Even years after Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira was made and released, it remains a remarkable piece of cinema. Its story, its technical achievement within the field of animation, and its blunt portrayal of a social blueprint that no one dared to speak of during the '80s. Akira was and will be important in the wide space of genre cinema, and not only because it dared to step into the difficult territory of animation for adults, but because it did with so much relevance. You will probably never find a film like it in the past or the immediate future. When anime was only known as the cheap format shown on television the Akira Committee raised the stakes and illuminated audiences.

However, many would argue that a film, and an animated one for that matter, made in 1988 would seem outdated today. Objectively, we could admit that they're partially right. Anime isn't a big deal today as it was in the past. CGI has depleted all other forms of animation and when stop-motion and traditional analog animation take the stand, they do so for exclusively artistic purposes. But in our current pop culture status, nostalgia plays a big part. It could help modern viewers step into the world of Akira and Neo-Tokyo. Once that step is taken, there's a relentless force that will pull them in. After many rewatches, we are certain this will happen.

We're not trying to sell you the idea of watching Akira as soon as possible. What we're trying to help you understand is why this film is considered to be the greatest anime movie of all time. Actually, scratch "considered." This is the greatest anime film of all time. There's nothing like it, and there never will be.

Breaking the Boundaries of Traditional Animation and Storytelling

Akira Film
Toho

At first, Otomo wasn't thinking of taking the Akira manga to the big screen. He felt it was impossible because the universe is much bigger than what he actually got to do in the film. Budget-wise he felt limited, and the artistic vision wasn't one to be sacrificed for the sake of a quick release that didn't include what he intended to do with the film. After a couple of years, creative control was his and this is how the Akira Committee was created, one that would work under an unprecedented budget at the time for animation. Ten million dollars and almost eight companies working together to bring to life the story drawn by Otomo. To call this ambitious is an understatement.

Otomo used traditional storyboarding for the whole film. He edited cuts before the artists started drawing. And he made sure to include pre-scored dialogue. No longer would the sound not match the characters' mouths, as they would be animated based on their voice acting and their body movements. Also, the film would include special effects, early CGI animation, and all kinds of resources and elements that were used in the cyberpunk and science fiction genres. Otomo created a standard for his film, and he made sure everyone stayed within the boundaries of his design.

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The result was a beautiful epic film through which Western audiences got hooked on anime. It was violent, visually outstanding, and it told a story that went beyond the simplistic and usual tone of animated films. It gave adults a reason to let go of prejudice, and it opened the minds of millions who didn't see the artistic value of a medium usually addressed to children. Akira also confirmed the myth created by anime TV shows in which the style was a secondary element because of budget and production value. This one looked good, and it told a story far more important than people thought at first.

The '80s were an essential era for science fiction. The classics you see today were made in that decade. Akira fused together a great production with sci-fi to tell a story about our relationship with technology and religion, and how those two can model our social evolution. The original manga told the story of a rebellious prisoner who discovers their ESP abilities. His friend tries to release him before a scientific experiment can turn the patient into something much more dangerous. The film portrayed the destruction and resurrection of an apocalyptic version of Tokyo, and Western audiences trembled at the resemblance of this storyline with the nuclear panic they were still part of.

Akira Stands the Test of Time

A scene from the animated Akira Film
Toho

An Akira rewatch is always a great opportunity to dig into the complex themes of Otomo's film. We use each one of themto try to understand the third act a bit better and come up with a version of what Akira actually represents in the end. There's a metaphysical aspect in the film that still feels mysterious and very interesting to this day. Gods? Yeah, it can't be that simple.

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The film still looks great. Its groundbreaking animation style is no match for modern technologies that users have applied to see how Akira looks like 60 frames per second. We are modifying a product of our past to experiment. We don't understand that an artist's vision should not be tampered with and that the film doesn't look better when "enhanced."

Nevertheless, we know it's a lost battle. Younger audiences only need to take a leap of faith and take that first step into the Akira universe. Technology is helpful, but sometimes it's still a backdrop to a wonderful story about chaos and how it resets the future. Hopefully, this is how people see it and how they will in the near future where Akira will remain a classic because it dared to portray the impossible.

Akira is available to stream on Hulu.