Akira

Anno 2019, thirty years after WWII. From the ashes of destroyed Tokyo, Neo-Tokyo arose, a city on the brink of anarchy. Violent gangs and terrorists keep the city in a chokehold, the corrupt government can only maintain authority with the help of the powerful military. Tetsuo and Kanedo are best friends since childhood. Together with friends, they are also one of the many motorcycle gangs plaguing the city. Wanneer Tetsuo is kidnapped to serve as a guinea pig for a scientific experiment, they become embroiled in one of the city's darkest secrets. Specifically for Cinema ZED Leuven The screening on September 17th will be subtitled in English. / De vertoning op 17 september is Engels ondertiteld. Commentaar Regisseur Katsuhiro Otomo based Akira on his own manga series of the same name, and with this definitively propelled the anime film onto the international stage. The film was quickly used as a textbook example to show that Japanese cartoons (commonly known as manga films) could also contain violence, foul language, and sex, and were not solely intended for children. The film contains a lot of hidden critique on Japanese (and Western) society, but still became an instant hit in its own country. Almost forty years later, Akira is still - entirely deservedly - considered one of the founders and greatest classics of the cyberpunk genre. Now back on the big screen in a glorious 4K restoration!