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Oct 10, 2022
Sukeban Deka (Delinquent Detective) seems to be the genesis for some of my favourite anime and manga involving tomboyish female leads going against the status quo (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Kill la Kill). While the 1975 manga is ancient by comparison, this two-episode OVA was only released in 1991. While it doesn’t come anywhere near the heights of the previously mentioned series, this movie-length watch is still a fantastically ridiculous and fun ride that’s unfortunately knocked down quite a few steps by a single upsetting choice.
The first episode kicks off with Saki Asamiya, who we’re constantly reminded is a ‘delinquent’, being offered a choice. She’s locked
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up in juvenile detention, which is the first of many nonsensical things that happen. Saki is one of the kindest people in the cast, always ready to fight for someone in need. But here she is in a literal cell despite being a high-schooler, seemingly just for being a ‘delinquent’. This is never explained, and we’re expected to believe she’s a violent, untamable criminal, when the show only shows her being the exact opposite.
In order to get released early, she must go undercover at her old school and gather evidence of wrongdoings for the police. It’s also promised that her mother (who’s on death row) will have her new execution date cancelled if she agrees. So she does, and things immediately start speeding along.
The first thing you’ll notice is the relentless pace of the camera and story. Shots and scenes only last a few seconds before cutting to the next one. Pictures of a snake keep flashing on-screen whenever the bad guys appear, which starts off confusing and ends up annoying. It’s pretty disorientating, but it helps us get to the good stuff quicker. We’re introduced to assistant principal Numa, a stern, badass teacher trying to keep the school together and Saki’s handler Jin, a mysterious trench-coat-donning detective who helps Saki with her investigations. And, unfortunately, there’s Sampei, a boy from Saki’s school that peeks up her dress and then does nothing but follow her around and be annoying. It wouldn’t be a retro anime without a pervert being the go-to source of bad comic relief.
Besides Saki, the stars of the show are the villains. The three Mizuchi sisters are the ones controlling the school and running various corrupt schemes behind the scenes. They all have fantastic character designs, with bold, evil eyes and a superb, colourful fashion sense. Each has a unique personality and goal, ranging from winning an art contest to country-wide domination. Remi’s eyes swapping from a sleepy, inky void to the sharp and dangerous slits of a snake are great. In fact, the art style and designs are stunning across the board, and the characters stand out from many other 90s anime while still capturing the essential 90s style that attracts people in the first place. Even the side characters like Numa and Jin are designed to stand out and mainly just be cool. Saki is of course the greatest hit here, looking like a prototype Utena with iconic pink hair and a no-nonsense yet caring attitude.
In terms of animation, Sukeban Deka does its best with what it has. The fight scenes (which are the main attraction, of course) are pretty impressive and action-packed, although you can tell the budget wasn’t on their side. Saki steals the show with her ceramic yoyo that she uses as a weapon to attack and entwine attackers. Ayumi and Remi employ a handful of skilled fighters to go against Saki, leading to a few engaging fights with some impressive bursts of animation. The final fight against Remi, the last sister, is unfortunately one of the weaker ones. Her whipping of Saki goes on for way too long, although we are treated to a sick scene of Remi jumping out of a helicopter and ripping off her fancy school dress to reveal a military uniform, before pulling out a massive whip and going ham. Yes, it’s ridiculous, but it's creative and loads of fun and something I’ll be going back to watch again and again.
Or I would like to, if it weren’t for one scene at the end of the first episode. Early on, we’re introduced to another student, Junko, who Saki saves from being raped in an alley. Later on, Junko befriends Saki and Sampei, and she’s shown to be the most innocent and kind character in the cast, which probably should have signaled to me that bad things would happen. She also becomes a target for the Mizuchi sisters, who send in some henchmen to kidnap her, drug her, rape her repeatedly, murder her, and dump her half-naked body in a train yard. I don’t know why this scene was included, as it doesn’t appear in the manga from what I can find, and, at least for me, was just way too sadistic and cruel for a show that is otherwise just over-the-top shojo fun. It felt completely out of place and a lazy way to make the Mizuchi sisters detestable. We knew they were bad already. It was unnecessary and sickening. The action does get bloody in the second half, but there was always a reason when people died. With Junko, there was literally no reason for this to happen, as the sisters had already gotten what they wanted (her painting, of all things). While some will be able to look past this, the scene very nearly ruined the show for me. It’s not graphic, but to me the tone it carried was just horrific and depressing and supremely out out place.
One reason I can think of for this scene existing is as a reference to the murder of Junko Furuta, as the character shares a name with the real-life victim. I don’t know if I'm just really reaching for a reason, but that’s what it reminded me of. Which only makes everything worse, as now I’m being reminded of one of the worst crimes in human history while watching an anime about a high-school girl fighting people with a yoyo. Thanks.
If you’re into classic OVAs, back when creators had more freedom to make what they wanted (for better or for worse), or you want to experience an influential shojo series, or you just want to watch something fun and badass, then give Sukeban Deka a go. It’s only about 90 minutes and probably available on YouTube, although do consider the rape scene before going into it. Ignoring that, I would give it a 6.5/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 5, 2020
This is a guilty pleasure show all the way through. Yet, if you strip away all the fan service, you’re still left with an above average action show about people transforming into animals and duking it out in a battle royale. As such, if borderline hentai isn’t your thing, then it’s probably best to skip this one.
Even though everything other than the action and fan-service shouldn’t be taken too seriously, a story still needs to exist. Brutes, humans genetically altered to be half-animal, are used by a group of business corporations (zaibatsus) to settle their dispute over control of the Japanese economy by fighting in
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Killing Bites, a battle royale showdown. Although this scenario is decent, it’s quite forgettable in execution. I never cared for any of the zaibatsu’s political storylines, and I found the constant cutting back to them during fights to get annoying. They also tried to make the battle royale more strategic by having the leaders move their Brutes around the map like chess pieces, which didn’t really work out. One thing I can praise is how the Brutes themselves were shown off. Whenever an animal-related move or ability would be used, an extremely enthusiastic Japanese David Attenborough would give an animal fact to explain what just happened. The best example would be when Hitomi survived a volley of porcupine quills. It is then explained this is due to a Honey Badger’s extra tough skin (which she has the characteristics of). At first I thought this was over exaggerated, but, to my surprise, a quick Wikipedia read states that their skin can indeed withstand the likes of spears and arrows. These bits of information are used throughout to justify pretty much everything, from the fights to the fan-service.
Speaking of fan-service, I feel the show stumbled a bit here. There was one pointless scene of nudity early on that didn’t have any reason to be there, and that was it for the rest of the series. It felt like cheap bait, and personally I believe that the series should have picked between having no nudity at all and going all out with it. Other than that, there’s a bit of everything here, from yuri to almost-pseudo-tentacle-rape. Even the ED consists almost entirely of stills of every female character in increasing states of undress. The character designs are good overall, Hitomi in particular (although this is personal preference).
Character development is obviously sparse, although I must bring up ‘main’ character Yuya. While many series have used a blank male lead for audience self-insertion, Yuuya takes this to new heights. From his incredibly forced introduction into the story, he is utterly useless and does nothing throughout. Which is a shame since there is a single good moment of character for him (that is predictably never referenced again). The rest of the cast are mostly interesting to watch, especially Kido, who was the biggest surprise of the series for me. In such a short amount of time, he was not only introduced and built up, but also got his own equally short yet effective and engaging backstory. Coupled with his unique personality and fighting style, he was a short-lived yet welcome addition. The only other character who got a backstory was actual main character Hitomi. My problem here is that her backstory is basically an elaborate excuse for her insane plot armor towards the end. The amount of damage she takes while still getting back up time after time is insane. My only other character problem was Inui, who existed solely for comic relief but which fell flat more times than it hit.
Briefly with regards to sound, the sound effects here are almost as insane as the plot armor. Every movement and every impact ranges from sounding like a bass-boosted meme to a jet breaking the sound barrier. It’s loud, it’s over the top, and it’s perfect for the series. The soundtrack consists of heavy rock that fit the tone and was generally good, but was never memorable for me.
Now onto the animation. In particular, the fights. For a series that revolves around fights, the art and animation did a pretty good job. The fights were exciting and engaging, mainly due to the uniqueness of each fighters and their animal characteristics. Other than the cuts back to the zaibatsu’s politicking, the action is constant. Although I wouldn’t say there’s anything overly special about it, it does its job well enough, even if I felt there were a few too many stills, probably due to budget. The series does incorporate some CGI for a few characters which, apart from standing out, didn’t detract from the fighting.
Fan-service and fighting. If you like those two things together, watch Killing Bites. If not, skip it. Simple as that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 24, 2020
‘Only Yesterday’ was Isao Takahata’s second outing as director for a Studio Ghibli film. Continuing with his signature style seen in his previous ‘Grave of the Fireflies’, Takahata has created yet another mature and human story, distinguishing his works from Miyazaki’s more fantastical and spectacular creations. Many people have called this an underrated Ghibli movie and, while I’m inclined to agree, ‘Only Yesterday’ is definitely not for everyone, containing subject matter catered to an older and more experienced audience with its focus on themes such as career, romance, and reflection.
First up is the plot, or lack of one. In a similar fashion to Totoro, Yesterday
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has a very bare-bones story. We follow Taeko, an unmarried businesswoman who decides to take a break from the bustle of Tokyo and travel to the countryside to stay with relatives and experience the life of a farmer. As she interacts with the world around her a variety of memories from her 5th grade year are triggered. What I love about these memories are how focused they are. Each sequence revolves around a very specific memory, from her first crush, to a single line in a school play, to learning about periods for the first time. How you view these, whether boring or relatable, can make or break your enjoyment of the film. They are all deeply personal and this unfortunately hold the film back from mass appeal. My one criticism with the plot is the distribution of screen time among the memories. The story of her classmate Abe in particular, which was one of the more significant, did not get enough time to communicate its impact on Takeo, and there were other memories that could have been shortened to make room for this. Finally, there is also a romantic sub-plot between Taeko and Toshio, her brother-in-law’s second cousin, which was simple but added another layer to the story and helped tie the problems of the past to the problems of the present. Due to the mature and realistic nature of the film, I really wasn’t sure if they would end up together by the end.
Practically all the character development goes to Taeko, with the memory sequences allowing her to reflect on her life so far, while her interactions with Toshio and the countryside lead her to evaluate where she wants to go in the future. All the characters in the present, especially the caring and hardworking Toshio, fill the peaceful country setting with warmth, exuding a happiness with life in general. This contrasts with the less straightforward characters of her past, her family as the main examples. I can think of no better word for Taeko’s past than bittersweet. Her father is strict, monotonous, and spends more time reading the newspaper than he does talking to his own family. Her mother seems constantly aloof and disappointed in her. One quietly powerful scene involves the whole family sitting down together, excited to eat their first pineapple (which they don’t realize is unripe), only for everyone to fall quiet in disappointment at the taste, the camera lingering as silence falls over them. Despite having little screen presence, the people in Taeko’s past are able to be shown as flawed, human, and understandable characters.
Takahata’s visual direction in this film is also genius. Taeko’s memories are rendered in dull watercolours on sketchy, vague backgrounds, with blinding white light coating the edges of the screen, while the scenes in the present day feature vividly colourful and highly detailed backgrounds. Through a powerful yet subtle use of two different styles, Yesterday is able to visually represent the act of remembering. When Taeko reminisces, the image focuses on specific characters and events while everything surrounding the scene remains hazy and unfocused, just like someone trying to bring forth a memory from a long time ago. This also adds to the contrast between past and present. Additionally, there are a handful of stunning visual metaphors used, such as Taeko running up invisible stairs into the sky after talking to her crush for the first time. Takahata’s signature character designs return from Grave of the Fireflies, particularly in the extra emphasis put on facial muscles, to give his films and characters a soft yet noticeable distinction from other Ghibli works.
I found the music for Yesterday to be the most forgettable aspect, although there were a few pieces I did enjoy. Personally I just didn’t connect with the unique blend of foreign songs and folk music, although they are by no means bad. As I watched Yesterday dubbed, I can’t comment on how faithful the voices or translation are. What I can say is that this dub is, like all Ghibli dubs I’ve heard, near perfect. Daisy Ridley as Taeko is another big name attached to a Ghibli film, and she does a fantastic job capturing her character’s feelings. Dav Patel as Toshio is also great and gives the character a heavy English accent, which I can see being polarising to those who watched the sub first.
‘Only Yesterday’ is a touching, warm, and down-to-earth light drama of a woman taking the time to reflect on her past and deciding to take control of her happiness, supported by stunning visuals and a cast full of heart. With its methodical approach to portraying ordinary memories, some will find it boring, even pointless. It’s a soft, intricate, and inconspicuous drama that will act as an engaging and striking experience for those that Takahata is appealing to.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 8, 2020
It’s been awhile since I’ve watched anything that captivated me as much as Nausicaä. This movie completely absorbed me into its unique ascetic and the breathtakingly beautiful way it was drawn and animated. I got serious Angel’s Egg and Akira vibes from this, in the sense that the visuals are strong enough to pull you into and solely carry the experience, into a place where you lose all track of time and simply sit there in awe at what you are seeing.
Firstly, the art direction is something I’ve never seen before in a non-Ghibli movie (with the primary example for me being Castles in the
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Sky) and even then none come anywhere close to the extent that Nausicaä implements it. The mix of past and future is so fitting for this post-apocalyptic world, with armies consisting of armoured, sword-bearing knights alongside tanks and rifles. A simple village nestled in a valley relying on windmills for energy contrasts brilliantly with the modern, and in some cases futuristic, looking planes and the subsequent invasion of the army mentioned before. The mere fact that jet-powered gliders and guns exist in a medieval-styled world makes this film incredibly interesting to me on a visual level, and I would love to find other anime that use a style similar to this.
As with most Ghibli movies, delivering an impressive visual experience is the primary goal and Nausicaä is no different. In fact, I’d say it’s one of the most visually stunning movies I’ve ever seen. The art is incredibly clean and the animation is smooth and fluid. What appealed to me the most were the flying scenes on Nausicaä’s glider, which were always immersive and created a sense of freedom and adventure. Due to all of this, I watched the film dubbed and I must say it was, in my mind, a near-perfect dub. However take that with a grain of salt since I haven’t seen the sub. Whether the voices stayed faithful to the characters aside, there were very few lines that sounded off or unnatural (an example of one being Nausicaä’s “I’ll kill you” line). Her voice in particular I felt fit the character perfectly, being able to switch from fun and bubbly to angry and emotional with ease.
The characters in the movie were good overall, especially Nausicaä and her struggle to come to terms with killing another person and her resulting pacifism when trying to deal with any threat, be it human or insects. While I enjoyed the personalities of the other characters like Lord Yupa, the only two that had any particular depth to them were Nausicaä herself and Kushana. While Nausicaä’s arc and development were handled well, Kushana and her story definitely lacked development. The film aimed to present no single person or group as the ‘bad guy/s’, and I’d say it succeeded in this to a degree. While the Tolmekian’s had legitimate motivations for what they were doing, their leader Kushana definitely needed more backstory and emotion to convince me that she was truly dedicated to what she believed was a righteous goal. We get a glimpse into what the insects have done to her through her missing arm, although there is no urgency, passion, or drive she shows for her goal of eradicating the jungle. She was willing to sacrifice people of the Valley of the Wind for the purpose of saving humanity from the insects, but this was never convincing. While understandable, she came off as overly calm and cold, which didn’t give the Tolmekians the image of anything other than the ‘bad guys’.
The amount of imagination put into this film is staggering. The flat and barren landscape of the world creates a haunting and disturbing atmosphere that I’ve never encountered before, and the toxic jungle is filled with colour and detail. The image of thousands of stampeding ohms in particular was on such a massive scale that it really made me fear for everyone in the Valley. From the planes to the insects, everything has its own unique design which all contribute to the interesting world building of this desolate setting we are presented with. While Nausicaä and Kushana both have great character designs, the rest of the cast look very basic and uninspired. The women all wear the same headdress and clothing regardless of which kingdom they come from, and every man in the Valley of the Wind can only be distinguished by a single feature (Yupa has a hat, Mito has an eye patch, King Jihl has a scar).
The soundtrack is, once again, incredibly unique. Despite being set in a medieval-style world, the music incorporates a heavy amount of synth into a lot of the tracks. Personally I found this very jarring at first, with one of the first tracks in the film being a high tempo mix of synth and orchestral sounds. However as the film progressed I got used this, with the mix of classic and futuristic sounds complementing the similar mix between old and new that makes up the world of Nausicaä. Overall the soundtrack has a very appropriate grand feel, with the latter half reverting to a more traditional Ghibli sound, while still feeling unique to the film.
Nausicaä has been described as one of Ghibli’s darker films and, while that might be true, it honestly didn’t feel dark enough. In terms of violence, the film was very tame, which was very detrimental in some areas. When Nausicaä went into a rage and attacked the Tolmekian soldiers, I had no idea that she had actually killed any of them until it was outright told to the audience. This is such an important moment in Nausicaä’s arc and it had no impact whatsoever. What was supposed to be a rage-fueled murderous rampage instead looked like an angry girl repeatedly smacking some guys with a stick. Other than that, the revival of Nausicaä at the end of the film felt very forced, as we had never seen the ohms perform anything like this until now. Now I have no idea if the film would turn out too dark in Nausicaä died at the end, but it would definitely feel more natural. To me at least.
Aside from the visuals, one of the film’s strongest aspects is its themes. While most Ghibli films contain ideas of animism and humanity’s connection to nature, Nausicaä contains some of the stronger realisations of these in the catalogue. Nausicaä herself specifically embodies these concepts as a lover of all life and strives for humans to live in harmony with nature. Additonally, the themes of pollution and technology versus nature are communicated through the toxic jungle and the Giant Warrior respectively. One complaint I can give is that the inner workings of the toxic jungle felt very rushed in its presentation, with only about 10 minute in total given throughout to explain the origin of the jungle and the reason for the toxic pollution. This doesn’t help with the communication of themes as I didn’t really understand how the jungle worked and thus the meaning behind the theme of pollution was dampened. Lastly, another thing that felt rushed and unnecessary was the prophecy spoken by Ohbaba. Basically it was only ever mentioned at the beginning when we were told about it and at the end when it comes true, with no buildup and appearing as only an afterthought. Similar to Akira, the problem of elements, characters, and plot feeling rushed could be contributed to the condensation of a long manga story into a single film. However that’s all speculation as I haven’t read Miyazaki’s original Nausicaä manga.
Nausicaä is one of the great anime films, combining stunning animation with likable characters and an interesting, immersive, and oftentimes haunting world. The concepts presented within this post-apocalyptic world are thoughtful and ever relevant. I haven’t seen every Ghibli film yet, but this is definitely a new favourite and will be hard to dethrone. Despite not being perfect, containing various elements that feel rushed and underdeveloped, Nausicaä comes closer than a lot of other anime films I’ve seen. I’ll be re-watching this one for a long time to come.
(kurotawa is the best character)
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 29, 2020
Monster is slow. Like really, really slow. It took me two attempts to finish after I gave up just after the halfway mark, and suffice to say re-watching the first half for the second time was not entirely enjoyable. However, now that it’s done, I can safely say that Monster contains not only some of the most interesting characters I have ever seen, but also one of the greatest stories I’ve ever experienced in any medium.
Monster’s strongest point is its utterly captivating synopsis and subsequent first arc. While there are definitely stronger points spread throughout the series, it’s rare to find a premise so interesting
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that just reading the description can make you feel more excited and intrigued than actually watching most shows. The initial premise is that of a doctor rebelling against his ‘immoral’ orders and making the ‘moral’ choice to save the life of a child over a mayor, only to find out later that that very same child has grown up to become a ruthless, cold, and calculated killer. A monster. Thus the two main characters are established and a psychological mystery thriller ensues.
A completely righteous and prodigal surgeon, Dr. Kenzou Tenma’s initial dilemma is brilliantly implemented by simultaneously showing his conviction and despair early on. Did he make the correct decision to save Johan’s life? Should he go against his oath as a doctor and kill the monster? Is he responsible for the trail of dead he follows in his pursuit? Tenma doesn’t know the answers, but he feels responsible enough and thus dedicates his life to try and track Johan down. While he is a strong character and we can understand his anguish and conviction, it can seem at times that Tenma is almost too righteous and focused on his goal. After his initial downfall from a renowned surgeon to a fugitive, he stays pretty much the same for the rest of the series. He never really expresses much emotion, always saying the right things to people, always giving medical attention to everyone he sees, always speaking in the same low and somber voice, with the occasional gasp being the loudest he gets. There is one part during the end of the Munich arc where his moral dilemma about causing harm as a doctor, which was in the background for a while, goes through an arc of its own, and it was engaging while it lasted. Also, while his childhood growing up in Japan is hinted at being explored a few times early on, it never shows up again after that, which is a shame. Again, Tenma is great, but there are times when he feels one-dimensional.
Despite having no fantastical/supernatural elements, Monster manages to create not only one of the most terrifying antagonists of all time with Johan Liebert, but also a greatly disturbing look at the world precisely because everything is grounded in reality. He is shown as a young, handsome man with blonde hair and melancholic eyes. He carries himself with grace, speaks softly and slowly, and practically oozes danger and malice to the audience, and Tenma by extension, as we are among the few who know of his true nature. His completely average appearance coupled with his complete disregard for human life is precisely why he has such a strong presence. Whenever he appears there is no telling what he will do. We as the audience are just as in the dark as the characters in the show. He is completely unpredictable, with his antics and killings seemingly random and indiscriminate, and his complex past and the history of how he became a monster is woven into the growing conspiracy and scale of the plot as we learn more and more about what happened to him. His calm and collected nature also serve as an excellent contrast to moments where he really does lose control. Seeing Johan start screaming and shaking in fear for the first time is a truly harrowing experience.
One point about Monster that I haven’t heard many people talk about is the setting and how it is used in the story. Having Tenma chase Johan across the entirety of German and even into the Czech Republic while slowly putting together the pieces of a massive conspiracy makes the plot feel more like an epic. Throughout his journey, Tenma stops in various places and ends up helping out everyone from a small village doctor to a struggling young surgeon. While these episodes might feel like filler to some, they work to showcase not just Tenma’s character and his desire to help those around him, but also the different people who populate Monster’s Germany since this series is, inherently, about people. During the first half of the series they are fairly common as Tenma has few friends and little knowledge about Johan, and they act as uplifting side stories to contrast all the death and tragedy from the beginning. The Munich arc comprises the middle of the story and acts as a change of pace and tone that will last until the end of the series. Many new characters are introduced that will assist Tenma on his journey, and we go many episodes initially without even seeing Tenma, instead focusing on the impact that Johan has on these other characters.
The massive supporting cast of Monster is another great strength to the series, although there are some that appear for only a few episodes that can make the story feel slow for some people as we spend a lot of time learning about such minor characters. It reminds me of Hunter x Hunter’s exhaustive character writing during the Chimera Ant arc, where even the most minor of side characters gets more backstory and development than the protagonist of most anime. While ambitious, it is one of the elements that holds Monster back from almost universal appeal. There are enough unique characters for everyone to have a favourite. Johan’s sister Nina acts as a third main character, going through tragedy after tragedy because of her brother, all while trying to piece together the lost memories of their shared childhood. Inspector Lunge, a meticulous and obsessive detective who is convinced that Tenma and Johan are one and the same, and Grimmer, an always positive and caring former spy with a terrible past, are my favourites.
Monster utilises a more realistic looking art style that focuses on detailed facial expressions and character designs grounded in reality. While the colour pallet can be said to be somber and grim, that is in order to reflect the general tone of the series. I say general because there are definitely happy moments with brighter and warmer colours, showing that instead of aiming for an intentionally dark and oppressive look the colours have all simply been subdued to create a consistently dulled and natural style. The music in Monster is also beautifully thematic. It makes use of piano and violin to create incredible atmosphere, easily switching from melancholic and thoughtful to tense and haunting through the speeding up of the violin and the integration of crashing cymbals. The OP is also phenomenal. Just don’t watch it all 74 times or you’ll probably ruin it for yourself.
Monster is a subjective masterpiece. While the story and characters are arguably the best in the medium, whether you can enjoy exceptionally slow burners will determine whether you manage to enjoy it to the fullest. I will also mention here that, while it didn’t bother me at all, I can see why some people have called Monster’s dialogue and direction over-dramatic at times. While there are a few minor details like this that prevent Monster from being technically perfect and pleasing everyone, it is certainly one for those with more patience than me who will be gripped from start to finish. I haven’t even mentioned the various themes expertly communicated within Monster, such as identify, nihilism, and humanity. If you enjoy the task of pondering over what you’ve watched, then definitely watch this. If you don’t, slug though it anyway, because the experience is worth it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 25, 2020
Akira is a mess and, based on the individual ratings I gave, should score closer to a 7 than a 'perfect' 10. So if you want a proper rating based on the separate elements of the movie, there you go. However the score of 10 comes bundled with a certain word on this site. Masterpiece. No matter how biased and subjective this may be, I cannot consider this legendary film anything other than a masterpiece.
The story of Akira is a significantly abridged version of Katsuhiro Otomo's original 6 volume manga. It basically cuts the middle 4 and, as a result, there are elements of
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the story that feel rushed, confusing, and disjointed, especially regarding the resistance force and their ties to the government. To this day I have no idea what happened between Mr Nezu and Ryu during the military uprising, and I've watched the damn thing over 8 times. This lack of development also extends to the characters, again mainly those of the resistance. Even though the movie barely focuses on character development, something I'm perfectly fine with, it still manages to produce a few interesting and memorable characters. The same can't be said for Kei and Ryu, who do nothing and have nothing to be remembered by.
Colonel Shikishima stands out particularly as a no-nonsense military man who represents the only bit of morality and hope left in the corrupt inner-workings of Neo-Tokyo. Eventually he decides to take control of the city himself with one of my favourite scenes in the movie. Speaking of the city, I absolutely adore the fully-realised setting of Neo-Tokyo. It becomes a character itself through fully fleshing out all the different people that inhabit it and their actions, painting a vivid picture of a landscape tearing itself apart. We are introduced to corrupt politicians, biker gangs, student protesters, resistance fighters, riot police, and secret government test subjects all within the first half of the film. Coupled with the fantastically rich and expansive colour pallet utilised in Akira, Neo-Tokyo is able to be fully realised in all its self-destructive glory.
Speaking of destruction, the themes of Akira are next on the list of things it does flawlessly. Ideas of destruction and decay are embedded into the core of the film. The very first thing we see is a massive explosion and this theme continues with random acts of violence dotted throughout the film. I believe it’s incredibly strong visual direction is one of the two aspects that elevate Akira to masterpiece level. Its themes are able to tie together and connect everything in the film, from the violence on the streets to the self-destructive nature of the city and its society, all the way to the large-scale cataclysms that both begin and end the film.
The second more obvious aspect is the animation. What can I say? You can see it for yourself. It’s better than most anime released today and it was entirely hand drawn, made on the biggest anime budget at the time. Nothing comes close to how consistently fluid and expressive the animation is, from the stunning action scenes down to the mouth movements. Combined with the neon colours and unique art style, nothing even comes close to looking quite like Akira.
The more divisive part of Akira from what I've seen tends to revolve around the two main characters, Tetsuo and Kaneda. No matter how much of an idiot he is, I just cannot help immensely liking Kaneda. I suppose it’s because he shows a more human and caring side for all his friends, especially Tetsuo, in the face of all the destruction around him. Now Tetsuo may not have the charm of Kaneda, but I can understand the reasons for why he does what he does. The lack of significant development extends to these two as well, and I can see how people would dislike these characters if Kaneda fails to charm you and Tetsuo's actions seem too extreme for relatively insignificant reasons.
Akira is unique in the sense that the majority of the movie is an awe-inspiring spectacle of stunning animation and senseless violence. If you can handle the blood, the film seems to want you to stop thinking too hard and simply marvel at its achievements. However, the overarching plot and ideas that become more prevalent as the movie goes into its second half seem to want you to stop experiencing and start thinking. The ambiguous concepts and especially the nature of plot elements such as that of Akira himself, the psychic powers, the role of technology, and the ending of the film all push you to ponder over its true message, in a similar way to The End of Evangelion. Although unlike EoE, the rest of Akira is a technical marvel that also caters to those who are more interested in losing themselves in the non-stop thrill ride.
Going back to the listed categories, I really enjoyed the soundtrack to Akira. The tracks featured a unique style of synth music mixed with booming effects and haunting voices that fit perfectly into the neon-soaked world. Kaneda's Theme will always be memorable, and the way it was slowly built up in the background before being let loose alongside Kaneda's gang as they sped out of the alley for the first time made me break out into goose bumps when I initially watched it. Of the two dubs released I prefer Johnny Yong Bosch as Kaneda, who gave the character his signature charm for me. The first dub made these bikers call each other 'sport', which never felt right considering they would be blowing up cars a few moments later. However, sound is the most subjective part of any review, and as such this is all just personal preference. If you didn't find the soundtrack memorable, then there's not much anyone can do about that.
Now you may dislike Akira's characters, its plot, its music, its ambiguity, and its violence. You may find its themes and deeper meanings distracting and overbearing from the spectacle it tried to be in the beginning. Likewise, you may find the senseless violence and messy plot have only succeeded in providing a failed attempt at meaningful ideas and themes. Subjectively, you can hate this film and everything it stands for. Subjectively, you can love diving into the possible inspirations behind the story and what it's trying to say about society. Objectively, you cannot deny what Akira has done and achieved. It has pushed the limits of animation, art, and colour beyond anything that could be imagined at the time and even could be imagined now. Its themes of corruption, technology, and destruction are eternal and will be forever relevant far into the future. Its impact reached around the globe, bringing your favourite medium to the attention of the world and creating legions of fans in places where this foreign thing simply didn't exist. It broke down the barriers of what animation could do and proved to the masses that animation is definitely not just for kids. No matter what you think of it in a vacuum, there is no denying that Akira is incredibly important and technically groundbreaking. Simply put, a masterpiece.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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