Studio: Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Watched on 31/03/20
Before I review this film, it needs to be understood that Akira does not need my approval, your approval, your mum's approval - anyone's. This film is a stone cold classic and was legendary before I was even a spec on an ultrasound scan. I obviously understand that my opinion isn't important in the grand scheme of things generally, but this is epecially true in the case of Akira.
***SPOILERS***
From very early on in this film, it's clear it isn't a classic for no reason. It's edgy, it's stylish and it's beautiful but beyond this, it's wildly imaginative and does an incredibe job of immersing the viewer in its world. The animation is incredible and complements the vibrant, colourful subject matter perfectly. The story itself starts with a lot of promise, but disappointingly takes the easy way out in the end, opting for apocalyptic doom rather than finding a way to tie up all its loose ends. This is what really stopped me enjoying the film as much as I could have - it's easy for films to write a big cheque, but it's whether they can cash it that's important. In my opinion, this film didn't but it was so gorgeous, it almost didn't matter.
First things first, Akira's animation is absolutely gorgeous. If you're into animation at all, it's clear throughout the film that every single shot had real thought, detail and diligent, passionate work put into it. Anime nerds often use the term 'sakuga' for really detailed, high-quality passages of animation. As reluctant as I am to use the term (and tacitly accept low-effort, low-quality, economical animation for the majority of screentime), one could say that Akira is a 2-hour long sakuga. Akira cuts absolutely no corners: speech is animated not just with characters' whole heads but their entire bodies; objects aren't slid and resized between start and end points but redrawn in each frame; and there is little to no reliance on implied action - fleshy punches, chaotic crashes and detailed, greusome organs are all hand drawn with real consideration. I actually think anybody could appreciate how well animated this film is. (I'd also be interested to know more about the production process and how they had this presumably astronomical animation budget).
I could talk a whole lot about the animation, but 3 things really stuck out the most for me: stunning drawing, use of traditional techniques and the artists taking on every challenge. Firstly, the film's brilliant drawing: evey single frame was drawn incredibly well. The artists all did an amazing job, to the point that pretty much any still could be taken from the film and turned into a poster or used to teach an art class. Next, the use of traditional techniques really stands out and to me, sets a clear example for every cartoon that comes after this one. I don't know what technology was available in 1988 but every rotating bit of machinery, every winding road and corridor and every one of the hundreds of vehicles and guns in the film was hand drawn. I'm no doubt speaking from a place of ignorance, having never worked in animation, but it often feels cheap and uninspiring to watch things like these that are either computer-generated or heavily rotoscroped (to the point of looking out of place in their surroundings). There's no doubt the Akira artists used reference for their work but the fact that they actually drew so much of the film really paid off and created a gorgeous visual experience. Included in this are the excellent 'traditional' visual effects, e.g. light trails left by the bikes, all being executed phenomenally well with clever colour and light work. Lastly, the artists 'taking on' each and every challenge the screenplay presented. As mentioned above, there was no shying away from drawing very detailed action but this extended to the horrible, fleshy growths, as well as the bikes and the guns - the things that make Akira iconic. Where some fillmmakers would have gone for artistic, clever workarounds, these artists just got stuck in, again doing everything on 'manual' and leaving very little to the imagination. That ultimately sums up the strength of this film - it doesn't try to be too clever nor reinvent the wheel. Instead, it simply tries to be the best at what already exists and does it the right way, even if it's the long way.
The other very strong aspect of Akira is its cinematography. Director Katsuhiro Otomo really did do a lot of things (especially early on in the film) to keep the film visually interesting. For example, the opening police chase takes place in the black of the night, so the entire setting is dark, aside from the cleverly used police searchlight. Once you've just about got used to that, the bright red blood spills that start landing on floor suddenly start staying lit in the dark; great visual interest and clearly communicates what's going on in the shot. Other things like smoke bombs and tunnels added to this and just stopped the film becoming stagnant. Equally, the visual storytelling was very strong throughout. Aside from the random overuse of fade-outs which I just couldn't work out, every shot was decisive and clear. An example of this again comes early on in the film, when Kaneda decides to play chicken with one of the Clown Gang. To make sure there's no mistaking that these two are headed directly for each other, we see them align themselves with the white road markings, bang in the middle of the screen. That way there's no mistaking what's about to happen and when it's over, you've unquestionably learned something about Kaneda's character. Overall, the film presents ideas unquestionably clearly and does so visually, so that it doesn't have to spoon-feed the viewer with dialogue.
The characters in Akira are also really damn cool. Particularly considering the time the film came out, a lot of the established archetypes and tropes we know today weren't yet established (or were even created by this film tbh) so a lack of rounded, flawed characters is forgiveable. Kaneda is the focus of the film and they did an amazing job with his design and really made a lot his poses very strong, almost as if they knew they would be iconic in the future. His dialogue is even great at times, his final showdown with Tesuo being the absolute peak. Tetsuo again is a really interesting character, with just(!) enough backstory to make his arc believable (another great directing choice was to have him become more demented as his powers unlock, resembling himself less and less as he regresses) but really, that's about it. Most of the rest of the characters pretty much have one motivation and one mood throughout the film. It also has to be said there's very little diversity of characters in Akira, meaning there's little conflict in decision-making. There are honestly 3 female characters in the whole thing, 2 of whom exist predominantly as romantic interests for male characters (this film unsurprisingly passes no form of the Bechdel test). Maybe a wider range of major, powerful characters would have made for a better story too.
Yeah, that story really was promising initially but ultimately led to nothing. What is Akira about? What actually happens? What are the consequences? These obviously aren't the focal points of the film but what seems like such an intriguing, interconnecting story in the first half of the film, ultimately ends with a sourly disappointing lack of payout in the second half. It wasn't anyone's actions or decisions that stopped Tetsuo in the end. We don't know what Kaneda wanted from life nor whether he got it at the end of the film. And the fabled Akira reappearred, all to do almost nothing. Again, I understand the plot isn't the focus of this iconic film but that's what I personally watch films for, so it's a bit of a let-down that such an enjoyable journey had a mediocre destination.
Overall score for me is a 7 but make no mistake, this is the gold standard when it comes to hand-drawn animation.