Skip to main content

The Animated Addict: "Akira" (1988)


The Animated Addict is back with a review of possibly one of the MOST influential animated movies of ALL time- 1988's "Akira".

Years after the mysterious destruction of most of Tokyo, a new city- Neo-Tokyo has grown around the ruins of the old city.  Rebellion is becoming an every day event, and bike gangs wage turf wars throughout the streets.  During one such skirmish, Tetsuo- a member of the Capsules is injured.  Before his friend Kaneda can get him to a hospital, the military shows up and spirits the injured Tetsuo away.  As he seeks to find out what happened to his friend, Kaneda gets involved with a rebel plot... and learns that his closest friend may in fact be his biggest threat...

"Akira" is the film that opened the Western World completely to anime and Japanese pop culture.  The story has influenced movies from "Blade Runner" and "The Matrix" to even the Star Wars prequels, and "Inception"  It created an entryway into North American culture for world phenomenons like "Dragon B", Naruto", "Pokemon".

The story is based on a manga- though does diverge a fair bit in the latter part.  In fact, this anime encouraged me to seek out and read the original manga.  It's a tightly written, fast paced, and engaging story.  It smoothly melds sci-fi, action, and suspense into a truly entertaining ride.

And the animation... oh my fucking god!  The animation.  The Japanese animation industry has always been known for stunning visuals- and "Akira" does not disappoint.  Not at all.  There are fine details, phenomenal shading and lighting effects.  The backgrounds are just as amazing.  Everything from the small small rocks lifting up from the ground as Tetsuo using his abilities to the vibrant, electric city designs combine to create a visual treat for the eyes.

The characters are well crafted and developed during the course of the stories- and you come to like both the protagonists Kaneda, The Colonel, and even the antagonist, Tetsuo.  They are NOT your standard North American cartoon characters.  They are fully realized personalities that engage you in a mature fashion.

The English voice actors did a great job of dubbing the lines in a way that gets across the proper tone and emotion for the scenes.

I also really enjoyed the scoring for this movie as well.  It was unique and stood out from the normal stuff you'd find in an animated film.

I'm going to have to say that "Akira" is still a remarkable piece of animated cinema that stands the test of time.  I would certainly recommend watching it.  Without a doubt, it goes in "The Good".
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Justin Cider welcomes a Homewrecker to the Fanily

COVID-19 has impacted pretty much everything and, although some industries have slowly been able to get rolling again, sport is one that remains in limbo. This holds true for the world of Thrash Wrestling, which we in The Basement are a proud sponsor of. But the men and woman of Thrash Wrestling continue to challenge each other, and entertain fans, in a creative way. Which is why Jason and Shawn welcome Thrash Wrestler Justin Cider into the ring... err, Basement, when From The Basements takes over the Radio NL 610 AM airwaves at 6:05 tonight! Cider will update listeners on how Thrash Wrestling continues with social distancing in place. And he'll shed some light on the future of the sport, how people can support his Fanily, and more! And stick with us, as Justin joins The Basement Boys for a review of the new horror/comedy Homewrecker starring Alex Essoe and Precious Chong. Does this female-focused comedic thriller deliver the goods? Tune in after the 6 o'clock news ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 5 quotes from the Rambo franchise

It's Rambo Day, which means it's a day we celebrate all things Rambo. And no, we didn't make that up. It's a real thing, and part of the lead in to Rambo: Last Blood coming out on Friday. We were going to celebrate by doing a Top 5 favourite Rambo kills, but the fine folks at Arrow in the Head already did something like that, so I figured why not share our favourite Rambo quotes. I like quotes. Quotes are good. Anyway, here we go with our Top 5, in no particular order: 5) "They drew first blood." - John Rambo, First Blood (1982) Because it's always cool when the hero references the title of the movie in a quote. 4) "Live for nothing, or die for something. Your call." - John Rambo, Rambo (2008) Because it's 100-per-cent truth, and is the exclamation mark on a great monologue by Stallone. 3) "I could have killed 'em all. I could kill you. In town, you're the law. Out here, it's me. Don't push it, or I'l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grace Victoria Patterson returns

What's this? Two podcasts From The Basement in less than nine months? Has the world gone mad!?! No, but when past Basement guest Grace Victoria Patterson asked nicely if she could return to this fine podcast, Jason and Shawn -- agreeable sorts that they are -- said yes. Hence we have this new episode for your ear holes! Grace provides an update on her career, which has seen the cheerleader-turned-actress appear in no fewer than eight films plus a TV series, with more projects on the way. She and Jason talk all about this, plus some other stuff. What kind of stuff? Stick with us! And stay tuned, as The Basement Boys discuss a whole slew of movies and television, including the Netflix Jimmy Savile documentary, The Batman, the horror romp The Cellar and more! It's podcasting that's so awesome, you'll be awesomed out by its awesomeness! What are you waiting for? Push play and enjoy!
Post a Comment
Read more