Review of Akira

Let's take a look at a movie considered not only a classic but one of the best Anime movies ever made. Story: In 2015 it's very hard to judge how influential or revolutionary this movie was. The plot starts out very confusing, as we get introduced to these shriveled kids on one hand and Kanedas bike gang on the other. Once these two strings meet, the story becomes much clearer, though it still leaves some unanswered questions in the end. That's not a bad thing in general, but after watching this movie, I still don't really understand much about Akira, his powers and where this all camefrom. Nonetheless, the plot keeps moving forward and has a satisfying end, not really a happy one, but not a downer ending either.
7/10

Art:
This is where Akira really shines. It's hard to believe that this movie is now almost 30 years old. The animation is so incredibly fluent and detailed that one has to wonder why Anime has come to where it is now. Akira looks so much better than many things released 10, 15, even 20 years later. Especially Neo-Tokyo at night is just a feast for the eyes. I'd say this is the visually best Anime possible for 1988.
10/10

Sound:
The soundtrack is incredibly fitting and only used when it feels necessary, making its impact when it actually plays much higher. Its epic when it should be, its creepy when the story asks for it, it never fails to hit the point. The abscence of sound effects in multiple scenes just adds to the overall feel this movie has. The voice acting is very good too, maybe better than in many Anime of today.
9/10

Characters:
This is where I do have a little problem. For a 2 hour movie, we have a very numerous cast of important characters. This leads to not everybody getting enough screentime and/or background to fully sink in. For example, I have no clue who that long-haired, buckettoothed guy was who tried to flee with his money near the end, nor do I get what his motivations were. Apparently this is a problem coming from trying to fit the stroy of a multiple volume manga in the time limits of a movie. The main characters are developed well enough though, so it's not a deadly flaw.
6/10

Enjoyment:
I didn't think I would enjoy this movie as much as I did. Sure, it has aged a little, as we have seen many elements recycled multiple times by now, but it has aged really well and still provides 2 hours of entertainment that do not feel as long. Due to the compression of the source material, you never really have a scene that feels unnessecary, though it focussed on too many things at once from time to time.
8/10

Overall:
8.0/10