Unlikeable characters & Lousy Plot

Rating: 3/10 (3 December 2014)

It is my opinion that Akira is no masterpiece for several reasons:
I can't find any likable characters in the movie. Kaneda and Tetsuo are members of a biker gang, and when I thought about it they're just sociopaths and aren't any better than their rival gangs. By the end none of the characters really develop or learn anything, and the ones that were killed off I assume is because they simply weren't useful anymore.
I find the movie visually unappealing and confusing. Most of the youthful characters were so plain and similar, they looked like they were made with a cookie cutter and I couldn't tell them apart. Kaneda and the female protagonist looked like they could have been siblings if not the same person. In contrast any character in their twenties or older was positively hideous for whatever reason. And you'll here this from every poor review: it is pointlessly gory and full of confusing grotesque creatures.
The plot is full of unanswered questions some of which include "what's with the kids who look like old people?" "what's with the killer stuffed animals, and why are they bleeding milk?" "Where did Kaneda find a laser gun without anyone stopping him?" And I felt cheated by the end when I spent the whole time thinking: "Akira? who's Akira? When are we going to see Akira." Only to find out Akira was dead the whole time... At this point in the movie I feel they ran out of ideas so they just filled it with grotesque nonsense and nothing was accomplished.
I give it a 2.5/10