Akira (1988)

Director:

Katsuhiro Ôtomo

Writers:

Katsuhiro Ôtomo (graphic novel) and
Izô Hashimoto (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 July 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Neo-Tokyo is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E.

Plot:

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psionic psychopath that only two kids and a group of psionics can stop.

Plot Keywords:

Secret | Gang | Biker | Government | Friend

Awards:

1 win

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Mitsuo Iwata	...	Shôtarô Kaneda (voice)
Nozomu Sasaki	...	Tetsuo Shima (voice)
Mami Koyama	...	Kei (voice)
Tesshô Genda	...	Ryûsaku (voice) (as Tetsusho Genda)
Hiroshi Ôtake	...	Nezu (voice)
Kôichi Kitamura	...	Priestess Miyako / Council A (voice)
Michihiro Ikemizu	...	Inspector / Council I (voice)
Yuriko Fuchizaki	...	Kaori (voice)
Masaaki Ôkura	...	Yamagata (voice)
Tarô Arakawa	...	Eiichi Watanabe / Council G / Army (voice)
Takeshi Kusao	...	Kai (voice)
Kazumi Tanaka	...	Army (voice)
Masayuki Katô	...	Engineer Sakiyama / Council D (voice)
Yôsuke Akimoto	...	Harukiya Bartender (voice)
Masato Hirano	...	Yûji Takeyama / Spy / Council F (voice)

Also Known As:

Akira: The Special Edition (USA) (reissue title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic violence and brief nudity.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | DTS (re-release) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (video) (1994) | Finland:K-15 (DVD) (2004) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2003) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 | Italy:T | Hungary:16 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Canada:18+ (TV rating) | Brazil:14 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2002) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M (re-rating) (2002) | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16 (nf) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating)

Company:

Akira Committee Company Ltd.

Trivia:

This was one of the first Japanese anime films to have the character's voices recorded before they were animated. While this is the typical practice in U.S. animation, in Japan the animation is generally produced first.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the beginning of the film, in the street bar, the sign on the jukebox changes from "MASTAR" to "MASTER" between shots.

Quotes:

Tetsuo: Heh, heh... what's happened to me? I must be dreaming. I feel like I can take out the world.

Movie Connections:

References Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Soundtrack:

Tokyo Shoeshine Boy

still the cornerstone of all modern anime

i'll admit. Compared to the recent crop of anime, the animation in Akira seems a bit dated and rough. But when you consider what came before Akira, and the profound effect it had on all Japanese animators (just look at everything that has come out since that mirrors the same style and themes), this was justifiably groundbreaking stuff when it was originally released.

The film is very violent, and if you're an unfortunate soul who thinks that animation begins and ends with Disney, your eyes will probably be popping out of your head at some of the images. The plot definately requires the viewer to pay attention since it works with various themes on a lot of different levels to successfully propel the film to it's shocking and over-the-top conclusion.

A true classic in every since of the word and a great starting point for people wanting to get into Japanese animation. And anyone wanting to see where the current crop of anime is derived from, here it is..........

rating:9.5