Akira is the 1988 anime film that introduced the Western world to modern anime. It is directed by Katsuhiro Otomo and is the film adaptation based on his 2,000 page hit manga.
The story begins in 1988 when an unexplained explosion, believed to be an atomic bomb, completely destroys Tokyo and marks the beginning of WWIII precipitating the creation of Neo-Tokyo, a dark and dangerous futuristic megalopolis that had risen from the post-war ashes of the old city.
By 2019 Neo-Tokyo is a police state that crawls with gangs and terrorists. Corrupt politicians barely keep order by puppeteering a powerful military. Rising civil unrest leads to a revolutionary undertone.
From this complex setting comes the story of childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda, members of the biker gang The Capsules, and their inadvertent immersion into a mysterious military operation that leads them on a quest of discovery that unravels to expose the destructive powers of Akira.
Check out the 2006 Absolut Vodka ad that features Akira as the Absolute Anime.
Here is the Akira movie trailer.
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Cool story dude. I think I’ll rent it now. In spite of the tons of anime I’ve translated for fansubbers I’ve never seen this one.
Thanks nihonjon. It’s worth a watch.
Fansub translator? Wow… cool man. Impressed (and thankful… you guys deserve more recognition!)
Finally had the time to watch it so i ran by tsutaya this morning.
Great show! Especially since it’s free from most the cliche stuff that has me tired of Anime.
Akira! this was the first ever digitally enhanced anime or something? (I know it’s the first of something). It was also one of the first animes I ever watched, I’m not sure it’s a good anime to start off with though
very weird.
it was the first at something. the first of it’s genre? the first to use lip-synced dialogue?
agree with you about it being a bit weird. but the quality of the production is amazing given it was made in 1988. reminds me a bit like blade runner at times.
I think it was the first anime to have sp,e computer generated effects in it, before it all other animes were completely hand drawn (I think). It was still amazing
The Akira manga is amazing. Its art work blew me away when reading it. I’m always tempted to buy a cheap second hand copy of it in Japanese, but I’m just not smart enough or motivated enough to read it that way.
I keep hearing about there being a live action US remake of Akira… except set in NYC. You can’t have Akira without Tokyo exploding!
I agree. A remake of Akira set in NYC just doesn’t seem right. Seems to be in development though according to IMDB. But every now and then you hear that the project has been scrapped. Rumour is that Leonardo di Caprio will produce it and act in it. hmmmm…
Here is a semi humorous spoof of The American Akira.