Cinepals - AKIRA (1988) Movie Reaction and Review! | First Time Watch!

Episode Date: July 17, 2024

Written and directed by Katsuhiro Ôtomo (as well as Izô Hashimoto as writer), Akira is the groundbreaking Japanese anime from 1988. Set in a dystopian future in Neo Tokyo, a biker gang member turns into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager (Kaneda), his gang of biker friends and a trio of child psychics. You can watch the cut down reaction to this movie (and many others) on our YouTube channel https://www.YouTube.com/@Cinepals and the full length reaction is available on our Patreon page https://www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay   SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS ~CINEPALS~ YouTube: @CinePals Insta: https://instagram.com/TheCinePals Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCinePals   ~ACHARA~ Twitter & Instagram: @Acharakirk YouTube: @Achara

Senna. This is one I've been excited to watch for quite a while. I've been asking a char, let's watch Akira. And we just got back from Japan. She's like, I miss Japan. Let's watch Akira. Fittingly, we also have a sponsor for this video, G Fuel, which, by the way, is anime theme this time. This is your favorite anime of all time.

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I'm G-fueled up. Okay. This motorcycle's not doing well. But, it's, we'll, we'll... Do what?

...moh, ...moh, ... ... ... What? My goodness, what an ending. I guess he just went off and created a universe somewhere. Yeah, I guess so.

Perhaps that's what we are to think. Because if Akira is pure energy, right? Yeah. Then I guess, and the scientist guy was like, oh, this is like the creation of a universe. Then presumably, I guess we are to believe that, yeah, they just created their own little universe and take away. I'm theorizing here, obviously, but, you know, Conado was basically holding in his hand the next big bang, you know, so it went off somewhere and created a big bang, another universe.

Yeah. So... This is wild. This has a lot going on. And it felt very much like how Blade Runner was ahead of its time. This feels like it was ahead of its time. Yeah. I was getting Blade Runner vibes, and this came out about, I don't know when Blade Runner exactly came out, but I would imagine about nine years after, ish, give or take.

When was Blade Runner? I think it was in 1980 or something. 80 or later? I don't know exactly. I can look it up. But this was 88, 82. Okay, so Blade Runner was earlier. Okay, so the Terminator came out in 84.

And the follow-up Terminator came out, I think, in 91. And so, like, it's just interesting to see what this might have borrowed inspirations from and what it also gave inspirations to. Yeah, did it inspire the Matrix as well? Uh, Matrix is more so borrowing from Ghost in the Shell. Got it. Presumably it borrowed from this as well to a certain extent. You know, I mean, Matrix is just borrowing from anime in general.

Yeah. This was just so wild. And, you know, to think that this came out in 1988, it's like the animation is so strong. You know, it's the kinetic energy to the whole thing, the camera movement, the action, all of it, like, it, holds up years later. Yeah. This is a very, very strong film for what it is. I'll be it.

I found it very confusing at times, especially like the book ends of it. But it's just, what a thrilling experience it was. 100%. I really, really enjoyed that. I thought it was so, so good. And I don't know if this is going to upset anyone, but I like this so much more than Ghost in the Shell. Yeah.

Like I think it's just, like you said, it has that energy. It's kinetic. It's fun, and so many things happened that I wasn't expecting at all. In fact, I didn't expect any of the outcomes, really. Yeah. I mean, to compare it to Ghost in the Shell might be unfair. Yeah, they're very different movies. Yeah, Ghost in the Shell is more atmospheric, as I recall, and slow.

This is more, you know, momentum. Yeah. So, like, yeah, it's just different vibes. Sure. But I guess they're comparable only insofar as they're both, like, kind of classic enemies. inspire a lot of people and you know things and so yeah it was just crazy i was blown away yeah yeah i was so blown away by this and like even story wise and everything it doesn't feel dated at all yeah you know like it's still it's still something that you can watch and keep watching and

i think it would offer something new every time and i feel like it's the sort of thing that i wouldn't mind revisiting because it is just really interesting and it is cerebral enough I think that if you watched it again you might actually understand it a bit better or the pennies might drop a bit more and you'd be like oh okay I see this is what's actually happening but for a first watch it's just like whoa yeah everything's just wild and crazy and like you know it's visceral yeah then they keep talking about Akira and you don't see who he is or what he is and then there's like so many different levels of surprise because the first reveal is like oh they experimented on him so much that he's just become parts of himself but then

he actually you know reforms and everything and he's just this kid and yeah it's just wild also to an extent it feels like i don't know if i want to say a cautionary tale but it definitely feels like it was informed by the fears of that era sure you know because it seems quite modeled after, you know, nuclear concerns. Well, yeah, but, I mean, like, if it is about nuclear energy, right, much like Akira, you can use that energy for good or you can use it for bad. Sure. You know, like it is a source of clean energy and it is also a source of great destruction. And it just depends on the individual who's wielding that power as it were.

Yeah, I have two different thoughts about what I'm about. about to say. I don't really feel like I got to know the characters all that well after having spent two hours with them. There's a lot of characters in this movie. Sure. But at the same time, it's almost like you sort of just stepped into this moment in time and then left, you know, kind of like Mad Max, the one with Tom Hardy.

Oh, yeah, Fury Road. Yeah. Like, because in that film, you don't really get too in depth with the characters. It's like you're sort of dropped into this for a moment and then pulled out at that. You know what I mean? Yeah. And this feels very similar in that way. It's like you're not, I don't know how much you're supposed to really get to know the character.

Because it's more about, it's more about the threat. It's more than anything. And it's just like, I guess you kind of project yourself onto the characters in a way, you know, whoever you identify with. Yeah. I certainly, I mean, I could certainly empathize with Canada's like perspective. It's like there are, there's, there's cops shooting and stuff like that, but he sees the pretty girls. It doesn't matter. The girl is what matters, you know.

Of course. Of course. I think for me, I just really liked the kids, and I appreciated the little backstory that we get about them and, like, kind of their experience in the lab or whatever. And I also really appreciated Tetsuo's backstory as well in his relationship with Canada, you know? Because, like, you kind of understand him a bit,

and as much as I was frustrated. by his character and how he was always like, oh, I don't need you to save me. And, like, he had such a chip on his shoulder. I get it, even though I was frustrated. Yeah. Oh, okay. You know?

I thought you just said Canada. Did I? I don't know. I thought I meant, well, in any case, I meant I was frustrated by Tetsuo, even though he was frustrated by Canada. I see. Oh, okay, got you. Now I'm up to speed.

Okay. Yeah, because he was all like, oh, you're always trying to save me and whatnot. Yeah. And it's like, I understand why he has a chip on his shoulder. and it's frustrating because we can see really the reason why is because Canada loves him. He's just so concerned about like

oh, I just want to be my own person and I want to be cool like you you know and he's always feeling inferior and stuff and so you can understand why someone like that who when he gains all of that power can it's misused. Yeah, use it

for evil, you know? I mean he's essentially living with like a pseudo Napoleon complex. Yeah. I wanted to show you who Louis Anderson is. That's Louis Anderson. It does kind of look like him. Like, as soon as I saw that character in the wheelchair, the Professor X-Kid, I'm like, it looks just like Louis Anderson to me.

I've never seen this character before. I feel bad now that I was, you know, not liking that character in the beginning because there was just something about him where he seemed like an old man in a little kid's body, you know? And I just wasn't sure about the colonel and everything as well and what they were doing. So initially I was like, oh, I don't like them at all. But it turns out, I guess they were the good guys all along. Or I'm not sure.

Maybe they're not the good guys. And there are no good guys or bad guys because everyone is trying to manipulate these children and their powers for their own means, right? Yes. I was definitely, as you were talking about that, it was giving me flashbacks of minority report, you know, because you had. those three young women, or I don't know if they're all women. They weren't all women, but there was definitely a woman in there. And it was like the Trinity of like being able to see the future and whatnot. The precogs, they had like a special power to them.

And they were being manipulated. They didn't want to be in there. They wanted to be free of that space. Right. And then it turns out that Ryu, who like the whole time I thought he was like a good guy or whatever, he was working for that politician dude or whoever it was. and he didn't seem like a good person. So I'm like, I don't know what to think.

Yeah. Like, what is this movie trying to tell me? Like, trust no one. I want to see if I can show you something. Okay. Look at the design of this. Oh, yeah. I mean, isn't it just a question?

This looks exactly like Akira to me. And I just didn't know, like, that this could have possibly borrowed from that. It's possible. Yeah, no, it's without a doubt. Acura's iconic, isn't it? Yes. Without a doubt, Hideo Kajima borrowed from Akira for this. I'm 99% sure.

This is a whole sequence in the game, obviously, you know. And then he goes into like, I think, I don't know if he was coming from something cold or going towards something cold. Because in Akira, there was that whole thing where, like, it was like really, really chilly with the Kelvin and all that stuff. Right, yeah, because they were keeping his parts frozen. Yeah, he goes into a cold territory because he fights Raven. Yeah, see? So, the cold air and everything. I'm fairly certain.

It seems so obvious now. So I just thought that was cool that I was able to pick up on that. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. I mean, this movie is so well-known and so well-loved and respected and talked about, and so many people talk about how it's inspired other movies and stuff. And, like, I can totally see that. Yeah, even just stylistically, it felt like, I don't know what else was coming out at that time,

but I've heard it's groundbreaking and just watching it even without the full content. context of films surrounding it or leading up to it in Japan or otherwise, it feels groundbreaking. Yeah. It feels like, wow, this is different. Even by today's standards, like, this is quite different. Another thing I've felt vaguely reminded of in the beginning of the movie was arcane, just slightly. You know, you got these kids who were just sort of, you know what I mean? Okay.

Yeah. Sure. It's like I said vaguely. So maybe that's a stretch, but it just came to mind while watching it. Yeah, even like his outfit and the bike, all of it's like, it's so recognizable. Because even for me, who hasn't seen the movie up until this point, like, that stuff, like, you always recognize it. Yeah, you know. Yeah, like, I think we've all kind of seen the poster or something at some point, right?

So, like, I always just assumed that Canada was Akira. And so I was actually surprised when that was not his name. And I was like, wait, what? Yeah. Like, okay, this is not what I expected. at all. And in fact, nothing was what I thought it would be. And I actually really like that. Like, I like when I watch something and, like, I make predictions and stuff, and none of it comes true, you know?

I just looked up the meaning of Akira. It says, bright, clear, intelligent. Oh, and it's a gender neutral name. How cool. Yeah, because, like, when I heard the name, I'm like, is that the name that means demon? And then I realized it's a kuma. And so that's why I decided to look it up, yeah. Oh, that's actually, that's such a lovely name. I knew an Akira, or I know an Akira. I went to school with Akira.

Yeah, that helps the conversation. Yes. So the action was pretty insane in this movie. Yeah. Especially, like, towards the end when Tetsuo started like really like going through his metamorphosis into just total monster territory. And it's like uncomfortable to watch, but it's also, It's insane from an animation standpoint because there's just very little that feels like it's, is repeating.

You know, like, I associate anime with trying to find ways to tell the story as efficiently as possible from a budgetary standpoint. Right. You know. They try and be economical. Yeah. Even with the frame rate and everything. Whereas this was not employing any of those tactics. This was like everything was very unique moment to moment, scene to scene, like every animation cell.

whatever. It just, it always felt like new. Yeah. And so I can't even imagine the level of complexities that went into this, considering that, you know, they didn't have the technology they had just, just a few years later for Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast. Sure. Like, I would imagine everything's hand-drawn. Yeah. I'm guessing. Yeah. Because like Beauty and the Beast was the first, if I'm not mistaken, the first, um, CGI-I full-length animation, at least by Disney, to have a moment with CGI in it, the scene in the ball. Oh, okay, yeah, yeah.

With Beast and Bell dancing. And then in Aladdin, I felt like the Cave of Wonders had definitely had some CG in there. But, like, this predates that, you know, by at least a few years. And so, that's pretty, like, the year after, this is when the Little Mermaid came out.

Oh, wow. Just to put it in context. Right, yeah. You know, it's crazy. Like, we got Little Mermaid, Japan got that. You know what I mean? It makes me wonder what it must have been like to be,

because, you know, I feel like the parental cultural policies around what kids can watch is a little different in Japan. Sure. You know, culturally speaking, right? Because you wouldn't show this to your kids in America in 1988. No. Right? I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be exposed to this kind of storytelling.

with this crazy level of animation as a kid. Well, yeah, and some of the stuff is truly nightmarish. Like, when the stuff toy, when they just became really big and they're like made out of all different things. And then especially when Tetsuo just kind of turns into this weird man-machine blob baby thing that's like swallowing everything and everyone up around him. It's really scary. Yeah.

What's fascinating to me having just spent two and a half weeks in Japan is how culturally this is very unrecognizable. Well, it feels like American. It feels like New York or something, you know, but like maybe a little bit beyond what you'd see in L.A. or New York. It's like you literally saw a dude copying a feel like under the girl's shirt in public. Yeah. Oh, no. And you saw like people making out and stuff like that. And like I didn't see any of that when we were in Japan.

Well, Japan's so clean, people are generally speaking very respectful of each other's spaces, polite, they're not very loud. You know, the only time generally, the only time generally speaking where you hear people loud in Japan is if it's foreigners, like Americans, Australians, Chinese people, Chinese people who are the ones who are loud. Japanese people, generally speaking, are not the loud ones. Well, yeah, so I guess that really just reinforces the point that this world that they're living in. is like a version of the world where Japanese society has fallen to pieces and all of their values and stuff and customs and traditions and all of that

have fallen to the wayside and so it's like oh look how awful this is and in fact it's just like you know a Friday night in New York City yeah exactly a wild Friday night yeah yeah but yeah crime is rampant and then you have graffiti everywhere

it's just like and it's dirty. Yeah. It's just a very different vibe altogether. No, this is not a Miyazaki type of anime world, you know? Like, I felt when we were visiting Japan, I was like, I feel like I'm in a Miyazaki movie. You know, like, it's just so pretty and, like,

it's clean and nice, and, like, it's green, and there's rivers and the sea and stuff like that. And then here it's like, Neo Tokyo, there's crime, there's bike gangs, there's murder, and yeah, all of that. Like, oh, this is, yeah. I mean, there's definitely gangs and whatnot in Japan, but we just weren't witnessed any of that. Oh, yeah, of course. I saw a video earlier on Instagram today.

It was this guy on a bike with a passenger behind him, and this cop was trying to catch him. And so just to, like, give you a visual, like, the bike was doing this and the cop was doing this over and over and over again, like in a circle until the bike took off. The cop wanted to catch the bikeer. But like, and they just kept going in a circle in the road. Here in L.A., the cop would have opened fire, you know, or they would have laid down some spikes. Or like, there would have been a much more aggressive approach with a lot more cops. Yeah, most countries are not like the U.S. though. Well, I'm just saying it's like how foreign it is for me, right?

But like the way you see cops for trade here, I'm like, that doesn't feel too far from the reality that Americans might witness on the news. Yeah. You know? Which is alarming. Yeah. But it's just the aggressive nature of the police. And many years ago, there was a bank robbery in North Hollywood. It's like the famous bank robbery of North Hollywood at Bank of America, I believe.

It doesn't matter what the name of the bank is, but it was like on the news. And these guys were like armed to the hill. And because they managed to execute a police officer in the throes of trying to get away with the money, the cops managed to get one of them on the ground and he was bleeding. And he was basically bleeding to death. And the cops just stood there watching him. And you could see this on the news. They didn't take him into an ambulance or whatever.

They just watched it. I've heard if you opened fire on a cop, like, that's it. They were just like, anyway. Should we be talking about this on YouTube? It's fine to talk about as long as you don't show it. Okay. And so my point in Britain, we're also like 30 years removed from it. So I feel like it's okay now.

But the point is, the betrayal of cops here, it's just like, it just felt like, yeah, I feel like we've seen this with the LAP. This dystopian world that you're presenting to us, Akira. Yeah, not so foreign. Right. That's sad. But anyway, yeah, I thought that this was just crazy and cool. And you can imagine how, you know, by today's standards, it's not as edgy.

But like back then, this was, this must have been very edgy for the, for its time. Yeah. You know, I mean, I still feel like it's fairly edgy. You know, it's still, there's still like that nightmarish sense to it. Sure. Yeah, absolutely. But try to. It certainly doesn't feel boring.

But try to see it through the eyes of someone who's in their 20s or teens in 1988. Yeah. Yeah. It's like, that's wild. Different, you know. So anyways, enjoyed this thoroughly. You guys, thanks so much. I'm Jabby Kui. This is Achara Kirk. Peace out.