A familiar beautiful world

Rating: 9/10 (3 November 2010)

Yes, my name is Akira. Yes I am Japanese (American). With that out of the way, I have to confess my allegiance to this movie. The world is strange, post apocalyptic in that Japanese style which was embedded into our communal psyche after being A-Bombed.
If you are just getting into anime, this is the starting point. The animation itself might seem dated to a newbie, but given the context it must be regarded as one of the most influential animes of all time, skyrocketing the anima scene into the mainstream.
I will spare you the details of plot. The plot however isn't the standard Western follow a character's development to the end. It morphs, it changes, whom we follow changes, and gets far out and completely psychedelic towards the end. This could be viewed as a negative of course, since cramming all the six volumes of the original manga into a two hour movie leaves lots of room for disconnect. And in fact, if I were to give an honest criticism, I find that the movie remains a bit detached because of this approach.
Nevertheless, I would be a fool to not recommend Akira, especially to a person inclined towards the East for getting a dose of entertainment.