Wow, seriously, you look into "Akira" way too much. Sure you have some interesting question, but they'd all be answered if you just tried to enjoy the movie and not pick it to pieces. I won't go and answer the questions for you since that would take to long and it should be pretty damn obvious if you watch the movie (without picking it to pieces like its a high school English assignment) and read the manga.

I will say that the army is NOT "training" the Espers or Akira or Tetsuo for their own gain, they simply used them as test subjects for their power, not them themselves. Neo Tokyo is the epitome of "sex, drugs and rock and roll" because it's after WWIII, the city's in chaos because of the previous prime minister "tax reforms" and whatnot. Besides, how many other futuristic Tokyo animes have that kind of of Tokyo? A lot, actually.

Have you noticed how generic the police, the "peace keepers" and the religious fanatics are? Isn't it obvious that that's the way things are because of not only the war, but the repercussions of the war?

If you don't understand Tetsuo's transformation, re-watch the anime and read the manga.

Also, this is a site for fanfictions, I don't care that this is from ten years ago, it shouldn't be on here. Put it on a blog or some other site, like this one's sister site (FictionPress actually has a category for essays and the like).

Either way, just from reading this it makes me see you as someone who won't even try to enjoy something for the sake of enjoying it, it seems like you'll just analyse it for some deep, meaningful, "I'm not at one with the universe" message. You also ask some obvious questions.

Also, I'm fairly sure Kaori doesn't exist in the manga. Live with it.

WeepingCadaver

Hello, I know that this fanfic is old but I had to review. I have to say you were trying to look WAY to deep into the movie for the meanings. Neo Tokyo, the people of Neo Tokyo and all of the characters are the way they are to show how horrible it ended up after the first Akira disaster, Tetsuo is meant to be a hopeless character, Kaneda is meant to be almost clueless 'big brother' kind of character and I want to say more but I can't be bothered typing.

I love the movie and when I watch movies I don't watch for the sake of finding a deep, hidden and meaningful message; I watch for the sake of enjoying a good story. I personally think you were being too critical, when I read this 'reaction' all I could think was that you must have been trying to find ways to pick it to pieces. If I ended up thinking all of that stuff, I would stop watching the movie halfway through.

If you haven't already done so, read the manga. But I'll add my two cents in anyways.
In the manga, it talks about what happened to the kids placed in the Akira project. There were two options: go mad and die or live with disabilities of some form or another. Perhapes the continous tests messed with the parts of the brain dedicated to growth and devolpment. Although it is more likely that the pills caused that.
The manga also shows that Akira wasn't totally in control of his powers. When greatly upset, his power would just kinda grow out of him and obliterate everything. It seems unlikely that he went the way of Tetsuo as Tetsuo's body wells up yet Akria's organs are seen in the jars and they appear to be the proper size. But either way, they both lost control of their powers. So it's highly likely that the reason the numbers called Akira was because Akira would be the best out of all of them to reason with Tetsuo.

I do agree with you on Tetsuo though. The anime shows him in a much more possitive light as you had more backstory prior to his awkening. So when you know that he's doomed, that the whole gang is doomed, you feel really bad about the whole deal.

I know this is old, but I had to leave a comment because this is funny as hell! I had similar reactions to Akira when I saw it at 13. I didn't understand what the fuck was going on. As I got older I began to grasp more and more of the story until I reached this pleateu of understanding. So one day I was trapped in a comic book store for a VERY long time, so I began skimming the Manga. I started with volume 6 and just began reading little bits of info. I'm sure people will say "you aren't going to understand everything if you do that blah blah blah" bullshit. While sitting there at the comic book store it all slowly started to make sense. I can't possibly begin to explain it because that was a long time ago, and the explanation was complicated and confusing but I swear it all made sense. I've gone back and watched to movie several times sense then and while I don't remember every detail of what I read that day I am satisfied that for at least a year the whole story made sense to me.

Excellent meditation of the movie. One can feel the severe raw emotion of the film just by reading it.

Dear Zapenstap,

Wow, you have a very strong point. Although, I gotta tell ya: the violence, for some reason, didn't seem to bother me at all! Anyway, at first, as I read, I predicted that you were rather pissed... however, after awhile... I noticed that you were just fascinated and at the same time disgusted. However, the film is based more on symbolism and metaphors. The children"espers" as they're called) represent the responsibility in humans, while Tetsuo and Akira represent the crazy and destructible side of them. First lets start with Kaori...

Kaori... wow, Kaori is someone you really feel bad about. She's supposed to be the representation of the dangers of being naive and at the same time recognizing things in the world. The other girls are her opposite: being promiscous and aware, but not caring about it. Tetsuo going way over his head is a... visual of what will happen once a teenager finds everything he will want and need... obviously, he will go after that which he feels has wronged him. He wouldn't care because now he has everything... and now he can get rid of that wrong. Of course, revenge is a vicious cycle, and hence Tetsuo ends up destroying the place he hates, but at the same time destroying his loves and himself.

I noticed how you sympathised for Tetsuo. Of course you will! Be you an adult or a teenager, one can relate to Tetsuo because he is only doing what he thinks is right. He was simply confused... and angry. Also, here's a little fun fact: Tetsuo frequently laughs, one very symbolical: when he was smashed through the wall by the "kids". In Japan, laughing with no apparent reason, or any laughing at all, is considered a sign of confusion.

As for Kaneda, I... kinda didn't feel sorry about him. Since the beginning of the movie, I could tell he was doing things wrong. If you want to be a good leader, you have to treat your men with high and even maybe ridiculous respect while at the same time mantaining your status. He did that with his guys... but not with Tetsuo... at all. Even if he does feel it's his little brother, he should TEACH Tetsuo like a good brother would. He didn't do anything about that. As for his relationship with Kei, he was truly in love. That, along with the sense of group he got from the Revolutionaries movement, soon made Kei fall for him as well. Trust, That's what they all felt. Trust.

Tetsuo mutating out of control is pretty much a representation of the creators shocking people by telling them "if you do what Tetsuo does, you'll turn into a big blob that'll eat your girlfriend!". It's a complete psychological mindfuck, and it's just a humongous kick in the ass that's telling you "open your eyes and look into the world!", you know? As for the ending, it's rather apocolyptical...
You see, once Tetsuo reaches his peak, he does an "Akira"... only bigger: he manages to wipe out the whole universe. However, the eerie lights give another tone: rebirth, genesis... again. It's kind of like... there was a crash in the computer... and the whole computer rebooted. Now that a whole other universe has formed, the same thing will happen, only in another way, to another person... hell, it might not even happen. Instead of restarting the whole thing over again, the problems might just fix themselves.
This is an overtone that is highlighting one thing: untapped mental power. It's telling you that the brain is one of the most powerful objects in the whole universe itself... and it's telling that, since WE have the brain at our centre... WE ARE THE MOST POWERFUL THINGS IN THE UNIVERSE. It is telling us that humans are the masters of our own reality... it's just that we don't realize it yet, nor will we be able to reach it anytime soon.

AKIRA is one anime film that will be remembered for a LONG time... it's one of those pieces of art that kind tells you that there's something else going around. Behind our life... behind what we do now, there's something even bigger. Something nobody can even imagine. It makes you just wanna... want to do something that'll change the whole world. It's kind of a rage that started with two videogames: first was "The Warriors", which really first showed the superficial world of revolution. Then came "Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure", which made me delve deep. And then there was a movie"Jacob's Ladder", which tapped my religious side and made me go even deeper... and then there was "Akira"... which I just watched this night, by the way! Anyway, I have concluded that all of these movies and games are telling you one very basic yet very, very important thing"Think".

Anyway, God bless ya soul, boy



P.S: remember: THINK.

Hmm...where to start?

I didn't feel particularly sorry for Tetsuo for most of the movie...until he kills Kaori. That moment, where he's begging Kaneda to save her but it's already too late...I almost cried.

I just couldn't really empathise with Tetsuo.

Not bad, not bad at all.

Dear Zapenstap,

I'm sensing... Anger vibes... *laughs* I see where you're comming from. This movie is like one big philosophical peice of crap. That's why I love it. I have the same views on the violence as you do. I just don't want to see it. This is one of those movies where everyone has their own point of view on it. I thought it was extremly realistic to the point of being down right unbeleivable. It also gives you alot to think about. I'm still trying to rifle through all my feelings on it and it's been about three months since I bought it. I watch it once a week when my little brother is at the doctor's. (my family has strict views on age and movies). This essay, flame, rant whatever you want to call it, just gives the movie another side and more to think about. And you're right on another thing. Kaori IS like Ophelia. I never realized that. It's weird. Wow. That's food for .

Stay Safe

Stay Healthy

Yours Sincerely

Starr Bryte

yeah, i recently watched Akira as well, and it was SO disturbing! i mostly felt horrible for Kaori! She didn't do anything wrong, and she was so nice, yet her life was turned into crap. And her death was an extremely horrible and excruciating way to go! So much suffering! The whole movie was just suffering! I didnt get the ending at all, either. Just made me depressed. I really don't understand why this movie is a classic. Yes, the physics and the animation are superb, but...to me, thats about it. To me, it's not a good movie to watch.

That was so interesting. I'm enlightened.

...shit
you really made me think. are you a college professor or something?

i really liked your review of akira. heh.

when i saw the cover to the movie, i knew that akira would not be like, let's say, sailor moon. i've seen the movie uncountable times and i have to think .. "the terminator." the terminator was complete and utter apocolyptic violence all the way around. i knew what i was getting into. after i saw the movie for the first time, i just stared at the tv screen for a while and watched it again. XD i thought the movie was pretty darn good.

i never felt sorry for tetsuo. i didn't like him at all because of his arrogance. you're right about knowing he's pretty much doomed for the rest of the movie because of his personality. kaneda is a badass-the leader. "if anyone gonna kill tetsuo, it should be us!" around the rough edges, he's a really good guy. kaori totally annoyed me. she was helpless and opinionless-the perfect "female" for an action movie. i never liked how movies portray girls like that. kei, on the other hand, was really a good character.

the violence in the last parts of the movie, where tetsuo mutates, is really not needed but it's pretty strong visualizations, which makes the scene a lot better. maybe i'm just morbid like that. XD "if this is correct, this is showing the birth of the universe!" i really hated the ending to the movie, but i think i could kind of help you with it .. after tetsuo matated from that embryo-like state, and disappeared, while kaneda held that little speck of light .. testuo becomes a universe. (uh .. blinks at herself. yeahh..) from the visuals of when testuo says, "i am tetsuo," that's was what .. i .. got out of it. but then again, i don't really trust myself. XD

i could relate akira to the terminator really well. i mean, it ends up with the world being destroyed in some kind of bad way. (the scenes of tractors crushing the ground flooded with skulls in the terminator. the demolished buildings, gangs and all around culture in akira.) i thought the violence, drugs, and sex in akira definitely was appropriate to make the watcher really understand what was happenning.

and for the three children, i didn't think they were old. i thought of them as .. shriveled and unhealthy .. because of the medication they had to take to keep their powers at bay. and their lifespans have obviously been tinkered with because i'm sure the government would not want those three kids to die. hmm ..

the government .. i think the moral here is people are damn stupid. heh. and i remember one line that the colonel said .. "scientists are a bunch of romantics." i don't think the scientist could even terminate tetsuo even if he knew if his powers would become dangerous.

i wasn't really angry or disturbed by the movie. i think i'm immune to that kind of stuff. i guess it shows how compassionate i am, ne? even if there was no violence in the movie, it would still be one of my favorites of anime. it's a cult classic. _ i think you either love it or hate it or find it extremely stupid and lame or pure genius through psychological horror and gruesome violence. XD"cult classic, but not best-seller!
now i'm off to the akira manga..! i think it'll explain a lot more than the movie did. heheh.

I really like this analysis of yours. I've watched my AKIRA DVD ever since I got it from and each time, it seems to get more intense.

And I'll give you clarity on four things
1. Tetsuo is always trying to blame his problems on everyone else and he's jealous that people have things that he doesn't. However, he always gripes about not having that thing instead of actively persuing it. He was feeling unwanted and unloved and when he got his powers, he wanted to be recognized. However, he learns that the path he took was wrong, but he also learns his lesson too late and, well, he dies.
2. Neo-Tokyo may be a bad place, but that's a basic symbol of AKIRA. It's this type of enviroment that makes Tetsuo do the things he does.

3. You remember the talk Kaneda got from Kei? She said that before humans came monkeys, then reptiles, aomebas, and even particles from the universe and BEFORE that. She tells him that Akira is energy itself. I think Tetsuo's mutation was scary and gross, and the music is just as creepy. Kei said that aomebas eat everything around them and that's pretty much what Tetsuo does during the mutation.

4. During Tetsuo's 'death', the old children AKA The Espers summoned Akira because he was the only one who could stand up to Tetsuo. Akira gave him the only type of peace someone like Tetsuo would know. However, I think the "I am... Tetsuo," quote was something like his sprit or conscience talking.
There are many things left out in the movie though... oh well, I can't blame Katsuhiro Otomo. Trying to cram in six manga volumes into a two-hour anime movie. Oh well, at least Tetsuo and Kaori died together. The movie was so sad at the ending. (goes over to watch AKIRA for the 900th time) But I like it anyway.

I like the way you think. Yeah I enjoyed the movie. Got it on DVD. Well anyways, I'm pretty sure that the drugs do keep the kids in a kid state. Reasons, probably vary from, kids are easy to control, to, given the opportunity teens and adults, exspecially teens would really abuse the power. Tetsou, I wouldn't really called the bad guy of the movie. He isn't out there for the "power", he isn't out there to control people, he is out there to show people he is who he is. Toward the end, when Tetsou mutates, I believe symbolizes a new begining. That is probably why the mutation sort of looks like a baby. And when Akira comes, I believe he creates a whole new universe for Tetsou, cause he power was too much for the universe we know. Hence, the prof. saying this was the birth of the universe, a parallel universe, I'm thinking. Everything kind symbolizes a new begining, mutation into that baby looking thing, the explosion, destruction of a lot of Neo Toyko. And the Akira's energy being ultimate energy, being apart of the all life, is symbolized by the double helix of debree(spelling?)and destruction inside of the explosion(DNA is a double helix, DNA is apart of life) Not sure if that answered questions, so much as it formed more. Put the manga does explain more, and I only got the first volume.