A look at Akira (1988), a movie that overhauled the expectations of a generation of anime fans.
Akira: a journey back into the Future.
<SPOILER ALERT> Set in a dystopian 2019, Akira expertly balances the grime and despotic despair of post-apocalyptic ‘Neo Tokyo’ with the bright neon and retro-futurist gleam that was the 1980’s depiction of the new rapidly-approaching millennium. Akira, a visually stunning masterpiece, was crafted with superb attention to detail, contrasting broad city spaces filled with futuristic structures with grimy back alleys. The film reflected anxieties held at the time about what the future may look like, while also exuding the unique sense of 1980’s optimism in pre-1991 economic crash Japan. This was reflected in the bold art style now known as retro-futurism; it emphasises a society of technological development giving rise to stunningly aesthetic motorbikes such as the one ridden by Shōtarō Kaneda.
Akira made it into the US market in 1989, roughly a year after its initial release in Japan. The film successfully captured the imagination of a generation of sci-fi fans, wowing the US market and gaining more mainstream appeal for the anime genera. There wasn't a young sci-fi fan in the states who hadn’t tried to get their hands on a VHS copy of the critically acclaimed Akira. The film was originally not well known outside of Japan and was predominately publicized in the US through word of mouth. This helped propel the film to level of cult classic.
The film was written by Otomo Hashimoto, whom originally wrote the 2,000 page manga of the same name. Otomo had a reputation as a meticulous perfectionist when it came to his work, and he demanded creative control over the whole film production process. Otomo demanded that the famous visuals for the movie live up to his high expectations. The film’s plot is quintessential in an era of ‘top gun’, when movies were full of action brash and bravado. While the plot may be considered simplistic by today’s standards, with modern animes featuring plots of intensity and depth, it still has a timeless simplicity that resonates. The film does not depict events surrounding one protagonist, but instead focuses on three members of Shōtarō Kaneda’s motorbike gang ‘bōsōzoku’. It chronicles their efforts as young teens deal with a corrupt government and try to rescue their friend Tetsuo from the clutches of the government. The plot can be difficult to completely comprehend on the first viewing due to its changing pace and perspectives of the protagonist's, although this in some ways provides insight on the perspective of the young gang of youth’s who are in over their head, and trying to navigate very complex situations to simply rescue their friend.
Akira encapsulates a decade that was obsessed with the sci-fi genre, and captivated a generation of young boys whom were amazed by the sporty and clean road bikes featured within the movie. For many, Japanese road bikes defined the 1980’s as they exploded onto the US market with popular models such as the iconic Suzuki Katana and the Honda RC30. These Japanese bikes with their strikingly modern designs, clean lines and impeccable reputation for manufacturing quality no doubt would have inspired the sharp clean lines of the motorbikes detailed so eloquently within the film. I would highly recommend Akira to anyone who wants to geek out to some 80’s anime nostalgia, or who simply has a hankering for a classic that still defines its genre to this day. — Bradley Todd
