Akira (1988)

• Year: 1988
• Released: 28 Jun 1991
• Country: Japan
• Adwords: 1 win
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094625/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/akira
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/akira
• Available in: 720p, 1080p, 2160p
• Language: Japanese
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Animation, Action, Drama
• Runtime: 124 min
• Writer: Katsuhiro Ôtomo, Izô Hashimoto
• Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo
• Cast: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama
• Keywords: cult film, dystopia, anime, experiment, army,

	8.0/10
	67/100
	90% – Critics
	90% – Audience

Akira Storyline

2019. 31 years after being destroyed during World War 3, Tokyo (now ‘Neo-Tokyo’) has been rebuilt and is a thriving metropolis. Shotaro Kaneda is the leader of a biker gang. His friend Tetsuo is injured in an accident and taken to a top-secret government facility. He develops telekinetic powers but decides to use them for evil rather than good. He has the same powers as Akira, the force that destroyed Tokyo in 1988, and now it appears that history will repeat itself.

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Akira Movie Reviews

“Tetsuo’s our friend. If anyone’s gonna kill him, it should be us!”

“Akira” made IMDb’s Top 250 list way back in 1998 and hasn’t been back since, although I see it now popping in and out of the rankings for the current year (2018). I’m not an anime fan, or even a fan of animated movies in general, though there are a handful that I’ve liked well enough. With this film, I’m left entirely in limbo. When something like this occurs, I’ll check out the FAQ page for the movie here on IMDb and try to gain some understanding, along with a handful of the more accomplished reviews for the picture. It didn’t surprise me that to get a better grip on the story, one would be well advised to read the two thousand plus manga treatment of Akira by the writer, and this film’s director, Katsuhiro Ôtomo. I can guarantee that’s not going to happen, so what I’m left with as regards the film is a lukewarm acceptance that it’s been a very influential work in the genre, while leaving me entirely unimpressed. All I got out of it was an endless series of violence, destruction, explosions and fighting, and though I followed the characters of Kaneda and Tetsuo well enough, there wasn’t the least bit of story line that had an appeal for this viewer. Nor were the characters even likeable to any degree, so that was another check in the minus column. So rather than bashing the film, I’ll just consider my viewing another in a long list of movies I’ve watched to get a broader perspective of what’s out there and know that I’m not missing anything. All films can’t appeal to everyone.

good but not great

Before reading this review, understand that I am over 40 and am not an avid anime fan. I have watched MANY anime movies (my daughter is NUTS about anime) but my primary interest is in Japanese movies (such as those by Akira Kurasawa—a DIFFERENT “Akira” from the one in this movie). So, look at my review in this light.

Artistically, this movie is brilliant. When I was a kid, Japanese animation meant crap such as KIMBA or SPEED RACER–very choppy style animation and in their American form ONLY for the kids! Calling that old stuff AND this movie “anime” seems like a disservice because of this. Instead of poor backgrounds and extremely low frame-rates that made the shows look more like slide shows than cartoons, Akira abounds with high quality animation, backgrounds, intense sounds and action! This is certainly NOT “your father’s anime”.

So why only a score of 7? Well, the story is incredibly confusing—even for anime. I felt like I needed a script so I could logically follow along or that MAYBE the translation into English subtitles was flawed (I’ve seen this ruin several movies before).

In addition to being totally confusing, the main characters are unlikable street thugs. It’s hard to get into a movie when you just don’t like ANYONE (well, maybe I liked the one freaky kid who had neat mental powers).

But, for lovers of anime and anyone who wants to see an incredibly intense and high quality Japanese animation movie, this will definitely be a must-see. HOWEVER, I STRONGLY WARN PARENTS TO CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT TO LET THEIR KIDS SEE THIS. The movie, is at times, intense and gory AND features one attempted rape that gets pretty graphic! If you aren’t sure if your kids are ready, they probably aren’t!

Amazing

I had seen Akira a number of times a few years back, and watching it again just two days I can’t tell you how enthralled I was watching it. The animation is beautiful and very detailed with a wide range of colours that are extraordinary to watch, and the score was phenomenal, it stirred many emotions inside of me. Just like the storytelling that was thrilling, shocking and heart-breaking did, likewise with the use of sound, the silence was even more haunting and intense than those scenes with sound, the excellent dialogue, characters that are developed so well(for a character-driven film you’d expect that, the main characters’ conflict is especially well done) that you do root for them and a message that I highly appreciate and don’t feel it’s over-didactic. All in all, amazing, a real landmark for not only anime but also animation in general. 10/10 Bethany Cox