.png){kind=logo}
Akira An interesting review of this outstanding film.
If we’re talking about legendary anime films—the kind of movies that shaped the entire industry—Akira is always at the top of the list. This film isn’t just “popular.” It’s a whole cultural earthquake. A movie that literally changed how people think about animation, storytelling, and cyberpunk.
And let me tell you, watching Akira today—decades after its release—still feels fresh, wild, and mind-blowing. You sit there like: “Bro… they made this in 1988??? How??”
It’s one of those films you watch once and it never leaves your head.
 |
In this full deep-dive, we’re gonna explore everything:
- the story
- the characters
- Neo-Tokyo
- the themes
- the insane animation
why the movie became a global phenomenon
and why it’s still unmatched
Grab a drink and chill… this is gonna be a long, fun, and human-style breakdown.
---
🌆 The World of Akira: Welcome to Neo-Tokyo
One of the most iconic things about Akira is the world it takes place in. Neo-Tokyo is not your regular city—it’s a chaotic, neon-soaked, cyberpunk mess filled with political corruption, biker gangs, military experiments, and total societal collapse.
In simple words:
- It’s the kind of city where you walk outside and instantly regret it.
- But it’s beautiful in its own dark, dystopian way.
- Why Neo-Tokyo Feels Special
- The city feels alive
- Every corner tells a story
- The energy is chaotic but addictive
- It mixes destruction with neon beauty
- The setting isn’t just a background—it’s a whole character.
The movie starts with a massive explosion that destroys Tokyo and leads to World War III. Years later, the rebuilt city—Neo-Tokyo—looks shiny from far away, but once you're in the streets, you realize it’s basically a ticking time bomb.
It’s the perfect place for a story like Akira.
---
🏍️ Kaneda: The Coolest Biker in Anime History
Let’s be honest:
- If you’ve ever seen Akira, even once, you will NEVER forget Kaneda.
- This guy is pure charisma, attitude, and style. The red jacket alone is iconic. The bike? Legendary. The man? Certified cool.
Kaneda is the leader of a biker gang called The Capsules, and he’s the type of guy who acts tough, jokes around, fights everyone… but deep inside, he actually cares a lot—especially about his friend Tetsuo.
He represents:
- rebellion
- youth energy
- loyalty
- fearlessness
- that chaotic teenage spirit
Kaneda doesn’t overthink anything. He just does stuff. And that’s why he gets dragged into this insane government conspiracy.
He’s basically the “normal guy” thrown into a world of psychic powers, giant mutations, secret labs, and government corruption. But he handles it like a champ.
---
😔 Tetsuo: The Tragic Heart of the Story
While Kaneda steals the cool factor, Tetsuo steals the emotional core of the movie.
Tetsuo is the most tragic character in Akira. He starts as a weak, insecure member of the gang, always feeling overshadowed by Kaneda. He hates being protected. He hates feeling small. He wants power.
And when he finally gets power?
It destroys him.
After an accident involving a mysterious child experiment, Tetsuo gains psychic abilities—insane ones. At first it looks awesome, but those powers slowly crack his mind, twist his body, and pull him into madness.
His character shows:
- how insecurity can destroy someone
- how power corrupts
- how trauma shapes identity
- how loneliness can turn dangerous
- Tetsuo isn’t a villain.
He’s a victim of a system that used him.
And that’s why his story is so heavy emotionally.
---
🧪 Government Experiments: The Dark Side of Power
One of the darkest layers of Akira is the government’s role. They run secret experiments on children to unlock psychic abilities. But, of course, they cannot control what they create.
We meet three of these “children”:
- Masaru
- Takashi
- Kiyoko
They look old but are actually kids whose bodies are frozen by experimental drugs. Creepy? Yes. Brilliantly written? Also yes.
And then there’s Akira.
Not the character—you hardly see him as a person.
Akira is more like a force of nature.
An energy.
A disaster waiting to happen.
His power was the reason Tokyo exploded years ago.
His power is also what wakes up inside Tetsuo.
The whole thing gives the movie a scientific horror vibe mixed with existential dread.
---
🔮 Themes: What Akira Really Talks About
This movie isn’t just action and cool bikes. It touches deep topics that hit hard even today.
1. Power and Corruption
Give someone too much power, and they will eventually destroy something—or themselves. Tetsuo is the perfect example.
2. Government Control
The government in the movie is shady, manipulative, and desperate to control what they created.
It’s a warning:
Power with no accountability is dangerous.
3. Youth Rebellion
The biker gangs reflect real young anger—kids who feel ignored by society and are finding their own ways to survive.
4. Technology vs Humanity
- Neo-Tokyo is advanced, but broken.
- Modern, but heartless.
- High-tech, but emotionally empty.
Just like many cities today.
5. Trauma and Identity
Tetsuo’s entire journey is shaped by childhood trauma, bullying, abandonment, and never feeling “good enough.”
His powers don’t fix him—they expose every wound.
6. Evolution and the Future
By the end, Akira becomes bigger than the city, the people, the politics… everything. It becomes a question:
What is humanity evolving into?
---
💥 The Animation: How Did They Even Make This in 1988??
Bro…
This movie came out before digital animation even existed.
- Everything is hand-drawn.
- Frame by frame.
- Detail by detail.
That’s CRAZY.
The amount of work in Akira is mind-blowing:
- 160,000 animation frames
- crazy lighting effects
- fluid motion
- insane facial expressions
- perfectly drawn backgrounds
- detailed cityscapes
- realistic physics
- Even today, some studios can’t reach this level.
The iconic scenes? Absolute masterpieces.
✨ The Motorbike Slide Scene
You know the one. The sideways slide, the neon lights, the slow-motion angle—this shot is so iconic it’s been recreated in hundreds of movies, anime, and games.
😱 Tetsuo’s Mutation Scene
This is horror in animation form.
Gross, disturbing, unforgettable.
💥 The Final Explosion
Pure visual poetry.
A mix of beauty, tragedy, and cosmic madness.
Akira isn’t just an anime.
It’s ART.
---
🎵 The Soundtrack: Alien, Haunting, and Genius
The music in Akira is wild.
It’s tribal, strange, experimental, and absolutely perfect for the film’s atmosphere.
You hear:
- drums
- chanting
- weird mechanical sounds
- haunting rhythms
- futuristic vibes
- It makes Neo-Tokyo feel alive.
- It makes Tetsuo’s powers feel dangerous.
- It makes the final act feel like the world is tearing open.
The soundtrack is part of what makes Akira unforgettable.
---
⚔️ Why Akira Is a Cyberpunk Masterpiece
Cyberpunk as a genre usually talks about:
- futuristic tech
- broken societies
- neon cities
- corrupt governments
- identity crisis
- rebellion
Akira delivers ALL of that, but with emotional depth and insane visuals.
The movie walked so things like:
- Ghost in the Shell
- The Matrix
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Blade Runner 2049
- …could run.
Akira didn’t just influence anime.
It influenced Hollywood.
---
🚀 The Final Act: Chaos, Power, and a New World
The last section of Akira?
Man… it’s something else.
Tetsuo loses control.
His powers explode—literally.
His body mutates into something huge and terrifying.
The city collapses again.
People scream, buildings fall, the military panics…
It’s madness.
But in the middle of all this destruction, there’s something beautiful:
Tetsuo asking for help.
The broken boy finally admits he’s scared.
And Kaneda, despite everything, tries to save him.
That’s friendship.
That’s humanity.
Then Akira—yes, the real Akira—awakens, and the ending becomes cosmic, philosophical, and open to interpretation.
It’s not just an explosion.
It’s a rebirth.
A new beginning.
Tetsuo doesn’t die.
He evolves.
“I am Tetsuo,” he says.
Chills. Literal chills.
---
📌 Why Akira Still Matters Today
Even though it's from 1988, the movie talks about problems we still deal with now:
- political corruption
- social unrest
- young people feeling lost
- the fear of technology
- the danger of power
- the collapse of systems
- mental health
- identity struggles
Akira isn’t just ahead of its time.
It’s ahead of our time too.
---
🎬 Final Thoughts: A Movie Everyone Should Watch
- Akira is more than an anime.
- It’s a masterpiece.
- A revolution.
- A blueprint for modern storytelling.
You finish the movie feeling:
- shocked
- impressed
- sad
- amazed
- thoughtful
- emotionally drained
- and spiritually upgraded
It’s one of those films you can watch 10 times and still find something new.
- If you love anime? Watch it.
- If you love cyberpunk? Watch it.
- If you love cinema in general? Watch it.
- If you love deep stories that mess with your head? Watch it.
- Akira is timeless.
- Bold.
- Brutal.
- Beautiful.
- Unmatched.
.png "Ahmed Ahmed"){kind=logo}