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Akira (3)Author: Andrey Dravinski JULY 7, 1984 A mysterious explosion starts in the Heart of Tokyo and vaporizes the entire city, touching off WW3. 30 years later Tokyo manages to rebuild itself into a bustling metropolis with skyscrapers that defy the heavens. But the urge to reconstruct has cooled, and the city begins to fall into an endless cycle of crime and urban decay. An economic crisis has driven many to protest continuosly and riot in the streets. Biker gangs roam the streets in tricked out bikes, smashing cars and waging gang wars against other biker gangs. It is in this friendly environment that the story of Akira takes place. Being an anime aficionado I am surprised I hadn't come across this one earlier. This is THE standard of how all other anime that came into America are judged. Considering that this movie was made in 1984-86, it makes it even more amazing the artistic quality and fluidity of this animation. The heavy violence and cyberpunk themes in this anime are a rush for the senses and are not for the faint of heart, but those who stick it out will surely enjoy this masterpiece. The story revolves around one of the many biker gangs in NeoTokyo. Two childhood friends, Kaneda and Tetsuo, are members of one of the more ruthless gangs in the city. One night, the gang goes out to fight one of the rival gangs: the Clowns. However, at the same time a strange military test subject escapes from a government and encounters Tetsuo on his bike. The encounter triggers hidden powers deep within Tetsuo and the Military captures him and begins performing experiments on him that have to deal with some strange being known only as "Akira". As the military continues experimentation on Tetsuo, his powers go more and more out of control. Kaneda and his gang, along with a group of anti-government spies desperately try to locate Tetsuo from the Military and all hell breaks loose from there. That's essentially the synopsis of Akira without giving away too much. I couldn't bear to give away such an interesting ending. Be aware though: Akira is very mature anime, and one must watch it several times to fully understand the deeper meanings in it. But every time you watch it, you'll enjoy more and more as you understand it. As stated before, Akira is VERY violent. Bodies explode into red masses quite often here and there, but thankfully, the creators don't go into drastic detail with the insides. But you'll find yourself focusing less on the violence and more on trying to figure out the plot so it is not so bad in the end. This is a must see for anyone even slightly interested in anime. NOTE: This review was based on seeing the brand new re-release DVD of Akira. The movie was redubbed, digitally remastered, and the subtitles were tweaked as well. Both the dub and the Japanese cast were top notch, a rarity with many animes. Overall Rating: 10
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