A very good movie

Rating: 9/10 (23 January 2005)

Excellent entertainment. It has it's small flaws, but it also has a lot of big strenghts.
The animation is so beautiful it's breathtaking. Watching what looks like a million pieces of glass fall to earth in slow motion in one scene is a visual feast in its own right. Attention to detail has always been the forte of anime - and here it is taken to a new level. The color scheme sets it apart from most other animated movies, and the combination of ultra-high tech look with traditional Japanese music works astonishingly well.
The story - well I am in two minds about that. Certainly it is original, and it moves along smoothly. The story is also not too far dumbed down for the lowest common denominator, and we even get to be treated to some political and socio-critical comments.
The characters seem human. They gain a little depth and the violence they dish out isn't just there to make you go "Wow". They don't just kill and walk on. The heroine even has nearly a hysterical fit after she kills. This helps no end to identify with the human side of the protagonists.
However, the point I dread in most anime movies is the long "I'll explain the meaning of life, the universe and everything"-speech which seems to be a must in these type of films. Unfortunately at this point most writers make complete fools of themselves and 'Akira' is no exception here. When watching it once you can just get over it and move on. But if you watch it many times, like I have, this scene will get on your nerves. This somehow devalues what would have otherwise been the best anime movie of its time (and it is this part which elevates 'Ghost in the Shell' to the number one spot in my personal hit list of anime)
The ending is OK, although I think the animation guys totally flipped their lids in the 'mutation scene', but it's fun to watch nevertheless.
If you have never seen anime before this will change your view of what animated movies can do.
9/10