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Akira Movie Review

“I am Tetsuo!” - Tetsuo Shima
Akira is a 1988 anime film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. It's about a biker gang called the Capsules led by high school student Shotaro Kaneda. In the midst of a gang war, runt of the litter Tetsuo Shima gets into a bike accident with a young child with mystical powers. As a result of this, Tetsuo gets powers of his own. But as he abuses his powers, he becomes a very dangerous threat to the city of Neo Tokyo.
As if this film wasn’t crazy enough, what makes it even crazier is when you take into account that all of the incredibly visceral action contained in the film is entirely a product of somebody holding a pencil.  This whole film is entirely hand-drawn. That’s insane when you think about it, because the animation has a way of not even feeling like animation. It’s really fluid, but also really gritty, making it look both old-fashioned and futuristic at the same time.  It’s super realistic, which can sometimes be hard to find in an animated film.
Now let’s talk about the story. It’s incredible. One of the most inventive visions of the future I’ve seen. It starts out very straightforward, pulling you in with engrossing characters, and incredible action, and then as it goes on, it gets very complex and deep.  This makes the replay value very very high. That’s just part of what makes it so good.
And the music… my God, it’s absolutely phenomenal. And it relies heavily on vocals and percussion. The visuals are amazing. The bright neon colors drew me in from the start. And the world of Neo Tokyo is so cool! The scenery is incredible!  It’s a place that I think at least would be pretty cool to live in.
Akira is one of my favorite anime films of all time, and I highly recommend this ultra-violent sci-fi actioner for anyone looking for a good futuristic film. Even If you don’t like animated movies.
Rating: R

Grade: A+

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