STACK #198 Apr 2021

FILM FEATURE

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Madman Entertainment has spared no expense to bring Akira to diehard fans and new generations in an all-new Limited Edition 3-disc set, while stocks last. A testament to Akira ‘s longevity is its repeated restorations and upgrades, with the latest 4K UHD release being the most comprehensive and essential iteration to date. The 3-disc set includes a new restoration of the film on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray, an extensive 40-page booklet on the film’s production, an additional Blu-ray of bonus content, Dolby True HD audio, the 1988 and 2001 English tracks plus the original Japanese audio.

STACK takes a look back at the landmark 1988 anime masterpiece ahead of its release on the 4K Ultra HD format on April 21. Words Glenn Cochrane AKIRA A RETROSPECTIVE

of the most visceral moments in cinema history. Beyond that synopsis, Akira ’s plot is far too complex to describe. Suffice to say, it’s a provocative milestone in animation filmmaking that has left an indelible mark on modern cinema. When watching Akira , its own influences are immediately apparent. The world of Philip K. Dick provides the most obvious model for the futuristic Tokyo cityscapes, with his 1956 novel The Minority Report and the 1982 film Blade Runner having strong conceptual bearings. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and even David Lynch’s surreal Eraserhead inform the deeper, existential themes. Leaping forward three decades, Akira continues to influence modern cinema, and the list of films that owe it a debt of gratitude is huge. From the immediate release of the 1989 film Tetsuo: The Iron Man all the way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, elements of Akira are embossed onto almost everything that can be considered sci-fi. Themes of government experimentation and telekinetic powers can be found in the TV series Stranger Things (right down to the costumes), while super-powered youngsters are the protagonists of movies

A long with the home video rental boom in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s came the rise of anime, the Japanese form of animation that stood apart from the

spanning countless volumes. Hundreds of titles with episodic labels populate the section, but as new titles come and go, Akira remains a steadfast fixture. Set in Neo-Tokyo 30 years after World War III, the film depicts a new world order, ruled by corruption,

family-friendly Disney brand of films that dominated western

culture. Somewhere in the back corner of any given video shop was a ‘Manga’ section, which housed titles like Ninja Scroll , Golgo 13 , Wicked

terrorism and violence. Two friends, Kaneda and Tetsuo, are involved in a motorcycle collision with an escaped patient from a top-secret government lab. The incident

Leaping forward three decades, Akira continues to influence modern cinema

City and Fist of the North Star . Amongst those was perhaps the most influential and groundbreaking anime film of them all: Akira . The term manga refers to Japanese comic books and graphic novels. Akira first hit the press in 1982 and was later published in America by Epic Comics (an imprint of Marvel). It was already

awakens psychic powers within Tetsuo, setting in motion a series of events which leads to the second fall of their city. Pursued by government agencies and marauding street gangs, Tetsuo’s powers culminate in a spectacular showdown, whereby grotesque body horror and existential science fiction combine for one

• Akira is out on April 21

a hugely popular series amongst young readers, which led to much anticipation for the revolutionary feature film in 1988. Touted as the most expensive animated film of all time, Akira burst onto screens in all its cyberpunk glory, delivering an assault on the senses that endures to this day. Today, the anime section of your local JB Hi-Fi is a treasure trove of eclectic and eccentric titles, and outside of the Studio Ghibli catalogue, most anime takes form as long sagas,

like Chronicle and Midnight Special . The twisted city and it’s everchanging design were obvious references for Dark City and Inception , while the detail of Akira ’s post-apocalyptic setting has been influential across many popular media, from animation and music to comic books and video games.

18 APRIL 2021

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