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Akira's technological and financial prowess pour layers of mystique upon this movie's production, subsequently bolstering its legacy. To be sure, the visuals appeal to the hand-drawn animation crowd, and the vibrant illustrations serve an entrée of Japanese cyberpunk and a side of grisly action. With that said, viewers unaccustomed to celluloid animation may find the art-style wonky, particularly during dialogue. Despite this, the animation still holds up, and the English dub features well-known talent, too*. As for the story itself, Akira adapts the manga by the same name. The source material's story had not been completed before production, so the manga author, Katsuhiro Otomo, patch-worked ... a hasty conclusion for this film. Consequently, most aspects of the narrative (plot, character development, pacing, thematic elements, etc.) derail in the second half. Nevertheless, the first half keeps intact the manga's original intentions, which are paradoxically augmented by a soundtrack rife with traditional Japanese and Indonesian music. In short, in spite of its flaws, Akira is a must-watch for anime fans who want to watch the formative classics.

[Watched in English Dub (2001)]
*SIDE NOTE: I have not seen Akira in the original English dub, so I cannot comment on it.