Review of Akira

Story: 5 Akira packs a LOT into a very small package, creating a grand, yet easily confusing narrative. In the end, it feels incomplete and almost requires a part II to sort everything out. Nevertheless, the theme of human suffering as the cost of tyranny and greed (and in Tetsuo's case, wrath) is profound, even if the rest of the plot is convoluted. Art: ∞ Sure, I gave it a 10 on the rating scale, but truth be told, there is no number here that could truly justify the quality of art and animation in Akira. The level of detail in the characters and the ultra smooth,realistic motion of the animation is the closest you can get to godliness. If Walt Disney was alive today and saw Akira, I have no doubt in my mind he would tip his hat off to the animation crew. To this very day, Akira makes even my most favorite anime look amateurish in comparison.

Sound: 10
Backing up the godlike animation is an almost equally impressive level of sound effects and chilling music. The motorcycles engines, the blasts coming from the bombs and weapons, and a soundtrack that elevates every scene. The voiceovers do an excellent job at conveying the emotions of the charactes, which is even more important considering the characters lips sync with their words.

Character: 7
A great cast of characters move the plot along well, although some characters deserved more light shed on them. Tetsuo and Kaneda are almost polar opposites, yet they're still as close as brothers. As the story unfolds, their brotherhood is shattered as one's quest for power and dominance creates a schism between them. It's a classic Greek tragedy with the destruction of the city around them serving as a metaphor.

Enjoyment: 10
As confusing as Akira's main plot is, that couldn't stop me from enjoying everything else the anime had to offer. It took a couple of rewatches to really understand what was going on, but thanks to the quality of the animation and the subtext of its characters, each viewing never felt old.

Overall: 10
Even if this isn't your cup of tea or if the goriness may be too much for you, I recommend any anime fan to watch Akira at LEAST once. As a work of art, it is a timeless masterpiece, and the seemingly exhaustive work of the animators needs to be appreciated. There will probably never be another hand drawn animation of this quality ever again.