Akira

Breathtaking, imaginative, and ground breaking. Even these few words don't really justify the late 1980s film "Akira".

Story: 7

Film is a lot different than serialized works because execution is key. This is not to state that execution isn't important in a serial, but just lesser in comparison. A movie doesn't have a elongated run time too double back, and fix issues. Execution is something that "Akira" suffers from. This is a large tale with many different layers, with an expansive lore base, and a fleshed out world. Sadly 2 hours isn't quite enough, and quite a few things are left vague compared to the Manga. ... After a couple of viewings however there is enough within the film to piece the entire puzzle together, but an extra couple of minutes of run time could of helped. This aside "Akira's" overall plot, and setting are really imaginative. By the time the credits rolled I was taken aback by what I just finished watching. The film not only left a impression on me, but on the industry as a whole.

Art: 10

Captivating almost doesn't do it justice. Age usually isn't kind to older works when you go back too a certain point. Dodgy frame work, and overall lack of detail become noticeable with these films of the past. But not with "Akira". Brimming with creativity "Akira" delivers a vibrant dystopia filled to the brim with overwhelming attention to detail. Every gunshot wound, and gory mutilation is jaw dropping. This for me at least is the films strongest aspect. It feels like you are watching moving art. Now the character designs have that realistic kind of feel, which is a plus because it adds to the overall effect of the film.

Sound: 8

The OST is funky, wacky, and demands your attention when it's playing. This is both good, and bad. I found the score to be highly original, and fun. But the issues lies in the fact that it is just plains ridiculous, and jarring during some ques. I loved it, but be weary it's not for everyone. Now the voice cast across the board did a stellar job. Special shout out to Iwata, Mitsuo who voiced Kaneda. He was smooth, ridiculous, and a lot of fun, and his voice contributed to a lot of this.

Character: 7

This is another issues with the film. With so much to tell a lot of the characterization that was present in the Manga got reduced down to a couple of scenes. Even then it was only for a few of the characters. Such is the way with a film adaptation, but luckily I still feel it did a good job with how much time they had. Kaneda was the ever likable protagonist, and a bad ass to boot. I found myself pulled into every scene he was in. Tetsuo is the other main character in this story, and one of the central focuses of the tale. Both were unique, and likable in their own ways. Now from the supporting cast there isn't much. I did however really like Colonel Shikishima. For a good chunk of the movie I was actually on his side, but besides him the rest left much to be desired for. They were enjoyable, but didn't have much under the hood.

Enjoyment: 9

One of my favorite Anime films, and in my eyes a true classic. "Akira" left an impression, and lived up to its praise.

Overall: 8.2

This film is truly unique, and a classic that stood the test of time. With a few execution problems, and a little lacking in the character department this film still deserves its acclaim. I would highly recommend this to just about everyone for it's an experience that one should form their own thoughts on. Anyways those are my thoughts, and as always thanks for reading.

As much of a "classic" or "must-watch" anime as this may be, its only strengths are the same as a generic explosion film. There isn't a story to this anime, at least not one that I could follow. It appears to have a rebellion type plot with some sci-fi mixed in, but I couldn't pinpoint where the beginning, middle, and end were. This is "adapted" from a highly acclaimed manga and was even directed by the mangaka himself so the poor adaptation may be due how little time it had to adapt what was released of the manga at the time.
The action scenes are done ... well and the colour palette is impressive seeing as what was available at the time the movie was made. Unfortunately all of the characters look similar and in a fast paced movie it can be hard to know what characters are in a scene without other characters referring to them by name. Since the movie is action based the characters don't address each other too often so you may watch through an entire scene without even knowing which characters were in it.
The sound effects were done well and sound quite realistic when they need to be. The music also sets the tone of the scenes well. The voice actors do a much better job than the character designer and the characters do sound different. Their voices also sound good in general and make the movie come alive more than anything else does. If you have a good knowledge of seiyuu you should be able to tell the characters apart by voices.
In addition to not being drawn differently, the characters also don't differ too much in their personalities. The antagonist was completely forgettable, the protagonists form a group consciousness which makes it hard to follow which character did what, and the female characters look and act so similar to the male characters that it can be hard to even know that they're female to begin with. One character they designed differently from the rest was some sort of alien, but he also has a female counterpart who is indistinguishable from what he would look like in drag.
I personally couldn't find anything to enjoy about this anime. The battles were nice, but if that's all you're there for then the sad attempt at trying to give the movie some sort of plot could just be classified as filler. The story feels like a dementia anime but lacks the satisfaction of understanding it almost like a maze with an entrance and no exit.
There isn't much to this anime at all. The sound is good and the sakuga is nice to look at, but from a storytelling standpoint there isn't anything of any value.

Epic Anime?

Yeah, that\'s true...

Good Anime?

That\'s for you to decide...

I know this Anime is a Classic, and that everyone thinks this is the best Anime ever...

... However, that is not the case...

This Anime starts and ends horribly...

And, I got bored the second time watching it and stopped halfway through...

This Anime does have some good parts, however, I do not see why I must suffer through all the bad ones for them...

This is a decent Anime, the best of all time? no.

I gave this movie a 6, and here's why. You'll enjoy this movie very much if you're some kind of deep hipster art major or a dumb ass with a philosophy major. This movie is very visually pleasing and I say that not knowing what other sh*tty movies looked like in the 80's. Bottom line, it looks good. Now lets talk about the story, and I won't spoil the "story" if that's what you want to call it. This movie will brain f*ck you like a lab rat trying to understand the meaning of life, or like a twelve year old trying to understand Right-Wing ... politics, it doesn't work. If you're like me, you stumbled on this sh*tty movie thinking it'll be like a nice "Dragon Ball" anime with a nice plot and plenty of action that makes sense, but no, all you get is a waste of two hours and then another hour wasted searching on multiple websites like reddit and yahoo answers to find the meaning of the movie because it left you confused and with a disgusting head ache. Even when you search for a meaning, multiple hipsters that tried to answer the question "what does the 1988 anime film Akira mean?" you're going to get a bunch of different answers because everyone who acts like they know what it means just interpreted themselves and then go as far as calling it a piece of art. I'm going to end this on the note of saying that if you want to get brain f*cked and have no idea what you got into, then go ahead, watch it. Just don't go thinking it'll be about motorcycles and futuristic weapons, because it's not. You're better off wondering why Vince Vaughn still acts and ruins or films like how this movie will ruin your life.

Watch it once, this has peak art and animation, extremely beautiful, I just have to give credit were credit is due. Now, the film doesn't really give you even a second to breath and digest whatever the fuck is going on, by the end I had a headache and not much satisfaction. Felt rushed and lacked any explanations, if you need to see theories, read the original material or whatever to just understand what is happening, then it's poorly written/adapted.
I'm probably being a tiny bit unfair to this because I expected more, but it's really just a fine movie... (Animation and art is unrivaled though)

Akira has been lamented as a work of pure genius and one of the most important works in the medium. It has also been criticized for its supposedly overly complex plot and gratuitous violence. It has been called revolutionary. It has been called disgusting. It has been called beautiful. It has been called overrated. I am just one man, so I can't give you all the answers, but I can tell you one thing.

I really fucking love this movie.

I've seen it, in total, three times. Each time brings a new level of understanding to the film. The plot is very complex and will probably take ... you at least two viewings to truly grasp what transpired over it's two hour runtime.

It's set in Tokyo, after a catastrophic event leveled the city thirty one years earlier. It's been rebuilt into a dystopia ran by corrupt politicians. The streets are a war zone, as terrorists and protesters launch attacks daily. The city is destroying itself from the inside out. Not only that, but the government has been conducting experiments in an attempt to control extremely powerful psychic beings, who caused the damn destruction of the city in the first place. All of this, mixed in with a group of teenagers in the wrong place at the wrong time, creates a very complex and multi-faceted plot.

I've heard the manga is very long and a lot of it had to be condensed into one film, and you can see a bit of strain here and there. Some plot lines aren't as fleshed out as others, some characters who seem to hold importance only make brief appearances. Despite all of this, the film really excels with its philosophical and intellectual themes and at its core, a story of two friends torn apart by the circumstances that be.

There are quite a bit of characters in the film, from the military Colonel who only wants to save his city, to the mad scientist intent on learning the "secrets of the universe". Due to the limited running time, a lot of characters are only thing archetypes and don't get much development. This is a shame, but it doesn't really detract from the overall experience.

Besides the Colonel (who is a very awesome character, if you ask me), only two other characters really have depth. That would be Kaneda and Tetsuo, two life-long friends who are forced to turn against each other. Tetsuo in particular, as his character is morphed into something completely different from when the film starts. It's intriguing to watch as their relationship changes over the course of the film.

Artistically, Akira is a marvel, especially for its time. The sheer detail in the sprawling, mangled cityscapes is particularly beautiful. Every shot has exquisite detail; it's crazy thinking about how much work went into this film. The film's look matches the dystopian setting perfectly. While the art is great, it's the animation that really excels. Every motion is extremely fluid and blends together realistically. The lip movements are perfectly synced to the voices as well (which is kind of rare, in my experience).

The only detractors are the rather bland character designs. Several of the characters (especially the teenagers) have similar looking faces and it can sometimes be hard to tell them apart. It's a small problem, but I felt like it was worth mentioning nonetheless.

The soundtrack is a booming behemoth of a creature. Industrial beats and ravaged, breathy chants blend together well, complementing the grotesque mood of the film. The sound effects are good as well, it captures the whirring of the motorcycles and the explosive action sequences well.

The first two times I watched the film, I selected the English audio track. For the most recent viewing, I decided to use the Japanese audio track. While the English was pretty good overall, the film benefits from its native language. I felt like I understood the film better with the subtitles, honestly. Hey, though, it's up to you on which audio track you want to listen to.

As for my personal enjoyment, I find this film to be incredibly entertaining. I hear the word "boring" getting thrown around a lot with this film, and I completely disagree. It has visually stunning actions sequences, a complex plot with many themes, good character interaction, and an ending that is still being interpreted to this day. Is it perfect? No, of course not. The plot can seem a little strained at times, and some characters are underdeveloped. You know what though? I honestly do not care. The film enraptured me from start to finish.

And you've gotta admit, Kaneda's bike is badass.

In every medium there exist certain seminal works whose influence is beyond all doubt. They go beyond mere popularity and endure as milestones long after countless other works which might have been a big deal in their own time have long since been forgotten. In theater they are the plays of Shakespeare and Sophocles. In live action film they are the likes of 'The Godfather', 'Rashomon', and 'Lawrence of Arabia'. And in the world of animation if there is any work that has the right to stand in defiance of its successors and dare them to even equal its feats it is 'Akira'.

-Story-

What happens when ... a civilization loses its initial energy and drive and gets in a rut? Most give themselves to hedonism, a few casually meddle in things far beyond their capabilities, and none give much thought to the consequences. The world of Neo Tokyo in 'Akira' is such a world. The city is an exhausted thing convulsed and wracked from within, not even aware of what it wants or is searching for. But such a state of affairs cannot continue forever, and when hubris and happenstance unleash something new, something nobody was prepared for.... well, let's see whats behind that curtain.

'Akira' is a film that feels longer than its 2-hour run-time for all the right reasons. A lot happens here and not all of it is immediately obvious and blatantly explained, but enough of the story is straightforward that it is accessible on a basic level (although sitting down and thinking is most definitely the best way to go here). And get ready for some detailed and prolonged discussions over its meaning and themes. My personal theory is that it's about the decay, rebirth, and progress of civilization with a few statements about human nature thrown in, but I wouldn't exactly be surprised to hear radically different claims. In any event, you'll be mulling over 'Akira' long after you've finished watching it.

-Art-

The opening 5 minutes of this film are the animation equivalent of dropping the mic, and it doesn't go downhill from there. I feel SORRY for the next anime I review in the art department, how the heck are they going to look remotely good compared to this. Ridiculous levels of detail and fluidity are reached- if the age of cel animation is past this movie alone will ensure it will never be forgotten. The color palette and lighting is also excellent, 'Akira' is able to convey multiple different times of day and light sources extremely well. Being a product of the peak of the Japanese post-war miracle certainly helps the budget, but you can't just buy quality like so much rice, a stunning level of talent and effort clearly went into 'Akira'.

-Sound-

The soundtrack didn't go for techno, or rock, or anything you might associate with generic Sci-Fi. Rather, it is actually very simple, even primitive. Taiko drums, woodblocks, and simple tribal choirs are used here and to great effect. Take a look at the opening motorcycle sequence alone: it isn't a bombastic 80's 'battle' track meant to emphasize how 'radically cool' our protagonists are, but just a few voice and woodblock instruments to emphasize that the fight between two bike gangs we're watching is superficially high-tech, it's really just the latest version of some very primitive human behaviors. You could play it over 2 groups of samurai fighting in the Sengoku, or 2 cavemen slugging it with rocks out and it would fit just as well. Silence is also often used to great effect- the soundtrack knows what it's out there to do and doesn't waste time on stage just because it likes being seen. It's a toss-up whether to go with the new Johnny Yong Bosch and Wendee Lee dub or the Japanese original, though while I'm typically a dub supporter the English sub version might be slightly better (one or two Japanese voices seem to fit a bit better, and in the English dub there were a couple times when it seemed like lips and sound didn't line up just right). I understand that there's an older dub, but I've never seen it and can't speak for it good or bad- although 'old English dub' aren't exactly words that inspire confidence.

-Characters-

In a 2-hour film there are limits to how well you can develop a cast, that's just part of the medium. Still, 'Akira' does a good job with the time it's given. The highlight is Kaneda, my favorite 'delinquent' character. He's able to go from street-smart hard-case to desperately playing dumb and innocent in an instant. He's no saint, but you do get the sense that deep down he's not a lost cause. The rest of the cast gets less development but you can at least tell their basic personalities apart and nobody feels redundant or unnecessary- they work fine for a movie-length story. The cast may be the least impressive part of 'Akira' but even so it's still pretty good.

-Enjoyment-

After I first watched this film I couldn't believe that I'd taken so long to get to it. If the purpose of most anime is to create interest for the source material, well, you have my attention. You definitely need your brain on to get the most out of this film, this isn't exactly 'Ninja Scroll'.

-Overall-

It's freaking 'Akira'. The art quality boggles the mind, the sound is a daring gamble that paid off in spades, the story leaves you wanting to watch the movie again in the hope of finding even a single new detail. There's a very good reason this film is considered a cornerstone of anime. Lord Akira sits upon his Olympic throne and looks down in amusement at the champions later men have declared 'the greatest ever'. His place in the pantheon is unchallenged, and that is why 'Akira' receives only the second '10' rating I've ever handed out in these reviews.

Well, Akira, anyone who has watched anime knows Akira, you may not know what it's about but everyone has heard the name. Akira is definitely the most and possibly most talked about anime there is. But is Akira good is the true question, is it good, the answer sadly is no.

Story 3/10: Okay, read these lines out loud "KANEDA! TETSUO! *RATATAT!* *BOOM!**GRAHALGRAHAL!!*" congratulations, you have just recited the whole plot of Akira that you will be able to understand. Yes there's more then just that but it makes absolutely no sense. You will always here from people "read the manga" but that's the problem, ... you shouldn't have to read the manga to understand the plot of the anime, that be like saying you have to read the comics to understand the plot of The Dark Knight.

Art 10/10: This is Akira's true saving grace, it's ungodly good animation. Most anime features stiff characters that stand perfectly still for a majority of the time with nothing but their mouths moving into only a single position so it looks like the only thing they're saying is "ah ah ah ah ah" and it still somehow manages to look choppy. Akira on the other hand has constant movements from characters who actually move in a somewhat more relaxed and realistic manner, and they even have slight movements with dialogue and lip syncing, LIP SYNCING! And on top of it that animation is so smooth you will be in awe, I don't know how many frames per second Akira has but you will never find any anime that moves this smoothly (and this movie was made in 1988)

Sound 5/10: First on music, the music in Akira was fine, nothing wrong with it what so ever, but it's forgettable. Most people will never remember a single song from Akira or feel compelled to listen to it again. Now as for the voice acting, first a little info, there are two dubs, one made back in 1989 (streamline) and another in 2001 (pioneer,) and there is constant debate among the Akira fanbase as to which one is good and bad, the truth is they're both bad. The streamline has the right emotions displayed and the actors can actually scream in pain and such when the script calls for it, but the characters in Akira are a bunch of 15-18 year old punks while the cast sound like they're all 40 year old greasers from the 50's, while the other dub had more suitable voices but the acting was half-assed, so you have a choice between bad acting or distracting out of place voices (I haven't seen the sub so I can't really talk about that)

Character 6/10: The characters are kind of a love hate thing with me. For one I liked the major characters personalities, Tetsuo's punk "kiss my ass" nature (later turned psychotic power hungry mega being badass,) Kaneda's cocky, fun-loving, "I just don't give a fuck" attitude, and most of the bikers. Most of the other characters though were just horrible, from that resistance fighter with the mustache (pick which one) to the girl who looks like she's Kaneda's clone. Which raises the other issue, the character designs, every character looks like every other character from that group, Kaneda looks like Tetsuo with combed hair, the girl Kaneda meets looks so much like him he's practically moving around with a mirror, all the resistance fighter guys have trench coats and pencil mustaches and there's no way to tell any of them apart.

Enjoyment 6/10: Okay, Akira had a confusing as all hell plot and lacking character designs, but still the animation is wonderful and that does help make the action scene brain melting. You will enjoy the hell out of the biker gang fights, the shootouts, the mutation scene near the end, and even some of the dialogue because of the movements and lip syncing (LIP SYNCING! The lips actually move to accommodation the word being said!!! I still can't get over this!) is enjoyable. So yes although a lot of the time you're just gonna be saying "get on with it!" there will be many enjoyable moments.

Overall 6/10: Akira is essentially the Citizen Kane of anime, what could possibly be called the single most important movie in anime, and it has truly set the bar from animation quality (a bar that no other anime has come anywhere close to.) But ultimately this film is the most over-rated anime there is, yet it's one of the most important to anime, I'd say watch it just so you can say you have (maybe you might enjoy it if you did read the manga, who knows.)

Akira…..The first anime I ever watched..i know that’s actually quite cliché for an otaku to say now but damn its been 19 years since my first viewing on BBC2 in 1992. I’ve thought about it for a while and I’ve decided to base my review upon how this movie affected me then and how I think about it now. I’ll try to be impartial considering this is my favourite animated movie of all time (to date).

Animation

Upon viewing this the first time I was just dazzled by the detail in animation keeping in mind before this most animations I had seen were from the ... Walt Disney camp. I was especially captured by the background / landscape detail – scenes like when the “kid” Takashi screams and a whole tower block of windows shatter were just mesmerizing.

A slight downside was maybe the character designs were a tad carbon copied but this never really bothered me at all. I just passed it off as the chosen character template.

Again, scenes containing tremendous destructions and everything within the last 30 minutes where just so mentally stimulating to a young 6 yo’s mind it still brings a giant sense of nostalgia every time I re-watch it. I don’t really expect anyone watching this today to be blown away as much as I was but I think it can still be appreciated to some degree

Sound

Upon watching this anime the first time I am proud to say it was in its original Japanese language version with English subtitles, since then I have watch 2 different English dubs and of the two I can honestly say the first dub is the more acceptable but the Jap is my preference.

The dialogue in Akira is really nothing spectacular, same goes for voice acting and background music. Actually the only thing I really love about the sound is during the memory sequences near the end of the movie, very nice.

Story

A lot of people make a big deal about how confusing the story is, well I believe Akira on a whole is a story you either want to understand or don’t, in the case you want to understand fully what this is all about you will probably find yourself re-watching this again or reading the manga.

Akira to me is not just one simple story but a story that contains many sub-plots, ideologies, concepts and interactions, but at its core deals with friendship, politics and science.

It’s hard to say how today’s audience would take the story of Akira because upon first viewing it’s a complicated story with many subplots that eventually come together.

So in a nutshell I believe Akira has some great concepts that come together well but may take some patience and concentration to fully digest and enjoy.

Character

I’ve read a lot of reviews where other people claim the worst part of Akira were under developed characters….well I completely disagree. The characters in Akira are predictable-yes because everyone is just playing their role in the story, the teenagers act like teenagers, the scientists act like scientists and the army surprise surprise act like the army would! I mean are you expecting each character to delve into a monologue about how they are feeling or what they are thinking lol akira is long enough without it.

These charters are on an adventure whether they know it or not and I found it entertaining watching them all come together so in my humble opinion there was nothing wrong with any of the characters in akira.

Enjoyment

Akira to me is just a dazzling experience of a fictional Neo-Tokyo which was animated wonderfully and given an exception storyline to boot. I have 3 different editions of Akira on DVD so I guess that kind of answers the “did I enjoy it” question.

Value

Well in the past I have recommended Akira to other people with mixed results. In todays anime scene Akira is still rated highly but many people find it confusing and overrated so I think newbie’s to anime may not enjoy Akira but it serves as a good tracing point in the history and development of anime in general.

So bottom line, Akira still has high value to this day but I think it’s a movie more suited for the experienced and not so superficial anime fan.

10/10

Btw If you did watch Akira and did enjoy it I would recommend these titles: Neo Tokyo, Memories, Metropolis & Megazone 23.

Planet Tyro Rating: Hall of Fame

planettyro.com

"Nemure, Akira. Nemure, Tetsuo."

To be honest, this show was pretty difficult to appraise. I was just sitting and watching, but couldn't get to the bottom of it. I didn't understand it at first, but then it dawned on me. You can call me a weenie, but the whole plot was pretty amorphous until the end, when the story got disentangled. I believe it was made this way intentionally as I rate it a masterpiece. The most unique and unpredictable piece of art, and I'm still being too euphemistic.
It's really bad it hadn't got more of screen-time, since it's the least thing this show deserves.
I ... must not forget the revolutionary animation and also mention that the anime was created back in 1988, so it is completely innovative in every aspect. Another reason to not avoid it.

Hope everyone out there gets their hands on this gem.


10/10


Also, listen to the "Requiem OST"

Akira is the pinnacle of an era that was filled by blood, gore, and violence. Certainly one wouldn't watch this film with their family by their side or even have a casual outing with friends viewing this film in a theater.

I'd argue, though, that one shouldn't view this film with loved ones not because of its graphic nature and rough artwork. One shouldn't view this film with loved ones because it is not kind to waste people's time.

Akira is definitely not overrated, not in the general sense of the term, anyway. It's a troubled piece of art that garners all the popularity it deserves ... and the controversy it merits is symbolic of its era, catapulting it to the forefront as one of the "best" cyberpunk films ever, even somewhat inventive of the genre and most certainly inspiring. But it does fall short on technical storytelling, so much so that I can't look at the movie in almost any positive facet.

*Some spoilers ahead*

Story: 3
The premise isn't in any way boring. It is important to remember historical context when reviewing films and given the films and shows of its time period, Akira was innovative with sociopolitical commentary while weaving an interesting story into it. What's unfortunate, though, is that the audience doesn't come to care for the story at all going into the film. Who the hell is Ryu? Who are the granny children? Yes, I know that movies are supposed to show and not tell, but I feel quite blind going through the story without a guideline of the limits of their power and exposition. It makes everything being displayed on the screen feel illegitimate, almost un-genuine, and I find myself laughing AT the film trying to kill off characters that I, frankly, could care less about. This isn't a rant about the characters, though, but it is a criticism of how the movie utilizes its characters and it's piss-poor. The plot is interesting and definitely has creative and artistic direction but it is hard to be invested in the story when the first half of the film go by as nonsensically as possible and the second half is just the film doing graphic things to underdeveloped nonsensical things in the first half.

Art: 7
Yes, the art is dull and bland but it is just charming in an inexplicable way. Maybe the way the dark, one noted color palate fit in with the dystopian, technological city. Maybe it's the way how the art-style and animation justifies its position as the poster boy of 80's dark anime. It's something that I can't place my finger on, but that makes it feel all the better. The only downside unfortunately is that by the end of the two-hour duration of the film, seeing the same colors and boring character designs get uninteresting and loses the charm. Still though, if someone were to ask me, "what's the first thing you think of when it comes to cyberpunk dystopian settings?", I respond "Neo-Tokyo".

Sound: 6
Akira sounds dark at times and definitely experiments with its sound. Some of it falls on deaf ears but I think the majority of the soundtrack sounds fine. Sound design? Forgettable, but most films have forgettable sound design in my opinion.

Character: 1
If I got a prompt asking me "what character do you care for?", I'd automatically know my answer. None of them. It's not that simple, though. Other than Tetsuo, we are left to guess the motivations of the other characters. Sadly, we've only seen the other characters for a grand total of 30 minutes and each scene is poorly put together in hopes the fans will make an hour long video of "analysis" as to "what does this scene mean!". In my opinion, if I can't understand a film after thinking about it for a prolonged amount of time (unless the film is a direct continuation such as EoE following NGE) and must read up on the "lore" and watch analysis videos, it just sucks. I know these things are supposed to be subtle but I literally was laughing as that one doctor character overdosed in a alleyway. Who is this guy? But the real violation of the film's integrity is the usage of Kei to save Kaneda from being sucked into Tetsuo's universe-thing or whatever. Kei, the girl who just screamed for Ryu half the movie and got harassed the other half saves one of the major characters and even is implied to like him after like, 25 minutes of screen-time with him, none of it even substantial? Please, save me the semantics, there is no symbolism and there is no excuse, the characters are underdeveloped, unmotivated as far as we know, but there are so many of them that the movie tries to actually hop perspectives. I'd prefer to watch Tetsuo. the character that I know their conflict and motivation rather than goddamn Ryu, thank you very much. Is Tetsuo complex and interesting? Yes, but a single character cannot save this category or even uplift it by a SINGLE point.

Enjoyment: 4
Interestingly, the film has an atmosphere that fits very well and enhances the overall viewing experience tenfold. Still, though, the aforementioned issues aren't just issues after being seen under a microscope, they are abundantly clear on the first watch and every watch after.

Overall, Akira almost, in an ironic way deserves its praise because it really does fit all the good, positive things I've heard about it. Beautiful, dark setting? Check. Controversial but not just for shock value? In my opinion, check. Has a message that accompanies sociopolitical commentary and observations of the government? Check.
But the whole is greater, or in this case, worse than the sum of its parts. A nonsensical story with characters that I don't know, don't care for, and don't like is not worthy of my adoration. Fluid animation that innovated the industry, sure, but nothing excuses the mess that is its story.

If I haven't made it clear, I respect the film for the strides it has taken and would never argue with an Akira fan of its influence and ability to age even into todays world of animation. But the issues it has are way too huge for me to personally treasure it or even give it a half-decent score. Akira, a 2/10 for me.

I've heard nothing but praise for this movie through the years and I know it's very influential, so I decided to check it out expecting to be blown away by a masterpiece... That didn't happen. I don't know if my expectations were just too high but I found it hard to enjoy it.

Its strength is definitely the animation quality. It's very good for the time it was released. And though the art style is not my favorite, there are some really beautiful visuals such as when we see Neo Tokyo for the first time. And the sound design is pretty cool too. I'm sure it ... must have been quite impactful at the time. But those things alone count for nothing if story and characters are lacking. The worldbuilding is very shallow, just like most of the characters. Considering the movie's runtime, that's baffling. You can barely tell Kaneda's gang members apart and they all come across as nothing more than screaming obnoxious teenagers through 90% of the movie. Tetsuo is simply insufferable, there is no way to feel sympathy for him. I only started to sorta care about Kaneda himself close to the end but felt no reason to care about anyone else there. The romance that the movie kinda tries to build up falls completely flat and at no point there's any explanation about what Akira is and why there are people who worship him. Some of the concepts presented, such as the espers are good but once again there's no explanation about them. The whole concept of Kaneda and the rest being bikers is also quite irrelevant to the story.

I really don't mind the action and the gore, I think they were very well done but there needs to be something more. I have a feeling that the manga might be better in explaining those things but the adaptation has to speak for itself. I understand that certain stories benefit from having some of its aspects stay vague but that is not the case with Akira. It's like we're just watching a series of actions without knowing why they are happening.

Overall, I can understand how it might have influenced a lot of other stories in different mediums and I can't tell if I'd have a different experience if I had watched it in the 80s, but for me it was just a very confusing experience.

1. Do not make this the first Anime you watch.
2. Do not use this anime to introduce someone else to anime

This is a very controversial anime (see the other reviews). For me it was the first anime i watched and i hated it completely.
It was the reason why i then steered well clear of anime for the following years until friends showed me "ghost in the shell".

I can understand why the art was contemporary and attractive, why the dystopian outlook and antisocial main character were hip, back when it was released in the late 80s. So i can guess that people who ... watched it back then may have fond memories but that does not make it any more enjoyable to contemporary audiences.

What i detest about the work:
The Main character is an asshole, the setting is a purely condescending view on the world. The entire story is basically about how the asshole main character lashes out at the world.

When you take into account that the art wasn't very exciting when viewed through my eyes in 2007, you can see why it isn't the best choice to introduce any newcomers to anime.

Long story short:
1. Your friend is a different person than you
2. 1988 is not 2021
3. Please don't ruin someones intro to anime with some hit-or-miss attempt with a controversial anime

Maybe the best format for introductions is a session where you both watch several different anime from different genres together and have the time to talk about them

So I finally watched one of the most talked about hyped up anime films ever. I was a little disappointed. So I'll start off with the things that I liked about Akira. straight off the bat. I liked the animation. the voice acting and the soundtrack. the animation was so good for when it came out. it's even better than some animes that are airing now. The voice acting was incredible. I watched it in sub. and the soundtrack was really really engaging. later on in the movie I liked the action scenes and the story.

however, at the beginning of the movie for the ... first hour, I was incredibly confused throughout portion because nothing was explained properly. it involved a lot of research on my part figuring out who the characters were and what was happening. it seemed very rushed. however, the second half of the movie was really good. it was super engaging and started to unveil the story that it had. it was hard to grip me at the beginning because I didn't have any idea of what was happening. I could have easily just stopped watching because it was too confusing. although I sat through it and I got to admit it's a really good film.

A lot of people say it is a critique on humanity which I understand. anyone can watch this movie differently some people may just see it as a movie and not really understand the critique part. however, the way I interpreted it was that it was a representation on how people act when they get a hint of power. This shows how selfish human nature is and the destruction it can cause. Also, when people start celebrating the person who is bringing about destruction from their power it shows how people without power ( wealth, luck and fame) can be easily influenced and will have a sort of parasocial relationship with them.

I also thought that it showed how one may hunt and hurt people for something but never have enjoyment and will always be disappointed no matter if they get what they were searching for. showing how cruel human nature is. part of me resonated with the espers because they were children who were put under medical torture for years. it shows how people will do anything to understand the world better and knowledge. overall, it was a fun movie to watch but it was stressful at the beginning because nothing is explained and even after the "twist" it was still quite vague. but I also think the reason that it wasn't explained properly and was kept vague was so that the viewers can interpret it however they wanted.

PS. my girlfriend wanted me to bring up that Tetsuo's head was very distracting throughout the film.

Akira is one of those movies that when it came out it was revolutionary, but the more it gets old, the more it's evident of how... basic it is. And I'm being very nice by just saying "basic" (because, to be honest, I really hated it).

The plot is... oh man, WHAT EVEN is the plot? We have 2 hours and 4 minutes of the movie and most of the time I was lost and bored. I had to google so many times to understand what was happening, what was the objective, who was this character on screen and... oh, THE ENDING. WHAT????????!!!!!

Now, to be fair, ... I also googled about the manga and it sounds like it is more interesting, less rushed, more "complete" and just a whole different experience from the movie. I'm still debating whether or not I'll read it, but as far as the MOVIE ADAPTATION goes: I certainly don't recommend it!

The art is... not pretty. I get it: this is old, this is what anime looked like in the 80's, but still. The art didn't please me and it certainly pleased me even less when I focused on a character's mouth "moving" while they spoke (I put that word in between quotes because UGH it is so badly animated! It's like their entire face is still and only their mouths move, and barely so. I hated it.)

The characters are meh. I didn't like anyone, didn't feel a connection with absolutely any of them, I can't even remember most of their names! And some of them, I have no idea why they even existed (for example, Kei. Kaneda meets her for the first time and it's like love at first sight, he's all up for getting in her pants and I'm like: okay, but do you even KNOW this girl? who is she, why is she there, what is she going to do????)

I only started to actually get interested in the story in the last 20 minutes of the film. And by the end of it, I was back into being confused and unsure of what I had just watched.

Overall, Akira is one of the classics that I personally don't like, but as always, I have an unpopular opinion.

Right off the bat of my review, I'll say this: I'm bias. At least for Akira anyways.
Normally, I tend to avoid being bias at any costs but seeing as this is my first review on this site, I'm going to be bias. Why? Akira is my favourite anime movie.

The Story: 9/10
If you've read the manga and watched the movie, you'll understand the differences between the two. I prefer the manga which is why the story didn't get a 10 from me. Don't get me wrong, the movie might be different from the manga but that doesn't take away from it and it's best to view ... these two as totally different stories involving the same characters.

Art: 9/10
I love the art style of Akira and most of Otomo's works. There are a few minor points in the art style that I don't care for. For me, his style when drawing women isn't that great. Most people become confused on whether or not Kei is male or female.

Sound: 10/10
How can you not give this soundtrack a perfect score? It's completely fresh and it stepped far away from people back in 1988 were use to hearing. The tracks are long and set the mood for the scene they play in. I would touch more on that but I would have to spoil it in order to express my full enjoyment.

Voice Acting:
(First dub = Streamline dub - Second dub = Pioneer dub)
I didn't rate this and I'm never going to. Akira has two English dubs that I'm about to touch on. The Streamline dub had bad synchronization between sound and mouth movement during some scenes and it was also bad that when some character's should have been shouting their dialogue, the words were softly spoken. Of course this was 1988 we're talking about so it's expected to be bad (but you can find some humor in the bad voice acting). Kaneda and Tetsuo have better voice actors in the Streamline dub (in my opinion) because they sound more natural to the character as opposed to the Pioneer dub. It should be noted that I watched the Pioneer dub first and prefer the Streamline version. The Pioneer dub fixes a lot of the problems but if you're like me, you'll find one thing very annoying: Joshua Seth. The entire time I was watching the Pioneer version, I just kept thinking about Digimon and how annoying Tai's voice is. I wasn't able to pay as close attention to the movie as I should have during my first time. If you don't want to get into the whole "which Akira dub is better" situation... just watch it subbed. Probably the easiest way to watch it. Another thing to note is that the Pioneer dub has a lot of unnecessary swearing which can get annoying after awhile.

Character: 8/10
I only give it an 8 because I want to rate it high but at the same time, in comparison to the manga... the characters were under developed. It's a shame that certain characters from the manga weren't included (Chiyoko) and that some had minor roles in comparison to their larger roles in the manga (Lady Miyako and somewhat Joker). Kaneda, Tetsuo, Colonel and Nezu were built up strong but in comparison to the manga, it lacked. (Yes I know I said to view both of them as two different things XD)

Enjoyment / Overall: 10/10
I enjoyed Akira because it fit my more mature views on anime. I admire it because it helped set standards for certain anime of my generation today. I would touch on other things that made it enjoyable but I can't because I don't wish to spoil anything. I'll say this much: I watched the movie first and loved it (especially the climax) and when I read the manga, it helped draw in an emotional connection to the characters and story. I wouldn't recommend this movie to everyone because not everyone will love it but I do suggest taking some time to watch it if you haven't already and see if you like it.

Akira is one of the greatest animes, and After watching it, I see why. It is much better then most anime today and you never see anime movies with beautiful animation like this anymore. The colors were great and so was everything else. Especially the music, it was very different and always suited the mood.

Although the story is a little confusing, it is still very enjoyable. The characters are outstanding and you an relate to them... other then the being taken and tested on part of it. Tetsuo is a great character and seriously misunderstood. His hair grows periodically through the movie, I think this ... is where Toriyama got his ideas for DBZ.

Overall I loved it, I edit with it sometimes too, this two hour movie was DEFINITELY worth every second.

I was recently asked a question that has been bugging me for over a week. What anime has been influential to anime today? Several came to mind, but after some serious debate I believe Akira is that great classic. It has cemented the imaginations of many illustrators and led to the growth of anime outside of Japan.

Story: 8/10
In a post-apocalyptic community of Neo-Tokyo, wrecked with stagnation, anti-government, and gang violence sets the stage for Akira. The story essentially is an example of society tearing itself part at the seams and how this effects everyone including the characters. The story is action packed with ... good pacing, so nothing ever feels rushed. Other than that, I don't really have any negative comments on the story. I could list off all the positive, but that would take forever.

Characters: 9/10
Unlike most animes or stories, the characters are neither good nor bad. Instead they are not painted simplistically and they all are surprisingly complex with various backgrounds. For example, Kaneda is a street thug, skirt chaser who is caught in the middle of a revolution. Tetsuo is a misguided youth suffering from an inferiority complex that manifests latent psychic abilities. Nobody is black or white, but vary in shades of grey.

Art 10/10 and Sound 9/10:
One of the movie's greatest aspects, is its powerful and graphic scenes. The animation quality is outstanding even trumping alot of modern day animation. The detailed, and unparalleled background art is inspiring. No background is ever used twice, be it from blinking street lights or a random person exiting a building. I have yet to find an anime with so much detail in everyday environment. The characters realistic and smooth motion is something I also noted with modern animation as still a problem, in which Akira delivers. The music is also something that stands out fitting each scene incredibly well. Along with detail in even the small things from a ceiling fan to revving an engine.

Akira has the best anime has to offer, and has a magnificent story that you will never forget. Akira is not for the squeamish and is a chilling vision of what the future may hold. Akira is a classic that should be remembered for decades to come.

Wow, I just watched it again and it blew my mind, mate. The art, the ambiance, the use of silences is just perfect, pure cinema, folks. This work is not just an anime, it’s a true masterpiece of cinema. The way silences are used to convey emotions is so beautiful and touching, and whenever one of these scenes happen, it makes me feel like I’m there with the characters. Each scene is so well-crafted and executed with amazing precision. The art and ambiance are so stunning, creating an atmosphere that totally immerses you in the story. It’s a cinematic experience that leaves you speechless and ... makes you appreciate the true art of cinema, luv it to bits. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out on one of the best anime ever made. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Akira is one of the most well-known movies, even an anime classic to a lot of people. However, is it really worth all the hype that people give it?

Short answer, no. Long answer, almost every aspect of akira is extremely flawed, but first I'm gonna talk about the story. At the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to a dystopian Japan, with stuff like gang violence, espers and a mysterious guy known as 'akira'. This all seems like an interesting mystery, and it is, but all that build-up is ruined by a disappointing ending, leaving even more unanswered questions and plotholes. To some people ... its understandable considering it didn't adapt the full manga, but it also felt like the movie just didn't even try to wrap up its own story well. All of the characters also felt flat and monotone to me, and were nothing but devices to help tell the story instead of human beings with emotions. This leads to another problem, one that is also related to the previous - the voice acting. Rarely do I ever complain about the voice acting, but the VAing done in this movie is just absolutely boring. I felt like I was watching a puppet show with a bunch of voice actors getting paid a minimum wage, which is one of the main reasons the characters all felt dead inside to me.

But let's not just talk about the bad things. Akira is truly a piece of eye candy, with lots of colours and detail put into all the scenary and animation. Also props to them for having such an intriguing build up i guess.

Overall, to me this movie just completely fell flat on its face, but if ur just chilling with ur friends on a saturday night with nothing else to do, the cool animation and worldbuilding can still make it a fun watch.