In a cyberpunk dystopia, a gang of teenage delinquents called the Capsules hop on their futuristic motorcycles. They drive down a neon sign town in a battle against a rival gang known as the Clowns. The leader of the Capsules cruises around on his red motorcycle and uses a pipe to knock down the Clowns all while a militant protest of demonstrators is happening against the crooked government. In the midst of all of this, the leader’s friend encounters an elderly looking child with psychokinetic powers trying to escape the military. The friend is injured and taken away. He develops his own psychic powers that could bring him to the edge of madness and destruction to the city they live in.
Winthrop’s Art History Association recently hosted a showing of the 1988 anime film “Akira” at Kinard Auditorium on Oct. 2 .Graphic Design Professor Jason Tslentis led the discussion. The film was inspired by the manga by the same name with author Katsuhiro Otomo at the helm as the director. The film originally premiered in Japan on July 16, 1988 with two English language releases in 1989 and 2001. “Akira” is well-regarded as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time and is praised for its complex themes, animation, special effects and cyberpunk setting.
The films follows delinquent Shōtarō Kaneda who struggles to live through gang warfare and government corruption in Neo-Tokyo. Years before this, a mysterious explosion wiped out Tokyo and kick started World War III. In the 2001 English-dub release of the film the main character is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. His vocal range is impressive whether he is struggling in a fight or trying to hit on a revolutionary girl. Kaneda does a good job in showing his emotion and headstrong will to his friends. His growth is put to the test when dealing with finding his friend and being in the crosshairs of a revolution.
The character of Tetsuo Shima, voiced by Joshua Seth, delves into a frightened teenager dealing with personal issues. He finds himself suddenly forced into a hospital battling his new psychic powers. At one moment, Tetsuo has nightmares against three psychic children who use hallucinations of stuffed animals to scare and hurt him. Combined with distress in his youth and his new powers, Tetsuo develops an almost egomaniacal personality as he takes advantage of his powers. He goes on a destructive rampage to find the mysterious Akria the government has been trying to replicate.
In terms of animation, the animators used a distinct and interesting style that allows the
characters to move fluidly and make the backgrounds stand out in both day and night scenes. New colors were even invented during film production in backgrounds as most of the scenes take place during night. The setting of Neo-Tokyo shows inspiration from other films like “Blade Runner”. With a crooked government backed police and military, crime running wild among citizens and doomsday cults making demonstration of the end of days. This helps makes the city feel dystopic and gritty, with all the characters struggling through the events of the film.
The themes of the movie showcases an interesting angle of dystopia through government power and the science through child experimentation. In one key moment, the military colonel sees the current governing council as feckless bureaucrats who care more about themselves and would betray each other if given the chance. This is proven and the colonel is forced to stage a coup. Another aspect is the student and militant protest that would foreshadow moments like the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. “Akria” also tackles the subject of playing god with experimentation of the psychic characters and how their measured in case of disaster. The film ends on an open note with themes of universal creation and how it would affect human evolution.
Overall, “Akira” is an interesting and gritty anime adventure that explores the idea of power and trauma combined in someone and the consequences that follow. From the detailed environments, interesting characters and underlying themes help make this film stand the test of time and help bring anime to the United States. So rev up your bikes and brace yourself for this entertaining and action-packed film.
