Akira (1988)

Written by Filipe Manuel Neto on October 6, 2023

Technically very good, but so confusing that it doesn't work.

I'm 33 years old and my childhood saw the popularization of Japanese anime in Europe and the West thanks to hits like “Dragon Ball” and others. However, I have to say that, even as a child, I hated this type of highly stylized animation, so different from what I was used to seeing.

Even so, it is necessary to grant this film some value. The animation it brings us is of excellent quality and very well designed, and the perfectionism typical of Easterners is clearly evident in the attention given to the smallest details, scene by scene. As has been the hallmark of modern anime, it has a lot of action and moves in a futuristic, dream-like environment, much to the liking of the Japanese. In fact, it is quite remarkable that they are a people so attentive to the future and so respectful of their own traditions and their past... a good example of how both things are not incompatible, quite the contrary, a sign that we can build the future without cut with the past.

The problem with this film is that, until now, I haven't been able to understand the story. It's confusing, and the feeling I got is that the creators focused so much on the action and technical execution of the drawings that they totally forgot to do all of this based on a logical story, capable of being followed without difficulty. Is there something that I, with a Western mindset, have not been able to understand? I don't know. I just know that this film, regardless of its technical value, didn't work for me.