Smith Akira

     Akira is a pretty killer movie. There are all sorts of cool things in it like spaceships, mutants, violence, motorcycles, and Japan! My favorite part of the film, however, is none of these. It is the little old man children (I'm not the biggest fan of the little old woman child.). They look really cool and, without spoiling anything, their pasts are about as interesting as it gets. The craziest part about these guys is their ability to shapeshift. In the film they use their telekinetically charged super child brains  to torment their adversaries by transmogrifying into violent, monstrous replications of childhood toys. I like the way this is done because it reflects the intensity of their powers while remaining true to their childish frames of reference.


This is my favorite character, Masaru. How cute is he?!
Now imagine him turning into a giant teddy bear and
beating you to death.

     These little cuties' powers are made possible in part by Akira's super outdated special effects. The film's special effects are the most obvious timestamp of its production, but they sort of help to accentuate the timelessness of the work.  The fact that such a marginally important element of the film is the only element which has not stood the test of time goes to show the advanced nature of Akira's overall production. The concepts of nuclear apocalypse and the downward spiral of society, for example, remain relevant in the realm of storytelling. Additionally, Akira's quality and style of animation not only played a large part in inspiring today's anime, but also rival said anime quite competitively-- even with its 23 year handicap.

     Akira is pretty cool in the violence department. The presence of motorcycles and space age technology makes for some really interesting fight scenes. Lots of blood. Very cool.  The gnarliest fights take place between the the "Capsule" biker gang and the "Clown" biker gang. In the gangs' engagements, the film's choreographers integrate standard elements of hand-to-hand fighting with vehicular chases and makeshift street weaponry to create fight sequences which are not only violent, but also fluid and inspired.

     Akira is smooth as eggs.