Akira

Akira is a landmark Japanese animation film, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, released in 1988. The film stars Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, and Mami Koyama in pivotal voice acting roles. The film is based on Otomo's own manga of the same name, although it covers only a portion of the voluminous comic's whole narrative. What sets Akira apart is that it is a thoroughly mature, complex, and politically charged narrative exploring themes of power, corruption, and the dichotomy of technological advancement and traditional morality.

The film begins, without giving anything away, in a dystopian 2019, thirty-one years after Tokyo has been destroyed by an unspecified disaster. The city, now known as Neo-Tokyo, is rendered in breathtaking detail. It is a sprawling, mesmerizing metropolis flooded with neon lights and towering buildings, juxtaposed against slum-like dwellings and anarchic gangs. The sprawling cityscapes, intricate backgrounds, and new-wave punk essentials give the film an aura of both familiarity and alienation, a feature of much of the best science fiction.

In this fraught urban environment, we are introduced to childhood friends Tetsuo Shima (Nozomu Sasaki) and Shotaro Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata). The former is a member of a biker gang that Kaneda leads. The dynamics between these two characters form the emotional core of the film, a tale of friendship pushed to its limits by uncontrollable circumstances.

Everything shifts dramatically when Tetsuo experiences a near-death collision with a strangely aged child during a gang skirmish. Following the event, Tetsuo begins to manifest telekinetic abilities, leading him down a destructive path. Meanwhile, Kaneda's complex feelings for his friend and his budding flirtation with a resistance fighter named Kei (Mami Koyama) add further layers of drama.

Simultaneously, the film starts delving into a broad conspiracy involving government officials who desire to manipulate and control these psychokinetic powers for their military benefit. The telekinetic abilities and the havoc it wreaks form a deeply unsettling subplot that gives the narrative its momentum and tension.

The narrative of Akira is interspersed with heavy themes of political corruption, social disorder, and the consequences of rampant scientific advancement unchecked by ethical considerations. It delves into the chaotic ramifications of political instability whilst revealing human flaws and vulnerabilities. The narrative is turbulent and full of twists, combining neo-noir with cyberpunk aesthetics to paint a heart-wrenching narrative of power and destruction.

Although the film is lush with adrenaline-fueled chase sequences and breathtaking cinematography, its strongest suite probably lies in Otomo's refusal to dumb down any of the source material's complexity. Instead, he takes care to treat the characters with nuance and to dive deep into the thematic material. It reflects on no simple binary of good and evil; instead, everyone has their motivations which, while often selfish, have roots making them understandable if not always sympathetic.

Akira pushed the boundaries of what was visually possible in the realm of animation, with over 160,000 animation cels used to create extraordinarily rich and detailed imagery. Boasting of fluid motion, exquisitely detailed cityscapes, and a vivid color palette, it goes above and beyond the technical norms of the time by adding pre-recorded dialogue—a rarity in animated features during the era. With its striking use of light, color, and motion, the film creates a distinct, overwhelming aesthetic that enhances the emotional punch of its complex narrative.

Armed with an alluringly ominous score, Akira adds another layer to its audio-visual appeal. Composed by Shoji Yamashiro and performed by a musical collective, Geinoh Yamashirogumi, the eclectic soundtrack oscillates between haunting choral vocalizations, pulsing rhythms, and ceremonial drumming—an unusual score for an anime film, which adds another level of dynamism to the narrative.

Despite a run time of over two hours, which was unusual for animated productions, Akira managed to grip audiences across the globe. A pioneer in its genre, it catapulted anime into the international limelight, demonstrating that animation could be more than just family-friendly entertainment. It could be mature, thematically complex, politically charged, visually stunning, and commercially successful.

To call Akira a cult classic would be an understatement. A groundbreaking film that revolutionized the anime industry, it influenced an entire generation of filmmakers and became a benchmark for not just anime, but animation as a medium, worldwide. Its compelling narrative, breathtaking imagery, landmark animation, and insightful exploration of complex themes ensure Akira's legacy as a phenomenal achievement in animation storytelling.