Akira

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Akira is a manga (as well as a Anime (movie)). Manga aren't well known in other countries, but Akira managed to grow even more popular in western countries than in Japan. The american company Marvel has had the original colorized and so all western releases of Akira feature nice colours. Akira tells a story, which could have begun in the midst of the cold war. (But the Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore, you know.)

The Story:

Tokyo, as we know it, was destroyed by a kind of a new super-bomb of unknown origin. 9 hours after, World War III broke out and most of the major cities in the world were completely destroyed. 31 years after, Neo-Tokyo now stands, were the old Tokyo has been. One night, Kaneda and his motorcycle gang have an accident with a little boy with a wrinkled face, as one of an old man. Tetsuo, one of the gang's members crashes into the boy, who mysteriously remains unhurt and then simply vanishes from the eye. Tetsuo is brought to Hospital, and everything seems to have normalized. But that is not at all the case:

The strange boy from the last night was a part of a secret military project dealing with supernatural powers. The project is lead by the "Colonel", who wants to develop human weapons with aid of these powers. On his trail are Ryu and Kei (not Kay), members of a semi-terroristic group, who want to discover and destroy his plans. And now Tetsuo is going to be a new member of the project. But his powers rise much faster than the Colonel has expected. Tetsuo manages to find out the location of an underground freeze chamber, where the mysterium AKIRA is kept. Akira, too was a member of the project. But why did they put him in the freeze chamber at 0,0005 Kelvin ? They were afraid of something. Something they couldn't control anymore. Something Tetsuo is going to set free really soon. . .
And in midst of all the trouble: Kaneda and Kei.

From the Anime Pocket Guide:

Akira (FILM)  Genre: Science Fiction
 
Cast:
  Tetsuo .................................... Nozomu Sasaki
  Kai ....................................... Takeshi Kusao

Anime Pocket Guide Description: Neo-Tokyo is gearing up for the Olympics which will be held there. These events mean little to Kaneda and his motorcycle gang. Their goal in life is to have a good time, without getting into any real trouble. However, trouble finds them as one of the bikers, Tetsuo, 'runs into' a psychic kid and is taken away. Kaneda finds that this is all linked to a dark mysterious secret called 'Akira'. The plot is somewhat confusing, but this is one of the most technically impressive anime movies to date. NOTE: The "Akira Production Report" is a 'Making of...' video that shows some behind-the-scenes stuff of the "Akira" movie. US Release by: Streamline Pictures (dubbed) UK Release by: Island World Communications (dubbed & subtitled)

Anime Pocket Guide Rating: RECOMMENDED -- but not for weak stomachs :-)

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The Story:

From the Anime Pocket Guide:

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