Akira!

Akira is the most epic anime that I have ever seen with my two eyes. Period.

The above sentence is not enough to summarize how awesome this anime is, and not enough to summarize why mention of it is being made on Aboard the Starship. Akira is based on a series of graphic novels by Katsuhiro Otomo, the same creator who wrote and directed the film. This anime is given high praise because it is a landmark title. Before Akira, anime was infamous for having stilted animation and lip synching that was off with the words. Akira got rid of the medium's annoyances by recording the actors' voices before making the lip synching animations, cranked up the cel animations, inserted a memorable soundtrack, and using a story that blends cyberpunk fiction and a story of political corruption and resistance against an oppressive government wanting to use power-both governmental and psychic-to their own ends. To top it off, the movie is chock full of cool motorcyle sequences.

The back story is that in 1988, a large explosion destroys most of old Tokyo. Fast forwarding to 2019, the story focuses on a biker gang who through a series of events get involved with a group of terrorists trying to take down Neo-Tokyo's dystopian, third-world government. One of the bikers, Tetsuo Shima, is horribly injured after almost running over a child psychic who makes his bike explode. Tetsuo is taken in by the military government to be a test subject in enhancing his psychic capabilities. Kaneda, Tetsuo's best friend, is determined to save him, but can he face against his friend whose powers are growing at a frightening rate?

Akira goes with the old wisdom of science fiction; science fiction is not used to tell the future, but to prevent the future from happening. The military in Akira rounded up children in Japan and performed experiments to enhance their psychic potential. Not to spoil the story, but one of the children, the title character in the story who does not fully appear until the end, is responsible for blowing up Neo Tokyo. Given Japan's history of being bombed by two atomic weapons, there is a message of using and exploiting technology. Moreso, there is a message of exploiting and abusing people with that technology. There is only concern for power, and power is used by the corrupt and turns people like Tetsuo, who is in a rivalry with his friend Kaneda, into power-hungry maniacs.

The movie is also a critique on the old fashioned Japanese type of honor. The Colonel, the figure responsible for the program that performed experiments on the children, is a figure who believes the miiltary should be the sole authority of a city that is ridden in gangs and corruption. He can be compared to an anachronistic shogun who believes the samurai code should continue to thrive in the light of new developments in civil rights and technology.

Below is a parody by Harry Partridge of the American production of Akira that will be coming in 2011. Yes, that's right. An American production of Akira. In 2011. Wonder how that will turn out...I sorely apologize that the screen is rather squished on the blog.



- Kristopher