AKIRA

When it was originally released back in 1988, Akira was truly groundbreaking for an animated feature. Consisting of over 160,000 hand drawn frames, 2-3 times more than usual, and using 327 different colours (a record in animation at the time), it was also the first Anime to really break through into western audiences.

Set six months before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (yes really, this may all happen in a few short years!) and 31 years after a cataclysmic event that ravaged the city, which has now been rebuilt as Neo-Tokyo. The film follows teenage friends Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) and Tetsuo (Nozomo Sasaki), along with their rag-tag motorcycle gang as they cause mayhem battling rival gang The Clowns. After a freak accident one night, Tetsuo goes missing. Kaneda sets out to track down his lost friend on a journey that takes in an oppressed working class kicking back against corrupt politicians, shady military officials working on a secret weapons project, resistance fighters and an all new breed of powerful psychics.

Akira is a work of art. It's one of those films where you could take any frame and hang it on your wall. The attention to detail is staggering, from the trash and derelict cars on the grimy streets to the panic of the rioting crowds and myriad of explosions that tear through buildings. It makes Neo-Tokyo feel like a lived in, volatile powder-keg, ready to blow at any moment. The sparingly used CGI is wonderfully done too, adding lens flare and light trails to the bikes at night, giving the film a kinetic energy.

The soundtrack is also masterful, using Japanese drums and human voices to create alien, almost tribal soundscapes. Most captivating is the use of silence during key moments throughout the film, to heighten tension and give the psychic scenes a more ethereal, hyper-real quality.
As a side note, I'd also urge fans to seek out Capsule's Pride by Bwana released as a free download earlier in the year. Created entirely from Akira samples, it is one of this year's best albums.