The Bite Magazine - Autmn/Winter 2020 - Issue 28

bitefilmreview but he overpowers them all after escaping from his hospital room. As he flees the hospital, he has incredible abilities and powers, after learning from Kiyoko (another esper) that he can gain help from Akira, who is in cryonic storage beneath the Olympic Stadium construction site. The Neo Tokyo gov- ernment directs all of its military forces to destroy Tetsuo. Tetsuo returns to his gang’s former hangout, Harukiya Bar, to obtain drugs to control his powers. He murders the bar- tender and destroys the bar in the process. When his for- mer friends Yamagata and Kai arrive and confront him, he cold-bloodedly slaughters Yamagata in front of Kai. Kaneda is informed of what happened by Kai and vows to avenge his friend. Tetsuo rampages through Neo Tokyo, arriving at Akira’s cryogenic storage dewar under the stadium. Ki- yoko gets Kei to fight Tetsuo, but he easily defeats her and exhumes Akira’s remains. Using a laser rifle, Kaneda fights Tetsuo in a duel, and Colonel Shikishima fires an orbital weapon at him, but both fail to stop him. The colonel and Kaori (previously a love interest of Tetsuo) approach the stadium to find Tetsuo in great pain. Colonel Shikishima offers to return Tetsuo to the hospital, heal his injuries, and help control his abilities, while Kaori attempts to restrain Tetsuo. However, Kaneda arrives and duels with Tetsuo again. Unable to control his powers, Tetsuo mu- tates into a gigantic being and begins to consume all matter around him, engulfing Kaneda and killing Kaori. Tetsuo cries out for help and realises he is not in control of his powers anymore, but instead it has taken over him. As the mutated Tetsuo grows, the espers awaken Akira to stop it. After reuniting with his friends, Akira, who appears to be a young boy, creates a singularity that draws Tetsuo and Kaneda into another dimension. The espers teleport the colonel to a safe place as the singularity destroys Neo Tokyo in a mirror of Tokyo’s previous destruction, and they agree to rescue Kaneda, knowing that they will not be able to re- turn to this dimension as a result. In the singularity, Kaneda experiences Tetsuo’s and the es- pers’ childhood, including Tetsuo’s dependence on Kaneda, and how the children were trained and altered before To- kyo’s destruction. The espers return Kaneda to his world, informing him that Akira will take Tetsuo to safety and Kei is developing psychic powers. The singularity disappears, and water floods the city. Ōnishi is crushed to death when the laboratory collapses on him. Kaneda discovers Kei and Kai have survived, and they drive off into the ruins, while the colonel watches the sunrise. Finally, Tetsuo introduces himself at another unspecified level of existence. Akira 4K is a phenomenal animation that continues to in- spire generations with its kinetic energy thanks to its com- mercial success. It undoubtedly inspired me once again to discover my ‘Akira powers’ due to the narrative progression and exploration of mature themes together with visuals that exceeded its time of creation in 1988. It has been a pure pleasure to be able to witness the remastered Akira 4K and be submerged in a world of Neo Tokyo. After watching the film, it leaves no doubt why it has in- spired so many artists worldwide and received universal ac- claims from critics and readers alike. https://akira4k.co.uk