Do I need to introduce Akira? It’s a milestone, a landmark, an absolute necessity in anime viewing. It blew up the medium in the west, and is considered one of the greatest sci-fi/anime/adult animated films ever. It’s the only anime I’ve seen animated on 1s/2s, making it the most fluidly animated anime film I’ve ever seen. Akira’s a hype film, and it lives up to this hype mostly in the first third, where everything is still straightforward and intriguing. The scenes where Kaneda’s gang, the Capsules, take on a rival gang on the streets of Neo-Tokyo are some of my favourites in the movie. They’re energetic, beautiful and establish the story and world excellently. Here’s what I loved about theses scenes.
The city is perfectly chaotic
From the dingy club we meet Kaneda in, to the claustrophobic high rise buildings that choke the screen; to the neon lights and signs, and the cramped back-alleys; Neo-Tokyo is a decaying, decadent city. It’s full of light and colour, but the inhabitants scrabble in dimlit hideaways, or otherwise get beaten up by rogue gangsters.
The all-powerful nature of the gangs
There’s a part where a man gets caught up in part of the gang fight. The camera switches to a bird’s eye view, as we see him brake to a stop, the bikes zipping all around him. He’s trapped in the bikers’ world. Before his car is smashed, we see an ethereal glow almost blind him. We know it’s from the motorbikes, but it seems almost… godlike. As if these gangs are omnipotent beings with total control of the city. The havoc they wreak between themselves affects harmless civilians. One guy is in a restaurant before a biker crashes through the window, ramming his front wheel into the poor man’s head. The culprit stops, smirks and zips off.
The animation
Akira was animated on a mix of one’s (24 frames per second) and twos (12 frames per second)- far more drawings than most anime films. More drawings meant more action, and it really is such catharsis to see so many drawings in an anime film. The increased frame rate allows the movement to be more fluid and detailed.
And there’s actual lip syncing! The full animation allowed the animators to convey the high speed of the motorbikes, whilst allowing smaller details to carry more weight.
When Tetsuo falls of his bike, you really feel its weight as he struggles to drag it back up. The background animation is also very detailed. Moving the camera within a 3d space is difficult and pricey in cell animation, but Akira does it anyways. The moving backgrounds add energy to the chase scenes and immersion to the city of Neo-Tokyo.
The visual differences between Kaneda and Tetsuo
It’s probably the most basic of symbolism, but it’s effective nonetheless. Kaneda is dressed in vibrant red and rides a vibrant red motorbike. The jacket he wears has broad shoulders to convey his strength and confidence. By contrast, Tetsuo is dressed in washed out blue colours; his sweatshirt is comprised of gentler sloping lines. Tetsuo is weaker, more passive. When the two elements are put together they clash. There’s a moment where Tetsuo is sitting on Kaneda’s bike and he’s practically swallowed up by its saturated red and aggressive design. From the beginning, Tetsuo’s insecurities and jealousy towards Kaneda are shown, foreshadowing for the violent showdown between them later on. Which leads me to…
Tetsuo’s character is really well established
If there’s one thing that Akira the movie does better than Akira the manga, it’s Tetsuo’s before his psychic powers. There’s the aforementioned bike scene where he expresses jealousy towards Kaneda’s new fancy bike. Later he falls off his motorcycle in the heat of the chase and is told to buck up. These build up to an excellent action scene where he hunts down two isolated Clown members into a deserted part of the city. From what we’ve seen, Tetsuo is insecure and wants to be appreciated, treated with the same respect as Kaneda. After having made a fool of himself, he carries out the chase obsessively. We can see his frustration and pent-up rage, and the tension grows as we cut between the chaser and the chased, and Tetsuo grows more intense.
Then the tether snaps and Tetsuo smashes the biker’s head in a powerful emotional climax. It’s an act of revenge for being made a fool of, borne from his desire to prove himself as a powerful threat like Kaneda. Naturally, it all quickly goes downhill. He crashes the bike in a psychic collision and the actual plot begins. In less than 5 mins, Tetsuo’s entire character has been established and we’re ready to see where the narrative will take him. Or where he will take the narrative.
Conclusion
When I was writing this post, I had no idea that this year was Akira 30th anniversary. It’s pretty amazing how it continues to inspire people so many years after its release. It’s not perfect – nothing is – but its accomplishment makes the watch worth it, especially its animation. I feel like I didn’t stress this enough, but Akira’s animation is. Actually. Insane. Where else can you see 24 delicious frames per second of detail in anime?
With that, I close this post. Thank you so much, Katsuhiro Otomo, for creating the Akira experience. And thank you so much,the production staff, animators, layout artists, ink/paint artists e.t.c, who brought it to life.
Happy Birthday, Akira.
Catch a Falling Star 