This classic animated movie takes place in a the futuristic Neo-Japan. Two of the main characters in the movie are Kaneda a bike gang leader and his best friend Tetsuo. While rivaling another gang they get involved in a secret government project known as Akira. As the story evolves and the pair are faced with corruption and greed Tetsuo’s supernatural abilities that liken him to Akira ultimately lead to a final battle in the Tokyo Olympiad where Akira’s secrets were buried 30 years ago.

Where to find Akira online:

Time for a confession; Battle Royale (aka Batoru rowaiaru) was the movie that really provoked my interest in Asian cinema. While I had watched many various Kung Fu/Samurai flicks it wasn’t until watching Battle Royale that I started appreciating all of the amazing cinematic art coming from Asia. I was trying to come up with a quick and easy summary of the story of Battle Royale, but it is best told by the movies website: “(Battle Royale) tells the story of a dystopic future in which each year, a randomly-selected 9th grade class is kidnapped and sent to a deserted island where they are equipped with weapons and are forced to kill each other until one survivor is left”. I have watched this movie at least a dozen times and I can’t express just how much I love this movie. It has been around a while (it premiered in December 2000) and there is even a Battle Royale 2.

The official movie website is available at http://www.battleroyalefilm.net/

Where to find Battle Royale online: