Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo)

6/25/15

I watched 20 minutes of Akira and felt like I understood what it was all about, including its relation to the world of film. It's an anime picture from the '80s, and what I'm guessing is that it made anime a serious art form, bringing it to the adult world and giving it artistic and thematic weight. Akira deals in politics, violence, counter-culture, adolescence, and it does it with blinding style and a high-energy punch. I have no trouble admitting that some of those first 20 minutes were awesome. It felt just like Tarantino: a nuclear bomb went off in a big city; the big red letters AKIRA filled the screen. Tarantino's movies have the same cultural roots as Japanese movies like this do, so the bloody violence and samurai-esque dialogue felt very familiar, though no less significant. Soon after the introduction, the film yanks us into a neon-lit motorbike chase through downtown Tokyo, with one juvenile street gang on the tail of another. The art here, including the atmospheric, skittish music, the fiery trails of light left by the futuristic motorcycles, and the monstrous urban backdrop, is thrillingly imaginative. This bike scene is completely enthralling. Next we see hints that all of society is being channeled through the writer, Otomo, who it is clear seeks to make a statement, not only artistic, but about the whole of the world in which he lives. It is easy for me to see that this could have been a revolution for Japanese film and animation in general. It is violent, stylish, culturally-intelligent and super entertaining.