Review of Akira

My overall rating in terms of a review is that this series is a 7 for one simple fact: I had to re-watch the movie to get a better understanding of it. Not everyone will be able to appreciate Akira the first time they watch it. Honestly, its a little confusing and very fast pasted that some people won't be able to catch everything right away especially cus this story doesn't start at the beginning of events but after they have happened so it's easy to miss important details. To me, the most critical part of any good movie is the audience needs to understand thestory, the first time around. If they can't, it's hard to appreciate it for what it truly is. Keep in mind Akira is 2hrs long. Most people won't re-watch a movie they saw the first time around that confused them. Simply put, this movie might not be everyone's cup of tea.

HOWEVER, this movie is a classic anime because of the impact it had at the time of its release but now most people might consider it average. If we ignore the governmental aspect of the plot, the basic storyline is a kid who didn't have powers before but due to random series of events gains powers that he has no control over while becoming a government test subject. He tries to understand these newfound abilities and learns to appreciate them because he now doesn't need his best friend to save him anymore. Tetsuya wants to be the hero, not the sidekick anymore. Said friend then tries to save him from himself.

To most experienced anime watchers, this plot is average. There isn't anything revolutionary about it. Except for the animation because a lot of modern anime are very cookie-cutter. Akira is stylistically unique with great quality animation especially considering it was made in 1988 and has aged beautifully.

Akira was made with the help of the mangaka which at the time had not finished the manga so the movie is the first interpretation of Akira. I suggest reading the manga along with watching it to get a fuller picture of the story especially if you had a hard time understanding Akira the first time around and don't wanna watch the movie a second time.