In relation to the manga series I spent the last month or so reviewing I thought it would be appropriate to also review the film, as that is the medium by which most people are aware of the story of Akira. And I am glad that I watched it so soon after reading the series at is provides excellent contrast points by which to discuss. With that is mind, I will first discuss what I enjoy about the movie.
First, the animation is amazing, and for a movie more than two decades old it doesn't show it. The action is fluid and the coloring is fantastic. The mood is established early on with long periods of silence and an occasional drum beat is put forth to add a level of drama that is missing from the manga. The battle scenes also play out well, showing the horrors of battle and the true violence that encompasses them. It was also nice to see the characters living and breathing to a certain extent (at least as well as can be done in a cartoon). However, with that, much else is left to criticism.
I was not at all pleased with the dubbing work in English and would implore anyone watching this to seek out and watch the Japanese version with English subtitles. The English voice acting is pretty weak and some voices don't fit. In regard to the colors, while I do admire them, it felt wrong to a point. The black and white of the manga felt gritty and added to the story where here the colors sometimes overwhelm the eyes, especially when there are a lot of computers and wires. That is a minor gripe, however. My major ones involve the story itself. This movie almost felt like some bizarro version of Akira. Like, if someone threw all of the manga volumes into a blender and then told the story with the results. The introduction of Kaori's character in the film felt like a slap in the face. It lacked the heart that the manga had, as she just appears to be some girlfriend of Tetsuo early on, whereas in the manga, she shows up seeking food from Akira later in the series. Another serious issue is the death of Yamagata. In the manga this was a major turning point in the series, when Kaneda and Tetsuo truly break in their frienship and was committed with hundreds of witnesses and was a major scene. In the movie, it appears in the bar with just Kaisuke, Tetsuo and Yamagata present. It sort of cheapens the impact of his death. Even Kaneda's reaction feels canned in the film afterward.
Other issues that irritated me from the film were things like Nezu. In the manga we understand his role and why he's a slimy bastard, but in the film we only really get a small glimpse and it makes little sense. The Espers take too much screen time and have far too much dialogue. They become exposition central depositories and begin to irritate the viewer rather than endearing them as in the manga. The female Esper in particular becomes akin to a narrator, which is very annoying. The Colonel is off as well. In the manga this is a man in complete control and understands the Akira project quite well. However, in the film he comes across as ignorant and devoid of any knowledge of the Akira project. He comes across as a military guy completely, with no other skills. It just feels like a mischaracterization. And Kaneda...in the manga we grow to like and cheer for Kaneda over the course of the series. But here, it feels forced and he's really no different from the beginning. As I said, everything feels like a twisted version of the greatness that was in the manga. Then there are other things that are unforgivable to me. One is the lack of Akira. In the manga he is a real boy, alive and well. In the anime he is dead, nothing but a collection of organs in jars. Why? What was the point? And why does everyone seem to know about him if the project is so top secret? Lady Miyako appears in the film for all of about ten seconds and is killed by a falling car. That makes no sense as she was integral to the manga. It would be like taking Lois Lane out of the Superman story. The end sequence feels extremely rushed. By spending most of the movie focusing on the social unrest and protests, the movie then has to make up for it by tripping over itself in the end. The battle between Kaneda and Tetsuo is almost silly and the role of Kei is so minimized that she becomes a throwaway character in the end. The same can be said of Kaisuke.
The end sequence with Tetsuo going away is so confusing that it makes the manga read like a Dick and Jane book. It was overly confusing and while the flashbacks of Tetsuo and the Espers worked well, the rest didn't I honestly can say I was not impressed with the film after reading the manga. It is a rushed story and has very little of the heart and drama that the manga had. And I am not being overly critical. Read the manga and then watch the film. It will frustrate you to no end. In fact, this is like....if you had to settle with one Akira story but couldn't get ahold of the manga, then watch the movie. But if you have the choice, then by all means, go with the manga as your only option. It is a much more satisfying experience and you will get more out of these characters. Again, it's just my opinion, but remember, I just read the story and then watched the movie so I have a pretty good idea of what is different. Next week we switch gears and go back to the TV dramas. Until then, have a great 4th of July holiday and mata ne!
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