Akira (1988)

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

Director:

Katsuhiro Ôtomo

Writers:

Katsuhiro Ôtomo (screenplay), Izô Hashimoto (screenplay)

Stars:

Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama

Top Rated Movies #249 | 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mitsuo Iwata	...	Kaneda (voice)
Nozomu Sasaki	...	Tetsuo (voice)
Mami Koyama	...	Kei (voice)
Tesshô Genda	...	Ryu (voice) (as Tetsusho Genda)
Hiroshi Ôtake	...	Nezu (voice) (as Hiroshi Otake)
Kôichi Kitamura	...	Lady Miyako / Committee A (voice) (as Koichi Kitamura)
Michihiro Ikemizu	...	Inspector / Committee I (voice)
Yuriko Fuchizaki	...	Kaori (voice)
Masaaki Ôkura	...	Yamagata (voice) (as Masaaki Okura)
Tarô Arakawa	...	Army / Committee G / Eiichi Watanabe (voice) (as Taro Arakawa)
Takeshi Kusao	...	Kai (voice)
Kazumi Tanaka	...	Army (voice)
Masayuki Katô	...	Engineer Sakiyama / Committe D (voice) (as Masayuki Kato)
Yôsuke Akimoto	...	Harukiya Bartender (voice) (as Yosuke Akimoto)
Masato Hirano	...	Committee F / Spy / Yûji Takeyama / Terrorist (voice)

Storyline

Kaneda is a bike gang leader whose close friend Tetsuo gets involved in a government secret project known as Akira. On his way to save Tetsuo, Kaneda runs into a group of anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader. The confrontation sparks off Tetsuo's supernatural power leading to bloody death, a coup attempt and the final battle in Tokyo Olympiad where Akira's secrets were buried 30 years ago.

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Plot Keywords:

post thermonuclear war | cyberpunk | biker gang | gifted child | science runs amok | 

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Taglines:

The definitive science fiction masterpiece. This is an unmissable anime classic!

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic violence and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Bandai Visual [Japan] Official Site [United States]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

16 July 1988 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Akira: The Special Edition

Box Office

Budget:

JPY 1,100,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$553,171

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$80,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Akira Committee Company Ltd., Akira Studio, TMS Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) DTS (re-release) Dolby (35 mm prints) Dolby Digital (2001 re-issue) Dolby (Dolby TrueHD 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was re-released in the United Kingdom on 21 September 2016. Leter comes a 3-disc Blu-Ray edition. Now it's becoming the most talked about anime films throught the UK, but mostly in England and Scotland.

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Goofs

When the camera is far away from Akira's capsule, the nameplate is in katakana (a Japanese alphabet). When Tetsuo walks closer, it has mystically been translated to Romaji (English) characters.

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Quotes

Yamagata: Huh? Where is Kaneda? Answer me!
Tetsuo: He's probably dead.

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Crazy Credits

Credits roll with Big Bang-like footage of stars and galaxies, in the background.

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Alternate Versions

2001 re-release of the English language includes a new English dub script and voice cast.

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Connections

Featured in Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime (2003)

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Soundtracks

Mutation
/"Ohjifuchi"
Performed by Geinoh Yamashirogumi

User Reviews

Great Animation Film

I only recently watched Akira (though I have heard a lot about it) and I must say I am impressed (so much that I bought the DVD). This is, beyond any doubt, one of the best animated films in existence. Visually impressive, solid direction, with a compelling story (if a little complicated), just the right amount of character development, good and very appropriate soundtrack and an extensively detailed New Tokyo, Akira manages to be as groundbreaking as it was when it was first released.

It's only drawback is that most people (including me) will probably have to watch it again (and again maybe) to completely understand the full story. Highly recommended (especially to anime fans). I give it 8 out of 10.