Akira: Technically Enchanting with a Complex, Thematically Strong Narrative, BUT!!!

Kaneda sliding on his motorcycle is one of the most famous animated shots in history. How do I know that? Because before I saw this movie (I have heard of it before), I've seen this shot referenced in many different animated media, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman: The Animated Series, a number of different anime in Japan, fan made videos, even live action slides with a CORGI!

Precious little corg loaf trying to be anime

That one scene is just an example of the impact Akira has had. When it was released in 1988, it was "number one at the box office...even beating out Return of the Jedi" (Napier 41). It not only helped bring Japan onto the international stage of animated excellence (paired with the same year releases of Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro ), Akira helped break the Animation Age Ghetto of animation only being associated with children (literally never show Akira to a little child) and brought anime into western interest. It's additionally influenced American live action such as The Matrix and Chronicle.

And it makes a lot of sense why Akira has had such an impact. 

Even as a cult film, it's a breathtaking, immersive film that gives you a lot to take in. The attention to detail on Neo-Tokyo is absolutely stunning and there are so many different pieces to take apart of the city itself. The environment and ecosystem of Neo-Tokyo is fully realized and alive, even when at war with itself.

I'm actually going to talk about this gif, what a concept

Look at that city! That is the perfect environment for a dystopian, post-apocalyptic cityscape; skyscrapers stacked on top of each other like dominos ready to collapse (as they do in the end of the movie) on its own dark hedonism, primal instincts, and internal warfare.

And wow, that animation. The detail of the dragging motorcycle lights as the bikers ride off, that is something I have not legitimately seen in any animated film and it's absolutely amazing to watch. And there's another reason why this film is so culturally resonant: its animation is absolutely breathtaking. Even with questionably same face, same body character designs (exempting the esper children), all animation is fluid to an almost perfectionist extent. Typically in anime, characters have three different shapes of their mouths to speak (small, medium, large) and references of those are used to make them talk. Not in this movie, where the Japanese syllables and how they move within the mouth as the characters are talking are animated. No shortcuts here. Before Princess Mononoke was released, Akira had the highest Japanese animated movie budget of all time, and it makes perfect sense why, with the attention to detail in backgrounds, character animation, lighting, shot placement, timing, and special effects animation all done with excessive care and finesse.

The narrative of Akira is also what keeps it influential, that of the eternal power struggles in our lives, technological and evolutionary progress being poisoned by human desire, and metamorphosis of character over time. The themes in Akira are centered around Tetsuo's character arc and the overarching plot that confines the characters in the story. Particularly for Tetsuo, he struggles to break from Kaneda's overbearing confidence and protective nature that's rescued Tetsuo throughout their lives together. Once Tetsuo begins exhibiting his psychic powers and displaying them for the whole city to see, especially when he encounters Kaneda trying to rescue him, trying to prove his independence and strength for Kaneda to see. However, once Tetsuo loses control of his powers and he begins to mutate into a "newly infantile condition" (Napier 45), he cries for Kaneda's help. The transformation Tetsuo undergoes is dependence on Kaneda to juvenile power fantasies of independence back to reliance on a stronger figure to a final reliance of self empowerment, "his newfound identity" expressed, "in his final statement, 'I am Tetsuo'" (Napier 45). Tetsuo's own struggle with Kaneda and the powers he gains from experimentation are poisoned by his own infantile desires and his journey of losing control from his desires and reaching a new state of being through rescue by Akira gives him the affirmation of self he needed as an adolescent, and that in particular is why this film is so resonant, with a strong message about the transformation of adolescence and apocalyptic human desire.

ALL OF THAT PRAISE BEING SAID, I must love this movie! Well, I acknowledge Akira's cultural, technical, and historical resonance and it is a really gorgeous, fun movie to watch.

But I cannot emphasize this enough with myself and any good story: no good story can exist without strong characters.

And the characters in Akira are not.

Okay, Tetsuo has the only interesting character arc but there's not much else to him.

Literally go home you tough boy stereotype, you were funny once

These are weak, boring, cardboard cutout characters that are used as vehicles for the themes of the narrative or spout exposition whenever the audience has no idea what's happening (which is often).

That fact alone really ruins Akira for me. For me, there's a big difference between teaching a theme or lesson and telling a story. Akira is trying to tell me something complex and primal about humanity and progress with some incredible visuals, it's not telling a story. Stories can teach and have themes to them, that's the point, but when your characters are just vehicles for that theme, it's no longer a story, it's preaching. It's debating. That's not interesting.

The characters (ALL OF THEM, YES EVEN THOSE MINOR ONES HM HM SIDE EYES YOU HARD MR. OTOMO) need to have complexity or at least likability to them to react to and explore the themes further with realistic people that exist in our world. Not with stereotypes (tough boy, gruff military commander, scientist guy, GIRLFRIEND, GIRL WHO WILL BECOME LOVE INTEREST, best friend, the list goes on) or blank slates that spew exposition all over the screenplay.

And for a movie that's over 2 hours long, there's no excuse to have such blank or stereotyped characters that no one can be interested in and only exist to fuel thematic progression.

Stylistically, there's a ton I really appreciate and admire about Akira, especially with my own world building, and it's hard to ignore its increased interest in anime in the West once it was released. But any director, even the most prolific, thought provoking director can make a movie that explores themes like Akira does and still fall flat if there's no character there to humanize your story.

The best frame in the whole movie, protect this face.