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| Akira |
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  (6/10)
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Runtime: 125 |
| Public Rating: 7.05 (59 votes) |
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Anime |
Year: 1988 |
| Writer(s): Izo Hashimoto, Katsuhiro Otomo, J. Michael Haller (dub version) |
| Distributor: 1 |
| Reviewed by: Vadim Rizov |
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Just because I get it, I don't have to like it. Akira (unfortunately, not Kurosawa, but let's not be snide) is a landmark in the peculiarly Japanese sub-genre of animation known as anime, a film that made an international splash with its meticulous animation and, to a lesser extent, splashy violence and apocalyptic story. All when I was a mere four years old. Now it's back out in a new English dub, replacing what evidently was a cheesy dub which I never heard and will never bother to do so (though it might make sense to watch it in Japanese at some point), and, though not a fan of anime, I was compelled to go check out this new print on the big screen as the least painful way to experience this genre landmark.
In Neo (i.e., post-nuclear war, quietly shown at the beginning of the film) Tokyo, motorcycle gangs make life hell, not exactly an original idea. An ordinary and quite bloody fight ends mysteriously as a little glowing child's unexpected presence attracts helicopters, ambulance and police: far more attention than a little gang fight deserves. The kid touches gang member Tetsuo, and we're off into a symbolic and increasingly gargantuan story of psychic power and, yet again, the destruction of Tokyo.
First, the animation: it's as good as anime gets. Sometimes gorgeously fluid, always at least servicable, it's at its best in the depiction of the large and monstrous, such as the psychic monster of a teddy bear that comes, apparently, to kill Tetsuo (incidentally, this very same teddy reappeared, if my hunch is correct, as Teddy in A.I.) or the disgusting pile of internal organs that finally swamps Tokyo. There are actually two different versions of this film, one in 70mm and one in 35mm, and the latter is the widely available one. The film is always spot-on technically, though it's rarely fun to watch. And that's the problem. Akira is so Japanese in its concerns that the unpleasantness and decidedly un-lighthearted violence are of little interest in Western viewers - that is, Western viewers not obsessed with anime.
Anime lovers LOVE this movie, and if any of them read this review they will probably burn an imagined picture of me in effigy. Yet I maintain the film has nothing new for Americans, and the deliberately unpleasant feel of the film is a turn-off. Far from universal, Akira once again tackles fear of scientists, Japanese fear of the military getting out of control and, of course, the fetish for destroying Tokyo over and over. With its weird ending, graphic - yet unpleasant - violence, and long running time, I came out with a better understanding of Japanese concerns but not at all entertained. That may be the point - it's a surprisingly tight and coherent story that unfolds skillfully, but with little joy. Sorry people - it doesn't translate, but more power to those of you who think it does.
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