Thirty years after its 1988 release, Katsuhiro Otomo's animated adaptation of Akira remains one of film industry's most influential entries within science-fiction, and most deservedly, its fluid animation and themes were far beyond its time.
Composed of a record-breaking 2,212 unique shots, 160,000 frames, and 327 different colours, Akira ignored the established methods of animation by pushing for detail and realism. Animating a large portion of the film in a nighttime setting, which enforced the use of additional colours for lighting, shadows, and general detail. This extra step in ensuring the quality of visuals may very well be the best thing about Akira; its cityscape shots of neon are adored famously.
Akira contributed to the dystopia of the cyberpunk genre, displaying themes of high technology, peak capitalism in the form of beautiful and colourful cityscapes, and the familiar setting of poverty among many of the city's inhabitants. Riots are a frequent occurrence, and tensions between citizens and the government are tight. Neo Tokyo is the outcome of a nuclear war, that previously destroyed Old Tokyo.
Akira's narrative isn't quite on the same level of realism, however, with its story riddled with a strange child only referred to as 'Akira' that holds an unyielding destructive power, which is channeled into the psychic Tetsuo. Tetsuo is a troubled teenager, cooped up in gang violence, poverty, and anger. He is unfit to control the power of Akira, as it begins to consume him.
The story can be considered a slow burner, with its build up detailing Tetsuo's slow descent into madness--this does allow the viewer to sit back and admire the beauty within the animation, but will appear a little boring for some.
