Katsuhiro Otomo's 'Akira': a review

This is a review of director Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 anime masterpiece 'Akira'. 

This is one I first got on the original VHS format that included the now defunct Streamline "State of the art, Japanese animation" trailer montage featuring the original Vampire Hunter D, Silent Mobius, Neo Tokyo, etc. I popped my anime cherry with Akira and Fist of the North Star, but it was Akira that really blew me away with its sci fi and especially its artwork, the amount of detail and movement in this film is massive. This film remains a primer for anyone remotely interested in knowing why people like me are so nuts about anime.

Basically, this film is a Frankenstein story that takes place in the year 2012 in Neo Tokyo, called so because it's right after a cataclysm similar to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A super powered boy named Akira who was the subject of secret government experimentation played a major part in the cataclysm and for this reason is contained in a cryogenic vault at ground zero, which is beneath a stadium. Determined to master and control "the ultimate power," the government sets its sights on another guinea pig, a short, unstable, biker named Tetsuo who happens to be obsessed with a cool, red, turbo-charged bike owned by his best friend Kaneda.

This film looks incredible. The colors just pop at you scene after scene. The opening scenes at night are simply breathtakingly colorful. Comparisons to another cyber-punk classic from which this film derives its look, Bladerunner, are especially evident in its use of neon against a night backdrop. Amazing what can be done without 3d or cgi. The rainbows chasing the motorbikes, the motorbikes themselves, the clothes, the cityscape--everything about this film is eye-candy, almost too sweet, but I love it.

Despite the visual achievements of this film, the dialogue is embarrassing and cliched. Mr. Otomo shows his weaknesses in the writing department here but I'm not sure if this isn't due to it being translated into English. Maybe it sounds better in Japanese. But here it sounds very hokey. But in the end it didn't matter to me as it most likely won't matter if you see this film for the first time. Even after all these years, as far as animation has come, Akira still looks good. I think what makes this film age well is the fact that what you see on the screen is completely organic, that is, done by real people, an army of people working day and night to bring this enormous vision to life. A true anime masterpiece.