The groundbreaking film that brought 'anime' to the western world, Akira makes up for a lack of coherent storytelling with breathtaking animation.

Made in 1988, Akira shows us a vision of dystopian Tokyo in the year 2019. The plot, based on a 2000 page Manga, is impossible describe in a short 300 word review, but loosely it revolves around two bike gang members, Shotaro (Mitsuo Iwata) and his friend Tetsuo (Nozomu Sasaki). When Tetsuo develops supernatural powers, which he is unable to control after a dangerous crash with a strange mythical being, it is left up to Shotaro to save him. Yet the further Shotaro delves into the underbelly of Tokyo, the darker and weirder it’s secrets become.

The easiest and most obvious criticism to be made about the film is its far fetched and quite frankly out of control plot, but that may be missing the point. Any film that takes on the challenge of fitting an epic Manga into a two hour film may not be as concerned with producing a neat narrative of its story as it will be with focussing on the complex themes that arise from it. Japan’s turbulent history, which has struggled with the implications of Hiroshima and countless earthquakes, means that its popular culture is obsessed with disaster, whether man-made or natural. Akira is no different. Its imagery evokes the shattering impact of an earthquake, while its philosophy questions the ethics of using the atom bomb.

On a more simplistic level, the animation is spectacular. During the making of the film, the director Katsuhiro Otomo went massively over budget and you can see where the money went. The night time scenes in particular have a wonderful visual splendour. Akira should be judged by the animation that gave it a legacy around the world and brought ‘anime’ into the mainstream. You may struggle to recall the plot at the end of the film, but it is the imagery that will stick with you.