One of the first and one of the best.

Rating: 10/10 (26 August 1999)

I guess I should start off by saying that I'm a Japanimation fan ever since I was little. I always enjoyed watching robots fight it out on tv. Then of course I grew up, and became more and more interested in animations and I thought I should watch a full-length anime. I went down to the local video store and a little package in the corner of the shelf caught my eye. I picked up the video and was first introduced to the best anime of all times : "AKIRA".
I was absolutely enthralled when I first viewed AKIRA. Even though I felt that the story was complicated, it did nothing to effect my judgement of the film. In fact I liked the mysterious feeling the movie gave me the first time I looked at the futuristic Tokyo with all the skyscrapers,lights, and the incredible artwork it was presented in.
The character animation in this film is by far the best I've seen. The characters moved fluidly and realistically, showing off a wide range of emotions. The voices were equally well done, the speech actually matches the character's mouth movement. This can be seen by watching the subtitled version of the film, which I consider to be the better version.
One of the things that stands out in this movie is the detailed background. The futuristic Tokyo was brought to life in it's full glory. Complete with detailed texture on buildings, realistic lighting effects, and constant movement in the background make the film extremely atmospheric. Along with a powerful and unforgettable soundtrack. You'll be sucked into the animated world in no time.
The story like I said is very complicated, and will require multiple viewing to fully understand. Basically in a nutshell the film is about a secret army experiment on ESP that can render a test subject so powerful he/she can destroy with only their will. The main characters come from a motorcycle gang, the leader Kanada, and his friend Tetsuo. In one of the battles with a rival gang. Tetsuo was seriously injured and was taken to a military hospital, where he became a test subject for the army. He gained more and more power and finally escaped from the hospital. On the verge of insanity, Tetsuo swept through Tokyo with his supernatural abilities and it's up to Kanada and his rebel friend Kay, plus a trio of psionics to stop Tetsuo and prevent the destruction of the whole city, perhaps even the world.
If you want to fully appreciate AKIRA, i suggest you watch it at least 3 times so you can full piece together all the subplots.
I've said all I can about AKIRA. I can say no more if I do not wish to spoil the story for those of you who haven't seen it. All I can say is no matter if you are an Animation fan or not. Go rent AKIRA and enjoy it, you won't regret it. Because this is the best animation ever made and there'll never be one like it ever again.