Overrated and nonsensical

Rating: 5/10 (29 October 2001)

I don't care if I anger every so-called "otaku" out there that loves this movie, but I must say that Akira is certainly NOT the best anime out there. Akira does have its qualities, such as the intense motorcycle chases throughout the movie, and as with all anime, the superb attention to detail is not lacking a bit. However, Akira suffers from a severely disjointed story. I know that almost all animes have plots that are confusing, but Akira tops almost all of them. I could understand the whole government testing idea, but the plot present at the last half of the movie about psychic powers and stuff lost me. The movie holds up very well until the testing begins, and the climax is disgustingly absurd. The writers offer little to no explanation of half the events in this movie, and I feel that this is what killed the film, along with the badly-drawn Dragonball Z-type characters. If you want to see good anime see anything by Hayao Miyazaki. 1-10 Overall--5.5 Direction--6 Story--2.5 Visuals--8.5