Tetsuo's Gotta Die... Like Right NOW!!!

Rating: 9/10 (16 November 2013)

Now granted that when I was a kid, I enjoyed "Pokémon" and "Dragonball Z" immensely. Growing up I've became more aware of anime's many genres and sadly the majority I found were nothing but goofy, repetitive drawing styles & unprovocative story lines. Now I come across "Akira", A manga that apparently matured a way of storytelling the same way Alan Moore did with American comics in the 1980's. Suddenly after a little research shows that "Kill Bill" (2003), was influenced by the manga "Lady Snowblood". "The Matrix" (1999) was pretty much "Ghost in the Shell" with a fresh coat of paint, and practically anything from Studio Ghibli shows that Anime can be as provocative as anything Disney has to offer.
Tokyo is in the year 2019. Teenage Gang Leader Shotaro Kaneda, pretty much spends his time harassing other gangs in extremely high speed chases. Eventually teenage biker Tetsuo Shima is caught in an accident leading to his abduction. What follows is the gang trying to find their lost friend, and the consequences of what Tetsuo could soon be capable of.
Many who can sit through this two hour adaptation of a 1000 page Manga can luckily look forward to being treated like adults, as well as a VERY detailed animated feature consisting of more than 160,000 cells of animation! Featuring a neon lit Tokyo as stunning as the look of "Blade Runner" (1982), this film is literally eye candy. Every explosion looks detailed, every street corner has immense depth and overall every crowded place just looks consistent. The story I won't spoil for you, but it features everything you could want to revolve around a Cyber-punk futuristic city. Crazy vehicles, militarised areas and psychic powers from the most bastard kid ever drawn, all in all you have something that you can be proud to call "Influential".
Final Verdict: It's not for everyone and believe me when I say that, but for those who can sit through it all may be pleasantly surprised and optimistic in checking out similar works. 9/10.