KATSUHIRO OTOMO

Bil’s rating (out of 5):   BBBB

Japan, 1988.  Akira Committee Company Ltd., Akira Studio, TMS Entertainment, Kôdansha, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Bandai, Hakuhodo, Toho Company, LaserDisc, Sumitomo Corporation.  Screenplay by Katsuhiro Ohtomo, Izo Hashimoto, based on the graphic novel by Katsuhiro Ohtomo.  Cinematography by Katsuji Misawa.  Produced by Shunzo Kato, Yutaka Maseba, Ryôhei Suzuki, Hiroe Tsukamoto.  Music by Shôji Yamashiro.  Production Design by Kazuo Ebisawa, Yuji Ikehata, Koji Ono.  Film Editing by Takeshi Seyama.  

Milestone in Japanese animation features a convoluted story played against beautifully painted backdrops. After a bike gang are exposed to a secret government project known only as Akira, the gang’s leader has to race against time to save his best friend from the deadly effects of this top government secret. His search takes him to places high and low where top-ranking officials try and stop him from finding out too much of the truth. The ending gets a bit ridiculous, but all in all it is a fascinating adventure with terrific action scenes.