Looking back on Akira (1988)
Known as one of, if not, the most influential anime of all time, Akira (1988) is an anime classic that has garnered a significant cult following.
Akira is an anime about the dystopian future Tokyo after the catastrophic ‘Akira’ incident, causing World War 3 to break. The anime begins with the depiction of Kaneda’s (and Tetsuo’s) biker gang, showing off their post-modern motorcycle and a sudden clash with rival biker gang.
This juvenile delinquency is not the only thing going on in Neo-Tokyo, the rebuild of Tokyo after the ‘Akira’ incident. There were a protest happening on the other side of the state, which plays as the starting gear for the whole movie. This fascist state of Neo-Tokyo is full of what we call ‘dystopian future’; inequality, corruption, social unrest, and distrust to the government — which are suppressed by the military. These aspects are the strong driving forces which makes the world-building feels full, not to mention that it’s consistent throughout the movie.
Tetsuo, the metaphor for Japan
Tetsuo Shima is the main antagonist in the movie and is one of Kaneda’s biker gang member. Though the plot are explained in more detail in the manga, his villainous actions are rather inconsistent, but not without a reason. We have to understand that Tetsuo had a rough childhood, his parents dismissed him to the orphanage when he was a baby and he also got bullied growing up. He’s got Kaneda who protect him though, especially in adolescence years, but instead it further develops his inferiority complex as seen in later in the movie where he’s tired of ‘living in Kaneda’s shadow’ and wanted to ‘stand up for himself’ after awakening his psychic power.
Tetsuo started as a deuteragonist, which then he awakens his psychic power after he got into an accident with one of the government’s test subject, Takashi. In the process of ripening his psychic power, he got in trouble many times, clearly showing that the power he awakened was too powerful for him to wield and that he’s nowhere near ‘worthy’ of it. The test subjects (the ESPers) knew this, which then they tried to murder him to erase the power too powerful for Tetsuo to bear.
The test subjects failed, and after surviving an attempt from the test subject to kill Tetsuo, his personality took a drastic turn for the worse. He then run amok looking for Akira which resides in a cryochamber under the Neo-Tokyo Olympics Stadium construction site. He killed the military and civilians along the way, only to find the preserved remaining of Akira which have been dissected after the world war 3 broke. His mutation only got worse though, and he struggles to maintain his physical form until the end of the movie, which made him looks less and less like human and more like a monster. This transformation can be interpreted, however, as a metaphor to the bombing of Japan in the WW2 and its impact on Japanese people at that time.
When seen as a whole and thoroughly in both manga and anime, Tetsuo’s character and personality is more of a kid who misunderstood the world around him and a victim of soulless government experiment. If you’re interested to dig deeper in his character, this video essay and its discussion explains better and thoroughly about Tetsuo’s actions and his past.
The ‘impact’ of Atomic Bombs
Some sources also mentions that the depiction of Neo-Tokyo in Akira (1988) and their manga predecessor is an metaphor to Japan after the world war. After got hit by not one, but two atomic bombs, for lack of better words ‘traumatizing’ is what comes to mind. Note that atomic bomb has an after-effect, the radiation itself killed millions after the bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Katsuhiro Otomo used similar representative imagery, such as the ‘Akira’ incident, the Olympics, and how Tetsuo struggles to maintain his physical being after awakening his psychic power.
Some might argue that the ‘Akira’ technology/power is a metaphor for the whole Manhattan Project back in WW2 which brought destruction to Japan, similarly the way how ‘Akira’ brought destruction to Tokyo & Neo-Tokyo. It’s also mentioned that ‘Akira’ lives in each and every being, but not all can awaken its power, only to further strengthen the argument that ‘Akira’ is indeed a reference to the atomic power. It serves as both a critic and a reminder that we once had humongous destructive power with little to no responsibility nor restrain.
When Tetsuo’s power grew uncontrollably, so does his physical form. He struggles with it from earlier part of the film when he tried to cure it by taking medicine from his former gang’s bartender, only to fail. This deformed look is a reference to ‘Hibakusha’, surviving victims of the atomic bombs which fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The victims of atomic bombs in Japan also used drugs and medications in order to try to survive, only to be in vain for most.
The obsession with the post-war depiction veils the whole franchise, as the ‘misuse of technology’ can be argued as one of the strongest driving force of the world of Akira, along with corruption & social unrest.
Mass destruction and hopes for the better future
At the very end of Akira (1988), Neo-Tokyo was destroyed by the very power, blinding blast of Akira after being awakened by the three ESPers. Then, sunlight shines through the clouds, as if giving hopes for the better future. Perhaps that was the purpose all along. Greed for power breeds destruction, and destruction breeds change. That is only if the successor breaks the cycle and stops the unsatiable hunger for power that only leads to destruction all over again.
Groundbreaking art
Apart from the complex & layered written story, it’s dystopian art style is just as complex and appealing to the eye (also one of the main reason why it’s so appealing to much of the fans). It breaks the stigma at that time when anime is only seen as a cheap television show that anyone can’t take seriously. The iconic art director, Toshiharu Mizutani, along with other artist, produced tons of production backdrops, layouts, concepts, and image boards for the movie, many of which deserves its own spotlight. In the recent exhibition ‘Akira — The Architecture of Neo-Tokyo’, they showed 59 artworks many of which has never shown publicly.
Keep in mind that the movie and its artworks are made in 70s-80s (40 – 50 years ago!), when anime was drawn by hand with little to no CGI. Akira (1988) itself has a huge impact in pop culture, both in Japan and in the western media, as seen in Kanye’s ‘Stronger’ music video down below. You can also see the influence artists got as they reference to the infamous Kaneda’s bike slide.
Despite being released over three decades ago, Akira remains highly relevant today. Its commentary on societal issues, such as government control, social unrest, and the dangers of technology, still resonate with audiences today. It serves as a cautionary tale and continues to provoke discussions on the implications of our actions in a rapidly changing world.
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