He does not glorify the world in any way. Instead, with this realistic style of painting, he exposes the ugliness of the world and magnifies the darkness in the human heart. Similar to many great science fiction authors, he displays a deep sense of apprehension about the future in his work. There is a strong discursive attitude towards technological exploration and social progress: powerful forces can bring both the hope of development and the crisis of destruction.
Finally, the Northern Film Festival is back too. Ancient and modern, a collection of business cards, the East and West cities, Chaoyang and Haidian. Running all over town in order to see the film is certainly bliss for film fans. However, the imagination is beautiful, but when it comes to the ticketing stage, it’s a mixed bag. Have you been able to get your hands on any of the following films? Among them, there’s one that Uncle Fish really wants to revisit in the cinema. This is the first time it has been shown in Mainland cinemas as a 4K restoration. It is definitely one of the most important screenings of this year’s Northern Film Festival. Whether it’s up for grabs or not, it’s worth finding a chance to review – Akira
Akira is a big name, but anyone who is a fan of the film will have heard of it. In the first half of the year, there was still much talk of it. That’s because this 32-year-old masterpiece not only accurately predicted that Tokyo, Japan would host the Olympic Games in 2020. It also showed that the current Olympics would eventually be forced to be aborted. And, the manga version also mentions that Japan is being hit by an epidemic and is being criticised by the WHO for not doing enough to prevent it. This is the same New Coronavirus that ravaged the world this year! The realistic response has made the cartoon a growing hit in the meantime. It has also made viewers who have not yet seen it, increasingly curious about this masterpiece. As a result, the production team released a 4K restored version not long ago. And it has already been commemoratively re-released in several regions of the world. It is believed that this latest version will have even more stunning picture effects. It will allow audiences 32 years later to experience its rich charm once again.
1988 was an important year in the development of Japanese animated films. In addition to this Akira, two other animated films made a splash in Japan. One was Hayao Miyazaki’s Totoro and the other was Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies. However, at this time, Miyazaki and Takahata were not nearly as influential internationally as Katsuyo Otomo, who was more than ten years younger than them. Katsuyo Otomo was a gifted creator of Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies. When he was under 30, he released his sensational manga “Kid’s Dream”. He won the 4th Japan Science Fiction Fantasy Award and made a name for himself. Before that, the award had only been given to literary works.
Next, he started working on the manga Akira. As the work became a bestseller, it was soon adapted into an animated film. Not only was it supported by numerous animation companies, but it also attracted a number of very talented animators to participate. Moreover, the investment budget kept climbing to 1.1 billion yen, making it one of the most expensive Japanese anime budgets at the time. With this one production alone, Katsuyo Otomo established himself as a great god in the history of world animation. Akira is an anime with a strong ‘cyberpunk’ influence. Cyberpunk, in short, is a society that is technologically advanced, but socially chaotic and poor. In such a society, the gap between the rich and the poor is enormous and the class divide is sharp. The government, large monopolies or mysterious organisations have a high degree of control over social resources. In 1982, a Hollywood film, Blade Runner, came out of nowhere. It also had a profound influence on Japanese creators of the time.
Akira is one of the representatives. And it is set in Tokyo, Japan, creating a uniquely Japanese style of cyberpunk. The anime opens with a short introduction to the background of the story. In 1988, the year of the anime’s release, a huge explosion occurs in Tokyo, Japan. A huge shockwave, a blazing flash, like a nuclear bomb explosion. Everything in the city is destroyed. World War III breaks out. Immediately afterwards, 31 years later, a ‘New Tokyo’ was rebuilt in Tokyo Bay. The year is 2019, if you do the math. The story begins from the perspective of a few delinquent boys. It is night time and the city is noisy. The biker gang, led by Kaneda, gets together as usual and races wildly along the highway.
Another parallel perspective is going on at the same time: a man is on the run with a child, hiding from the government. However, it is not possible to avoid an encounter with the guards. The man is shot down indiscriminately. And the child escapes alone. Tieh Hung, one of the bikers, is in a fight with others when he suddenly comes across this mysterious child. Driving at high speed, he has no time to dodge and sees that he is about to hit the child. As a result, his own car suddenly explodes and he is seriously injured. When he heard the news, Kaneda’s group came to the scene and was planning to take the kid to task. They were shocked when they saw what the other man looked like. The man in front of him had a senile face, although his body looked like that of a young boy. What was even more unexpected was that a number of military helicopters suddenly surrounded the scene. They arrested the dumbfounded Kaneda’s group. At the same time, another senile child appeared in front of them. It was as if they possessed some kind of divine power and could descend from the sky without the aid of any power.
These old children, it turned out, were all psychics. The Japanese government is secretly conducting a human experiment called “Akira”. By stimulating the brain, it triggers the deeply hidden potential of human beings to become supernaturals. In addition to the two ‘old boys’ from before, there is also an ‘old girl’ with the supernatural ability to predict the future. All these experimental subjects have been transformed from a very young age. They all have different degrees and types of superpowers. But none of them could reach the power of “Akira”. The so-called “Akira” was originally the name of Experiment 28.
He possessed an incredible amount of energy capable of destroying the world and was suspected of being responsible for the 1988 Tokyo bombing. After the bombing, Akira’s remaining organs were disintegrated and frozen. The will went to sleep and existed in a non-physical form. And 31 years later, the government is trying to do whatever it can to awaken this long-dormant force. That is, until Tie Xiong is discovered.
Tie Xiong’s body was transformed by a close encounter with a shifter. After being injured in a car accident, he was taken away by the government for research and discovered that an energy close to that of ‘Akira’ was hidden within his body. But it is a power that no one can easily control. An ordinary teenager is gradually transformed into an out-of-control monster. Once again, Tokyo is in danger of being destroyed.
Akira” is a completely different style from most of today’s Japanese anime with its light-hearted atmosphere and cute characters. Under Katsuyo Otomo’s pen, there are no beautiful boys or girls. From the characters to the setting, it doesn’t seem that ‘good looking’. It is even, you might say, a bit ‘ugly’. For example, the film depicts the new city of Tokyo after the Third World War. Although there are towering buildings and a neon-lit business district, the counterpart is a dilapidated, decrepit and chaotic streetscape. The film’s protagonists are part of a motorbike squad that is actually a gang of miscreants. Each character is grim-faced, with a face of anger and misanthropy.
The female lead, K, is also portrayed with a very masculine appearance and personality. It is a far cry from the cute female characters commonly seen in Japanese anime. Most frightening of all, is the group of children who are forced to perform human experiments. Despite having the body shape and voice of a child, their skin is as dull and wrinkled as an old man. It was very uncomfortable to look at. That is why Katsuyo Otomo’s style of drawing is subversive.
But this style of drawing has had a profound influence on many later animated filmmakers, including Mamoru Oshii, Toshi Imamura and Keizuki Okura. Hayao Miyazaki once said. “When the alien boy stands on top of the ruins of Tokyo, everyone will say it’s Katsuyo Otomo.” This is a clear indication that Katsuyo Otomo has established a distinct personal identity for his work. He does not embellish the world in any way. Instead, with this realistic style of painting, he exposes the ugliness of the world and magnifies the darkness in the human heart. Like many great science fiction authors, his work shows a deep sense of anxiety about the future.
There is a strong discursive attitude towards the exploration of technology and the progress of society. Powerful forces can bring both the promise of development and the crisis of destruction. The central idea of Akira is also a reflection on the search for great power. In the opening credits, the explosion caused by Akira is an allusion to World War II. It is an allusion to the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan at the end of the Second World War.
In the film, this is an imaginary superpower. But in reality, mankind has seen the horror of this destructive power. If this power, as yet, cannot be effectively controlled, should it still be explored? This question does not only apply to technology, but also to social development. The scale of society in Akira is already highly prosperous. But social institutions have not yet progressed to the point where social resources can be rationally controlled. This leads to a serious breakdown of social order in the future, with a huge contrast between rich and poor.
Katsuyo Otomo, on the other hand, further materialises this problem in a teenager. When great power is given to an individual, will he be able to control it properly? However, Akira is out of control. Tiexiong is also out of control. In Tiexiong, we can see that a large part of the reason for his rampage lies in his own inner vulnerability.
He was bullied as a child, withdrawn and with low self-esteem. He admired violence and longed to prove himself. So, when he accidentally gains superpowers, his inner dark side is constantly unleashed and eventually spirals out of control. In Japanese, the name ‘Akira’ originally means ‘light’. In the film, it also symbolises the hope that the crumbling Japanese society is looking for. But this hope, corrupted by greed and selfishness, ends up as the opposite of light. So, in Katsuyo Otomo’s eyes, all powerful forces need a strong mind to control them. If the mind is not sound enough and the will not tough enough, then the power will instead be used to destroy the world. Also, the English spelling of the title ‘Akira’ is the name of the emperor of Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa. Katsuyo Otomo used this title to express his reverence for the master. He hoped that Japanese animation would inherit the same grand and profound connotations of Kurosawa’s films. And he did.
Akira represents a superlative in the history of Japanese animated films, both in terms of animation and story content. Even now, it does not seem outdated, but remains full of unparalleled charm and unparalleled depth. Although the prophecy about the holding and suspension of the Tokyo Olympics is just a coincidence. But what it portrays can still be seen everywhere today. Bullied children, desperate and angry young people, greedy and unscrupulous plutocrats, stupid and incompetent politicians… At the same time, the frenzied social violence caused by unresolved class conflicts is being played out in many parts of the world.
It is this high degree of overlap between animated scenes and reality that is truly admirable. This prophecy also inspires us to reflect once again. How can humanity not repeat the same mistakes? How can we avoid repeating the tragedies of history? Perhaps you will find new answers when you finish watching the film.
