Akira
- Thread starter Aliengod3
- Start date
BPI
New member
The film is only a fraction of the umpty-thousand page manga (half of which is one big explosion, though I read it 15-20 years ago so I\'m a mite fuzzy on the detail 
). Its reputation comes from it looking cool rather than being a great story. Fun if you\'re in the mood though. Does it look dated nowadays? B.
). Its reputation comes from it looking cool rather than being a great story. Fun if you\'re in the mood though. Does it look dated nowadays? B.
Well, based on my memory of it, the plot goes something like this:
Dudes with awesome motorcycle are into pills, hanging around super-seedy crappy bars and get into some fights.
Creepy blue midgets stare into lights and their eyes get really huge. I think they\'re scared or something.
Some ugly girl gets her shirt ripped off, then punched in the face (her face, not her shirt\'s face.)
Then there\'s this thing with a 3-barrelled machine gun (kinda like you see on a Cobra) that shoots at people in the sewer- volume of fire is inversely related to accuracy; thing puts out 5000+ rounds, then gets shot down with a single 9mm shot to the pilot\'s forehead or something. Then some evil teddy bears come mess with a dude\'s head.
Then there\'s a lot of blurry memories, followed by shooting an awesome man-portable laser pack (the gangster kid\'s got serious connections) and two guys spend the last hour screaming each others\' names while one of them turns into a giant mutant baby that crushes everything, including his girlfriend. Then something blows up, everyone dies, and that\'s the end of the story.
Make sense now?
Dudes with awesome motorcycle are into pills, hanging around super-seedy crappy bars and get into some fights.
Creepy blue midgets stare into lights and their eyes get really huge. I think they\'re scared or something.
Some ugly girl gets her shirt ripped off, then punched in the face (her face, not her shirt\'s face.)
Then there\'s this thing with a 3-barrelled machine gun (kinda like you see on a Cobra) that shoots at people in the sewer- volume of fire is inversely related to accuracy; thing puts out 5000+ rounds, then gets shot down with a single 9mm shot to the pilot\'s forehead or something. Then some evil teddy bears come mess with a dude\'s head.
Then there\'s a lot of blurry memories, followed by shooting an awesome man-portable laser pack (the gangster kid\'s got serious connections) and two guys spend the last hour screaming each others\' names while one of them turns into a giant mutant baby that crushes everything, including his girlfriend. Then something blows up, everyone dies, and that\'s the end of the story.
Make sense now?
Tercha
Member
Plot summary
In 1988, Tokyo is destroyed by an apparent nuclear explosion that leads to the start of World War III. Thirty-one years later, Neo-Tokyo, a new megalopolis built on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, is gripped by political strife, anti-government terrorism, and gang violence. Shotaro Kaneda leads his motorcycle gang, the Capsules, which find themselves in a gang war with another group called the Clowns. As Kaneda and his best friend, Tetsuo, battle a pair of Clowns on a highway, the latter almost runs into a child with wizened features and is injured when his bike suddenly explodes. Tetsuo and the child, Takashi, are taken away by armed soldiers. Kaneda and his gang are taken in for questioning, where Kaneda unsuccessfully flirts with a young woman named Kei, a member of the terrorist Resistance. Kaneda, Kei, and the remaining Capsules are later released.
Colonel Shikishima and Doctor Onishi, two members of a secret government project, discover that Tetsuo possesses mental frequencies similar to Akira, a little boy with essentially god-like mental abilities who destroyed Tokyo decades before. Because Kiyoko, another one of the aged children called the Espers, has had visions of a similar destruction of Neo-Tokyo, the Colonel orders the Doctor to kill Tetsuo should he go out of control. Tetsuo escapes, meeting up with his girlfriend, Kaori, and stealing Kaneda\'s motorcycle. As they attempt to leave the city, they are attacked by Clowns, whom Kaneda and the gang defeat upon their arrival. As Kaneda helps the couple recover, Tetsuo begins to suffer a painful, hallucinatory headache. On the Doctor\'s orders, a government van arrives and takes Tetsuo away. That night, Kaneda sees Kei at the scene of a terrorist attack, helps her avoid arrest, and accompanies her to the Resistance headquarters. Kaneda offers to help after the terrorists unintentionally reveal their plan to infiltrate a high-security hospital to rescue Tetsuo.
That night, the Espers - Takashi, Kiyoko and Masaru - attempt to kill Tetsuo before he grows accustomed to his new powers. However, this only makes Tetsuo more powerful. He goes on a violent rampage through the hospital to the Espers\' hospital room, where he learns that Akira is now in cryogenic storage below Neo-Tokyo\'s new Olympic Stadium. The Colonel, Kei, and Kaneda, arrive too late at the Espers\' room, learning that Tetsuo is heading for the Stadium to meet Akira in the hopes he can give Tetsuo more information about his powers. Kei and Kaneda are detained, but Kiyoko - speaking through Kei as a medium - explains that Tetsuo must be stopped and helps them escape. Meanwhile, Tetsuo kills Yamagata, Kaneda\'s right-hand man. He travels to the Stadium, brutally dispatching soldiers who attack him. Arriving at the Stadium, Tetsuo battles and defeats Kei, who is voluntarily being used by the Espers.
Tetsuo finally unearths Akira\'s cryogenic chamber, only to discover Akira\'s organs, stored inside glass jars. The Colonel - who by now has taken over Neo-Tokyo and declared martial law - tells Tetsuo that Akira\'s remains had been meticulously analyzed after Tokyo\'s destruction and that he\'s been dead the entire time. Kaneda, having learned of Yamagata\'s death from Kai, uses Tetsuo\'s moment of confusion to fire on him with a laser rifle, but Tetsuo is able to block the attacks. While Tetsuo is distracted by Kaneda, the Colonel tries to shoot Tetsuo using an orbital laser weapon but manages only to sever his right arm. Tetsuo takes off into orbit and destroys the weapon, then spends the night recovering at the Stadium, psychically forging himself a new arm from inorganic material while studying Akira\'s organs. His girlfriend Kaori arrives and tries to calm him down as his powers create immense physical pain.
The Colonel pleads with Tetsuo to return to the lab, but Tetsuo attacks the Colonel. When the Colonel fires back, with Kaneda (protected by the Espers) joining the fray, Tetsuo is unable to keep control any longer, and his body begins to transform into a gigantic mass that crushes and kills Kaori. The Espers, watching from afar, realize the only way to stop Tetsuo is to call forth Akira, his life force contained in the body parts in the glass jars. Akira\'s manifestation causes another explosion, and the Espers teleport the Colonel to safety. In spite of Kiyoko and Masaru\'s insistence that trying to save Kaneda alone would be futile, Takashi jumps into the ever-expanding psychic field. Kiyoko and Masaru agree to join Takashi, aware they likely will not be able to return, and help save Kaneda. Kaneda experiences Tetsuo\'s and the Espers\' memories, including how much Tetsuo trusted Kaneda as a friend and how the children obtained their powers. The Espers remove Kaneda from the field and tell him that Akira will be taking Tetsuo \"away\" and to find somewhere safe to ride out the explosion. The explosion engulfs nearly the whole of Neo-Tokyo, and when it shrinks and, finally, vanishes, leaves a void that is quickly filled by the nearby ocean. Kaneda wakes up to find that Kei and Kai are safe, and they drive away from the ruined stadium and the dead city. The credits begin with a Big Bang and Tetsuo saying three last words, \"I am Tetsuo\".
In 1988, Tokyo is destroyed by an apparent nuclear explosion that leads to the start of World War III. Thirty-one years later, Neo-Tokyo, a new megalopolis built on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, is gripped by political strife, anti-government terrorism, and gang violence. Shotaro Kaneda leads his motorcycle gang, the Capsules, which find themselves in a gang war with another group called the Clowns. As Kaneda and his best friend, Tetsuo, battle a pair of Clowns on a highway, the latter almost runs into a child with wizened features and is injured when his bike suddenly explodes. Tetsuo and the child, Takashi, are taken away by armed soldiers. Kaneda and his gang are taken in for questioning, where Kaneda unsuccessfully flirts with a young woman named Kei, a member of the terrorist Resistance. Kaneda, Kei, and the remaining Capsules are later released.
Colonel Shikishima and Doctor Onishi, two members of a secret government project, discover that Tetsuo possesses mental frequencies similar to Akira, a little boy with essentially god-like mental abilities who destroyed Tokyo decades before. Because Kiyoko, another one of the aged children called the Espers, has had visions of a similar destruction of Neo-Tokyo, the Colonel orders the Doctor to kill Tetsuo should he go out of control. Tetsuo escapes, meeting up with his girlfriend, Kaori, and stealing Kaneda\'s motorcycle. As they attempt to leave the city, they are attacked by Clowns, whom Kaneda and the gang defeat upon their arrival. As Kaneda helps the couple recover, Tetsuo begins to suffer a painful, hallucinatory headache. On the Doctor\'s orders, a government van arrives and takes Tetsuo away. That night, Kaneda sees Kei at the scene of a terrorist attack, helps her avoid arrest, and accompanies her to the Resistance headquarters. Kaneda offers to help after the terrorists unintentionally reveal their plan to infiltrate a high-security hospital to rescue Tetsuo.
That night, the Espers - Takashi, Kiyoko and Masaru - attempt to kill Tetsuo before he grows accustomed to his new powers. However, this only makes Tetsuo more powerful. He goes on a violent rampage through the hospital to the Espers\' hospital room, where he learns that Akira is now in cryogenic storage below Neo-Tokyo\'s new Olympic Stadium. The Colonel, Kei, and Kaneda, arrive too late at the Espers\' room, learning that Tetsuo is heading for the Stadium to meet Akira in the hopes he can give Tetsuo more information about his powers. Kei and Kaneda are detained, but Kiyoko - speaking through Kei as a medium - explains that Tetsuo must be stopped and helps them escape. Meanwhile, Tetsuo kills Yamagata, Kaneda\'s right-hand man. He travels to the Stadium, brutally dispatching soldiers who attack him. Arriving at the Stadium, Tetsuo battles and defeats Kei, who is voluntarily being used by the Espers.
Tetsuo finally unearths Akira\'s cryogenic chamber, only to discover Akira\'s organs, stored inside glass jars. The Colonel - who by now has taken over Neo-Tokyo and declared martial law - tells Tetsuo that Akira\'s remains had been meticulously analyzed after Tokyo\'s destruction and that he\'s been dead the entire time. Kaneda, having learned of Yamagata\'s death from Kai, uses Tetsuo\'s moment of confusion to fire on him with a laser rifle, but Tetsuo is able to block the attacks. While Tetsuo is distracted by Kaneda, the Colonel tries to shoot Tetsuo using an orbital laser weapon but manages only to sever his right arm. Tetsuo takes off into orbit and destroys the weapon, then spends the night recovering at the Stadium, psychically forging himself a new arm from inorganic material while studying Akira\'s organs. His girlfriend Kaori arrives and tries to calm him down as his powers create immense physical pain.
The Colonel pleads with Tetsuo to return to the lab, but Tetsuo attacks the Colonel. When the Colonel fires back, with Kaneda (protected by the Espers) joining the fray, Tetsuo is unable to keep control any longer, and his body begins to transform into a gigantic mass that crushes and kills Kaori. The Espers, watching from afar, realize the only way to stop Tetsuo is to call forth Akira, his life force contained in the body parts in the glass jars. Akira\'s manifestation causes another explosion, and the Espers teleport the Colonel to safety. In spite of Kiyoko and Masaru\'s insistence that trying to save Kaneda alone would be futile, Takashi jumps into the ever-expanding psychic field. Kiyoko and Masaru agree to join Takashi, aware they likely will not be able to return, and help save Kaneda. Kaneda experiences Tetsuo\'s and the Espers\' memories, including how much Tetsuo trusted Kaneda as a friend and how the children obtained their powers. The Espers remove Kaneda from the field and tell him that Akira will be taking Tetsuo \"away\" and to find somewhere safe to ride out the explosion. The explosion engulfs nearly the whole of Neo-Tokyo, and when it shrinks and, finally, vanishes, leaves a void that is quickly filled by the nearby ocean. Kaneda wakes up to find that Kei and Kai are safe, and they drive away from the ruined stadium and the dead city. The credits begin with a Big Bang and Tetsuo saying three last words, \"I am Tetsuo\".
Aliengod3
Active member
Thanks for the info Tercha! That definitely fills in some gaps. :beer:
EDIT: I just found this on the internet so it may help fill in some more gaps too
The movie was written and directed by Otomo, based on the popular manga he created. Not surprisingly, the script is written as if the scribe had a clear sense of each character’s aura and importance to the movie’s plot, which of course Otomo would have since it was he himself who created these characters. Akira is two hours long, which is lengthy for an anime
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film, but the extended running time is needed to faithfully encompass the magna and its story from start to finish.
It is the year 2019, 30 years after the first AKIRA project led to the destruction of Tokyo and the start of World War III. The original AKIRA project was a secret experiment to develop a new form of human evolution through the manipulation of the abilities and powers of psychically gifted children. The military hoped to use the children as living weapons, while the scientists had hoped to develop a new genetically superior human being.
But both the military and scientists involved in the project learned too late that the power they were seeking could not be controlled. Akira, one of the children involved in the experiment, developed into a force so great, the he literally destroyed everything about him through a terrifying burst of psychic energy, setting off a nuclear-like explosion which led to the world war.
Now, 30 years later, the military and scientific communities decide to revive the AKIRA project, deluded by narrow-mindedness into thinking they could control a power their predecessors could not.
While each character has a level of importance to weaving the story together into its final outcome, the main characters are the doomed teenage delinquent Tetsuo and his one-time mentor, the equally delinquent Kaneda. Tetsuo is part of the biker gang led by Kaneda. The small-framed Tetsuo is taken lightly by Kaneda and the other members of the bike group. Diminutive and weak, he hasn’t proven himself as an equal, in the mind of Kaneda.
In an effort to improve his status in the gang, Tetsuo races ahead of Kaneda and the others while chasing one of the members of their rival biker gang, the clowns. He winds up accidentally crashing into a psychic child escapee, Takashi, from the scientific lab reinvestigating the AKIRA project.
Tetsuo is then taken by the military, led by the Colonel, to the lab for analysis himself. At the lab, it is discovered that the contact Tetsuo had with Takashi, also known as number 26, has unleashed psychic powers in Tetsuo that had previously been seen in only in Akira himself, number 28.
The effects of the psychic force’s release, however, are too much for Tetsuo to handle, who slowly goes mad as his powers increase. Unable to tolerate his imprisonment and be experimented on, Tetsuo flees the lab.
The Colonel, who recently imposed a military takeover of the government after an unsuccessful attempt to strip him of his authority, pursues Tetsuo. The Colonel intends to use Tetsuo to increase his martial rule.
Meanwhile, a separate faction, of which the agent Kay is part of, is trying to sabotage the AKIRA project to prevent a repeat of the destruction of 30 years ago. Kaneda becomes involved with Kay in his search for his lost friend Tetsuo.
With the Colonel and Kay waiting in the wings, everything leads to a final showdown between Tetsuo and Kaneda. Tetsuo now sees Kaneda as an enemy, jealous of his new abilities.
Fighting against Kaneda with some interference from the Colonel and the military, Akira’s power is again unleashed, this time through Tetsuo, leaving another devastated Tokyo in its wake.
EDIT: I just found this on the internet so it may help fill in some more gaps too
The movie was written and directed by Otomo, based on the popular manga he created. Not surprisingly, the script is written as if the scribe had a clear sense of each character’s aura and importance to the movie’s plot, which of course Otomo would have since it was he himself who created these characters. Akira is two hours long, which is lengthy for an anime
Advertisement
film, but the extended running time is needed to faithfully encompass the magna and its story from start to finish.
It is the year 2019, 30 years after the first AKIRA project led to the destruction of Tokyo and the start of World War III. The original AKIRA project was a secret experiment to develop a new form of human evolution through the manipulation of the abilities and powers of psychically gifted children. The military hoped to use the children as living weapons, while the scientists had hoped to develop a new genetically superior human being.
But both the military and scientists involved in the project learned too late that the power they were seeking could not be controlled. Akira, one of the children involved in the experiment, developed into a force so great, the he literally destroyed everything about him through a terrifying burst of psychic energy, setting off a nuclear-like explosion which led to the world war.
Now, 30 years later, the military and scientific communities decide to revive the AKIRA project, deluded by narrow-mindedness into thinking they could control a power their predecessors could not.
While each character has a level of importance to weaving the story together into its final outcome, the main characters are the doomed teenage delinquent Tetsuo and his one-time mentor, the equally delinquent Kaneda. Tetsuo is part of the biker gang led by Kaneda. The small-framed Tetsuo is taken lightly by Kaneda and the other members of the bike group. Diminutive and weak, he hasn’t proven himself as an equal, in the mind of Kaneda.
In an effort to improve his status in the gang, Tetsuo races ahead of Kaneda and the others while chasing one of the members of their rival biker gang, the clowns. He winds up accidentally crashing into a psychic child escapee, Takashi, from the scientific lab reinvestigating the AKIRA project.
Tetsuo is then taken by the military, led by the Colonel, to the lab for analysis himself. At the lab, it is discovered that the contact Tetsuo had with Takashi, also known as number 26, has unleashed psychic powers in Tetsuo that had previously been seen in only in Akira himself, number 28.
The effects of the psychic force’s release, however, are too much for Tetsuo to handle, who slowly goes mad as his powers increase. Unable to tolerate his imprisonment and be experimented on, Tetsuo flees the lab.
The Colonel, who recently imposed a military takeover of the government after an unsuccessful attempt to strip him of his authority, pursues Tetsuo. The Colonel intends to use Tetsuo to increase his martial rule.
Meanwhile, a separate faction, of which the agent Kay is part of, is trying to sabotage the AKIRA project to prevent a repeat of the destruction of 30 years ago. Kaneda becomes involved with Kay in his search for his lost friend Tetsuo.
With the Colonel and Kay waiting in the wings, everything leads to a final showdown between Tetsuo and Kaneda. Tetsuo now sees Kaneda as an enemy, jealous of his new abilities.
Fighting against Kaneda with some interference from the Colonel and the military, Akira’s power is again unleashed, this time through Tetsuo, leaving another devastated Tokyo in its wake.
Amazon warrior
New member
It\'s interesting how well-known it is though. It\'s the anime that even people who don\'t like anime have probably seen. l thought it was ok, but there are other anime films l like better.
squig hunter
New member
Most of Studio Ghiblis stuff is good, heartwarming certainly, Spirited away, My Neighbour Totoro *starts humming theme song*, Howls Moving Castle etc.
Not seen Akira, must look into it.
Squig
Not seen Akira, must look into it.
Squig
james sequeira
New member
Ghibli films and the Appleseed ones are really well put together, will have to look for this one online.
Amazon warrior
New member
I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Ghibli museum when I lived in Japan- it was charming.
ScottRadom
Shogun of Saskatchewan
I\'m with ya, brutha!
Einion
New member
@Squig, Akira is one of the animes to watch for those interested in the genre, definitely worth seeing if you are so keep an eye out for the occasional showing on TV or rent the DVD.
It\'s not the most accessible of the famous ones, not least because it\'s so long (2 hours and change) but the storyline can be hard for Westerners to grasp, hence this thread, so you need to give it your full attention.
BTW I\'d strongly recommend watching it with the original Japanese voices, even though it means you have to read subtitles.
Einion
It\'s not the most accessible of the famous ones, not least because it\'s so long (2 hours and change) but the storyline can be hard for Westerners to grasp, hence this thread, so you need to give it your full attention.
BTW I\'d strongly recommend watching it with the original Japanese voices, even though it means you have to read subtitles.
Einion
squig hunter
New member
Wouldn\'t dream of anything else mate, dubbing is the devil. Renting it tommorow
Squig
