Review of Akira

I find it so baffling that in Letterboxd, a movie community, this film is like top-tier best animated feature, the highlight of Japanese animation before the 21st century and an all time fave for most cinephiles but in MAL it's heavily criticised due to how there isn't a lot of character development and the plot is too complicated to understand? Like...? I believe that you are able to like movies or a series regardless of those things, and personally i am able to love movies or series that are more style over substance. For Akira, this is as clear as day. I find that this moviewas enthralling from the first second to the last, it doesnt give you too much information for what's going on and what is about to happen so it keeps you on a leash until the end, with a lot of puzzles you have to figure out on your own. It is mysterious, thrill seeking and a wild ride. I enjoyed every second of this 2-hour long movie.

The most appealing thing about it was definitely the art style and animation, the colors were so lively and against the futuristic score and the Neo-Tokyo setting, it pays homage to Blade Runner's dytopian world. The main characters being Kaneda and Tetsuo were immaculate, both having such clear motivations from the get-go.

I had an amazing time watching this movie but I think it's definitely perfect to watch when you have plenty of time and a lot of focus so that you can appreciate every moment. If you are into the visuals and aesthetics more so than character development or a coherent story, this is definitely for you. A must watch for cinephiles and deserves more praise in MAL !