The best anime/animated movie on EARTH...and most underrated...

Rating: 10/10 (25 August 2013)

I'm not going to lie, I was a bit reluctant to watch this at first because I was afraid I would be bored. After watching it several times, I'm still not bored. After 25 years, it is still the best.
First let's talk about the story....Phenomenal and original. This story displays optimism in the face of real despair. Katsuhiro Ohtomo has a genius mind. A mind that might as well dominate the works of Hayao Miyazaki. Others might say that this story is confusing and boring, but they are dead wrong. What makes the story so interesting to me is how difficult it is. A complicated story line is always fascinating to those who like to watch movies and figure them out themselves.
Now, characters....Kaneda: the only animated character with real guts. Tetsuo: the only truly frightening force of any animated film. The relationship between Kaneda and Tetsuo (main characters) is so tragic and heartbreaking that it adds a different theme to the story: friendship. Kaneda is shown doing everything he can to snap his childhood Tetsuo back into reality. Others characters like Kei, the Espers, or the Colonel are absolutely works of art. Supporting characters may not be important to some, but to me they add a certain sense of depth to the plot. The fate of Kei's character was a surprise to me. I will not say anymore beyond that point...The Espers were so mesmerizing in personality. Their looks are certainly deceiving (some think they were creepy). They may come off as the "bad guys" but in the end they are just trying to re-balance what they've been born into. The Colonel, however, was one of my favorite characters. He is so determined and strong-willed which made me admire him. None the less, these characters are distinguished and definitely underrated.
Now, the animation....This movie was made and released in 1988. Now I know what you may be thinking, it probably sucks. Well, again, you are WRONG. The setting of 2019 Neo-Tokyo was a marvel to watch. The bikes of the gangs were gorgeous, and I must compare them to the light bikes of Tron. They add the same intensity to the gangs in Akira as they do to the programs in Tron. The music along with the setting was mind blowing. I think that the best time I saw the city was when it was in ruins after the destruction of Tetsuo's path on his way to find SPOILER***the great power of Akira***SPOILER.
Now that I am done ranting about the best animated film on earth, just letting you know, It's Mr. Kaneda to you punk.