has had an impact on the film industry showcases how ahead of its time this film was when it was released. Its futuristic elements influenced Sci-fi films and continue to have a huge impact to this day.
The narrative might look a bit confusing at first; however, it's one of those types of film where it takes a second time to understand fully the story. It took me nearly two times to watch the film and understand most of the story, and with the action which is involved and the conflict which is going on around the city, this film can keep anyone intrigued by what's going on. Akira is a god based on everyone and Tetsuo is taken to a government facility due to an encounter with a Takashi, one of the members of the espers in the film. Tetsuo is causing a rampage around the city and somewhat is causing chaos. This leads to the killing of innocent civilians. Based on his abilities, he is just an unstoppable form and nothing can stop him.
But the complexity of the story is one of the reasons why this film stands out: It feels like a treasure hunt and requires the viewer to piece a puzzle together. Now there's a difference which needs to be mentioned. In my opinion, there's a difference between a story which lacks information compared to a story that is complicated but it's possible to piece it together once all of the pieces have been put together. Another anime which comes to mind which requires the pieces to be put together is Cowboy Bebop. At first, I didn't like the anime but once I managed to watch a few more episodes in the series, it became an all-time great.
Take the narrative aside, but the way the music was composed. The way it was written was certainly written uniquely and had elements of Japanese and Indonesian elements (View, 2019). The score certainly matched the actions and what the characters were doing in the film. The uniqueness of the instruments was what made it unique and interesting to listen to and watch the film at the same time. The music also added a sense of unease at the time and was written to have an impact on an audience's emotions.
For this film to come out in 1988 is amazing - sure the visuals might not look like a 4K film; however, the details for a film which came out in 1988 are just impressive. The skyscrapers, the leading lights on each character's bike, and how Tokyo looks at night make the visuals pop out more. There's a remastered version of this film which looks amazing. The visuals alone were just way ahead of its time, hence, many filmmakers tend to take references from this film, and the cyberpunk genre is at an all-time high and it showcases how visuals alone can have an impact.
This film might look complicated at first, but once you can piece the film together, it's a treat to watch. Everything about the film is perfect: the narrative, the visuals, and everything about the film makes it perfect. If you've watched it once and don't like it, give it another go. The story will become a lot clearer.
Rating: 9/10
Adarsh (2023). How Akira Has Influenced the Anime Industry. [online] Game Rant. Available at: https://gamerant.com/how-akira-has-influenced-the-anime-industry/ [Accessed 26 Dec. 2023].
View (2019). Film Soundtrack Case Study: Akira & Geinoh Yamashirogumi. [online] The Art of Moving Images. Available at: https://mi2532.home.blog/2019/05/23/film-soundtrack-case-study-akira-geinoh-yamashirogumi/ [Accessed 26 Dec. 2023].
wah got youtube somemore ah