Review of Akira (1988) by Thomas G — 14 Jul 2011

Akira is probably the most influencial anime film to date, because it features almost every cliche in anime. The only cliche that it did not have is the random mecha. At first, I did not think that there would be any tentacles, because it stays clear of that. It is not until the gruesome and insane last twenty minutes that tentacles are featured. As it is influencial, it is familiar as well because of both its quotes and single shots. By quotes, I mean one, which is "Tetsuo!!!". The action in the film is energetic and keeps you at the edge of your seat. The chases between motorcycle gangs is very interesting, due to the hand-drawn slickness and the wierd-ass score. It sounds almost like any techno music you would hear during a news report (oddly enough).

I love this film because of the influence it has on this genre, and because of its action. However, my one true complaint about the film is this; you don't care about the characters, you kind of care about the plot, but you just don't in a way. It is the definition of any American action film, but it is done way better than most of them. The one thing that I could say "pissed me off" (spoiler) was this... one character dies very gruesomely at the end that was really random. There was no point to it, and it could be cut out and it wouldn't affect the film at all. With everything as good as it was, it should not have done that. I don't hate the death because I was scared of it, it was because it was just so pointless that I was left saying, "you're kidding, right?" Despite this, the death will stick with you for a while after you watch the film.

Overall, it has a great setting that I never mentioned (2019 AD after WW3), great action, great design, and an okay plot. It does have its flaws, but it is still a must-see for anyone who loves hardcore anime (and I'm not talking about hentai).