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C. Mason, Upper Coomera, Qld

M. Bilney, Loganholme, Qld

D. Robert, Beaconsfield, Vic

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E. Donato, Wantirna South, Vic

S. Johnston, Queanbeyan, NSW

L. Courtney, Dongara, WA

T. Boulter, Port Denison, WA

M. Bembo, Avondale Heights, Vic

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REVIEWS: CLASSIC DVD

AKIRA (1988)

DIRECTOR:  KATSUHIRO OTOMO
STARS:  MITSUO IWATA, NOZOMU SASAKI, MAMI KOYAMA
MADMAN ENTERTAINMENT

THE LOWDOWN

IN THE bloody wake of WWIII, Neo-Tokyo rebuilds after a devastating nuclear attack that decimates the city.  In 2019, the city is in upheaval—on the brink.  Delinquent motorcycle gangs run riot at night, going head-to-head in violent and brutal skirmishes. During an altercation with rival gang The Clowns, leader of The Capsule gang, Kaneda, and his childhood friend Tetsuo find their paths intertwined with an experimental and covert government science project.  As chaos takes over the streets, religious fanatics, the military, and splinter resistance cells vie for control of Neo-Tokyo, and at the centre of the conflict stands Tetsuo and his newly manifested (and unpredictable) telekinetic abilities.  Is he Neo-Tokyo’s saviour or destroyer, and where does the mysterious entity known as Akira fit into the maelstrom?

NUTS AND BOLTS

Based on Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga of the same name—which appeared in Young Magazine from 1982-90—Akira remains one of the most ambitious features in animation history, as Otomo attempted to condense his original 2182-page, six-volume epic to a more readily accessible format.  Otomo’s storyboards led to 2212 shots and more than 160,000 single pictures—almost triple the average amount for animation at the time—and an astounding amount of detail. Akira remains Otomo’s signature work, though his most recent effort, Steamboy (released in 2004), is also recommended.

DVD EXTRAS

For such a benchmark film, the special features leave a lot to be desired. Those hoping for behind-the-scenes footage, a retrospective charting the film’s influence, or at the very least an interview with writer, artist and director Katsuhiro Otomo, will be sorely disappointed; extras include the usual trailers and TV spots and little else.  Comic aficionados will rejoice, however, with the inclusion of Otomo’s hand-drawn storyboards—previously available only in an A5-size graphic novel in the rare Japanese Special Edition (collectors will have to scour eBay for this version), plus the newly remastered THX sound and cast vocals in TrueHD 5.1 stereo is a significant improvement on the original Japanese recording.  If you can’t get your hands on the Japan-only release, check out the 2001 Special Edition (packaged in a tin case); it’s full of production stills and interviews, including one with Katsuhiro Otomo.

VERDICT

The Blade Runner of anime-tion, if you have yet to delve into Japanese adult anime, Akira is the best place to start; 20 years on it remains a haunting visual masterpiece.