Appreciating an all-time anime movie classic 36 years later

Watching Akira 36 years after it came out, I felt confused. The plot was all over the place, there was barely any exposition, any backstory provided passed by in a flash. Yet I felt deeply intrigued to know more – why was this piece of media the push that made people talk about anime outside the preconceived notion that it is for kids. Akira is a movie directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, set in Neo Tokyo after the Third World War. The city is in ruins and chaos thrives among the streets. The story starts to unravel when Tetsuo and Kaneda, two middle school friends, driving on their motorcycles chase down rival biker gang members (as one does in middle school) down the streets of Neo Tokyo. Two important things occur during this wild unhinged chase. Firstly, we are witnesses to a shot of Kaneda doing a motorcycle slide, which is arguably the coolest motorcycle slide in history of filmmaking. Secondly, Tetsuo crashes into a child standing in the middle of the road causing him to fall of his bike. Before Kaneda and their friends could utter a word, a military backup arrives and takes Tetsuo to the hospital leaving them to go home without him. Soon Tetsuo starts to act weird – having bad headaches, fever dreams and disruptive thoughts start to overtake his mind. Tetsuo seems to be in possession of powerful abilities, ones that the military tries to keep concealed. Tetsuo’s newly found powers seem to unlock a greed for control in him. You may ask: who is Akira and why is he that important to be put in the title? Akira, in a spoiler-free way of saying, is the root of the problem, the cause of all chaos, the collapse of Tokyo to a now lawless and broken city. Akira is the name of a boy that keeps being brought up around Tetsuo. He sees Akira as his rival – one who he must find and crush to be the most powerful.

The dystopian setting of the movie is one that I have not noticed in much of Western media. Suffice to say, in 40 years a lot has changed in the film industry and animation. Firstly, let’s appreciate the movie’s aesthetics. From the dystopian dread in Neo-Tokyo, combined with cyberpunk undertones, and the iconic character Kaneda with his red motorcycle. 120 minutes can only tell so much but Akira has managed to tackle many themes. A shell of a city ruled by hopelessness and desperation, remains of a world which Akira’s powers destroyed. Tetsuo’s hidden insecurities are often hinted at for the viewer because he never feels good enough next to his friend Kaneda. The philosophical dilemmas on how to handle such powers and who should be the one to control them. It also engages the conversation of Japan’s history of bombing. Watching this movie felt like a distant lightning striking the sky. You see the light first and then once you hear the thunder, you feel the gravity of the strike. In the same way, I watch the movie and see a mix of red and black blur only to later understand all its complexity. Akira is appreciated, analysed, and discussed aplenty. Then and now.