Dystopian Rage

Rating: 10/10 (25 May 2014)

"Akira" is a milestone in the worldwide human culture which is still going to affect generations to come
Every single day some of us live through a rough day full of nerve wrecking experiences and unaccomplished dreams. Each one of us faced the problems which spawn from our modern way of life – a society bubbling with many various people full of egoistic purposes and goals. Each person has desires and runs head on 'till the wall of limitations stands in his/her way. We don't want to be mistook or underestimated, or wrong. We all want to succeed in what we do and achieve what we dream of. But in most of the cases people just in walls of prejudice and egoistic competition.
We all strive for that freedom and success, fulfillment and happiness which go with accomplishing whatever you desire. That's what moved Tetsuo – unhappiness from childhood abuse and loneliness, dreams of being that arrogant bastard who is the leader of the pack. Kaneda is more pure hearted – he IS indeed the leader, he had the same troubled childhood, but he always chose to fight, to excel in whatever he does – fighting schoolmates, kicking rival motor gang leaders in the teeth, picking up dangerous chicks, or fighting monsters to save the world. He is just always ahead of his mates, his friends, his rivals. He of that sort of people who is always surviving to be better than the others. Not because he is actually something more than them, but because he decided that fear is not the answer to all the troubles which the dark world around him presents to him. Something which Tetsuo cannot understand. And that's why Akira has to take Tetsuo to another place, where there are no rules, there is no life yet, and the little prick can create whole new galaxies, full of darkness and light, primal worlds where he is not being defined and defied – possibilities which doesn't come with limitations. This is why Kaneda is suited better for this dystopian world – he can channel his rage and angst into excelling as a motorcycle rider, fighter and survivor.
In our own modern world we strive to be better, but most of us are forced to compromise and suffer because of feeling fear and losing confidence and and resilience. It's essential to provoke every single day that same spark which we feel when watching Kaneda ride his bike. But most of the times we can't do that – every morning is a new opportunity to believe in the possibility of fulfilling our dreams. And right after that the day shows us that we simply cannot achieve everything as we want it. And then comes the fear. And the laziness which causes loss after loss. Because we simply cannot maintain that same level of excitement and energy which we had at one moment.
This is why we need remember that we are just a glimpse in history, a blink of an eye in the life of a galaxy – and we cannot live with fear and compromise all the time. It is important to overcome most of the problems so that we can succeed in being whatever we want to be and become. Just to live how we want to live it and not regret it. That's how the colonel and Kaneda live. And that's why they survive after all the destruction. Maybe the human DNA is indeed changing and at one time we might be able to achieve whatever we want without the need to devise this internal energy somehow.
Let's just enjoy the ride as we want it, and don't have any remorse about being good or bad.