From the 1988 film ‘Akira’ written and directed by Otomo Katsuhiro

This seminal work began simply as a weekly comic serial in Japanese manga publication Young Magazine and it ran for eight years between 1982 and 1990. Today, it is regarded as one of the top works of science fiction in film as well as print. But the feature was not live-action, it was animated and beautifully so. Nearly every piece of anime produced up to that point utilized the limited animation technique developed by Hanna-Barbera. Akira was realized at a level of quality in its every aspect to rival even the Disney masterpiece ‘Sleeping Beauty‘.

My experience with Akira begins with a magazine called Comics Scene. With the release of ‘Batman’ in 1989, comics were thrust into the mainstream limelight. The comically gruesome tone of ‘Batman’ seemed to build largely on the acclaimed work of Frank Miller in ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ and Alan Moore’s ‘Watchmen’ and ‘The Killing Joke’ and in equal measure the campy television series. For comic books the door was once again opening for serious work as accepted by the American mainstream, but just a crack.

Starlog Publications‘ Comics Scene took the opportunity to publish a piece on the adult side of comic publishing, an article that included mention of ‘Akira’. The brief synopsis was most intriguing and I was already profoundly drawn to the look of Japanese animation as represented by Robotech and Voltron. Japanese animation was tough to come by in those days. Just as a measure of how things have progressed in the US, during those days it was referred to as ‘Japanimation’. Any shows you did come across were marred by goofy English dubbing, but the look was so powerful it was easy to overlook.

The Houston Chronicle had a supplement for local art and culture news called Zest which I pored over ritualistically the movie listings. One day while scouring my weekly copy of Zest, I noticed a listing for a theater I had paid little attention up to that point, Landmark’s River Oaks Three, a theater that played art house and foreign film. They had ‘Akira’ booked for a one-week engagement.

I found the first person available, my neighbor friend, to join me in seeing ‘Akira’. I knew better than to try and see it with my father despite it being science fiction. He would not approve of the graphic violence and adult themes depicted in this foreign film. I told my parents that it was an animated film and that was enough for them as at that time animation was for children so they suspected nothing. Needless to say, we were blown away by what unfolded on the screen that day.

I began to look at the River Oaks and Greenway listing with much more interest and curiosity. Around the same time, I was first exposed to foreign film by my neighbors older sister with whom I watched Pedro Almodovar‘s ‘Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown’ on VHS. I became increasingly aware of the seemingly provincial, xenophobic attitude toward the arts which pervaded the American mainstream. Even George Lucas was notably quoted as saying upon being approached to import ‘Akira’ that it was unmarketable. This coming from the man who helped bring The Qatsi Trilogy and Kurosawa’s ‘Dreams’ to the US market. And he was right.

All that said, the most important thing about this film is the story and its elements. Animated or not, the story of ‘Akira’ the motion picture is an ambitious one of high science fiction. In many ways, this film is as bold in its story, scope and execution as 2001.