If you've ever watched anime, you probably know the influence that films like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and any Miyazaki film have had on American audiences interested in the unique Japanese art form. Akira is so popular not because it's such a violent mind trip (which it is), but because of its political statements and rebellious attitude towards government. It's the ultimate cyberpunk film, a relatable story about a suffering humanity forced into the ghettos by corrupt government officials experimenting on people who can harness psychic powers. Let's look at the machinations of Akira.
Occupy Wall Street. Tienanmen Square. The UK protests. People all over the world have protested government action (or inaction), have stood up for their rights or the lack of them. Akira is a protest film, one that channels the terrors of a people being left to fend for themselves after a government has overlooked them. If one watches Akira just with this idea in mind, the film will still capture your attention. But to think of it simply as a protest film, or an anime, or an ultraviolent machine-man hybrid will ensure that you're not going to get all of the messages that director and writer Katsuhiro Ohtomo has laced within the confines of a trippy little anime.
It's difficult to describe everything that happens in Akira, as it encompasses a huge storyline that includes the experimentations of a government on humans before and after World War III that decimated the world. Neo-Tokyo rose up to replace the tattered remains of a nation, and punks using cyberkinetic weapons and bikes rule the city's streets, effectively ensuring that political strife and rebellion combats government neglect.
Out of these streetpunks, we follow a group led by Kaneda, who remains likable despite his dominating demeanor and tough-as-nails street fighting. Their biker gang contains Tetsuo, a rather despairing little guy who follows in Kaneda's footsteps but who can never quite make a name for himself. He's always overshadowed by others, and Ohtomo works hard in the beginning of Akira to show the foil between Kaneda and Tetsuo. At first it seems that Ohtomo includes the opening scenes of biker gangs and Kaneda's violence as a graphic depiction of Neo-Tokyo; yet this scene simply wouldn't be necessary just to show the grit of the city alone. Instead, it works as a way of setting up Tetsuo's later rise to power and the egotism that fuels Tetsuo's psychic destruction of the government.
Ohtomo presents the viewer with an incredibly fast-paced storyline, and it's easy to lose track of what's happening with everything going on. The film takes a couple of watches to really understand the plot; this is because the latter portions of the film tend to highlight the stylized violence over explanations of Tetsuo's actions, his mutation into a machine, and the presence of Akira. But what really shines forth are the themes of political corruption and the ease of sliding into a power struggle, and Tetsuo's character is developed so well that his own corruption is easy to believe. The machine that he becomes is also heavily symbolic of this inner corruption, and it's good to see Ohtomo drawing parallels between Tetsuo's guilt in the matter and the government's hand in making Tetsuo into the monster he becomes.
If you're looking for action, though, Akira has it on display in full force. I didn't count the explosions, but I know that bikes, tanks, buildings, machines, people, and a satellite explode thanks to Tetsuo's powers and the cyberpunks of Neo-Tokyo. There's also a rather grotesque scene of pulsing, throbbing human organs that suck in humans and pop them like balloons. It really is ultraviolent, and despite it being a "cartoon", the drawings are detailed and surprisingly disgusting.
Slash to the Point: Akira is one of the best anime out there, and I'd urge you to check it out even if you're not into the art. The compelling storyline and original plot are enough to keep the film fan entertained, and it's a film that those interested in influential movies should see. It's a legacy, one that has little to do with the fact that it is anime.
Akira on Rotten Tomatoes
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