Akira’s impact and influence on the anime industry is well known and more or less undeniable, which was not only a hit in Japan but was also a trigger which popularized anime in the west. The film is hailed as a revolutionary classic within the medium, and remains talked about even to this day, despite being released back in 1988.
This anime was released before I was born, so nostalgia is out of the question; now as much as I’d like to call myself a long-time anime fan who’s been an avid watcher since childhood, I’m not – I’ve actually started watching anime fairly late, and as a result, I can only judge based on my perspective in the present. Therefore, my level of standard will be a lot higher in some regards considering the fact that I’ve obviously been exposed to many newer works released long after this movie, although I have seen a good amount of old anime as well.
For starters, the visuals hold up extremely well – the old fashioned, hand drawn animation’s fluidity looks amazing despite its age, and everything else from an animation and visual standpoint have definitely stood the test of time. The art style is unique, even considering the time of release and often weird, sometimes even creepy. This film doesn’t have much I can complain about regarding its looks, which is impressive considering its age, and there’s a good amount of weird and unnerving material to disturb and draw the viewer into the right mood. Unfortunately, the music didn’t strike as big of an impact as the visuals have, with the soundtrack being largely unmemorable to me and often times do little more than serve as rarely noticeable ambient sound.
This anime takes place in the year 2019, where 31 years have passed since the events of World War III. It begins with a child with incredible psychological powers, meant to be kept a government secret, has broken free and has an accidental encounter with our main character, Tetsuo – a member of a bike gang with a power complex. After an accident occurs, he is then taken into custody for human experimentation, where he then develops powers of his own at an uncommonly fast rate. As his previous incompetence in certain situations is no longer a problem, combined with his power complex, destruction is imminent. That’s the gist of the first half, and despite an interesting enough set up, I’d be lying if I said it was an entirely smooth ride.
The problem lies with the fact that Akira is a manga adaption, one that has been compiled into a two hour movie. This means that a lot of the common problems with movies, such as weak character development due to lack of time, or noticeably rushed sections of the narrative, are present. I didn’t feel too attached to the characters, and as a result, I felt detached from the experience as a whole. The mystery of the name “Akira” throughout the movie does well to keep things interesting however, and there’s definitely some intentionally ambiguous and confusing moments in order to leave room for interpretation and rewatches.
Akira’s status as a revolutionary classic is not a factor that’s been built into my opinion; this is an entirely subjective review. It’s not that I dislike old anime; I’ve seen my fair share of them, and a good number have solidified themselves as my favourites. All in all however, Akira just hasn’t struck me with the same impact as it has for many others, and so I just can’t give it as high of a score as many others have. However, despite its flaws that I’ve mentioned, Akira has still stood the test of time relatively well; I enjoyed its intentional ambiguity that provokes thinking, and if nothing else, is still an entertaining movie in its own right. On top of that, Akira’s impact on the anime industry should probably be reason enough to at least check it out, if you haven’t already.
Overall rating: 7/10
