Review of Akira

Akira is a landmark of animation history, anime or otherwise. It is a flawed masterpiece, but I am of the opinion that any anime fan, aspiring animator, or sci-fi lover owes it to themselves to watch Akira at least twice in their lifetime. In terms of story, Akira tells a cyberpunk story in the vein of something that has grown largely familiar by this point in time, using post-apocalyptic societal upheaval to exasperate the human condition to a point where a clear point can be made--here, a cautionary tale about the corrupting nature of power, both in terms of raw ability and bureaucratic influence. While themovie adaptation suffers somewhat on account of having to fit what was imagined as a sprawling epic into a feature film runtime, the economy of characters and moving parts create a story which, though convoluted, holds up. (7/10)

Akira's art style and direction are at the pinnacle of the cyberpunk, dark futurist aesthetic. The perfect sensibility of what elements to exaggerate and what to strive for realism in synergizes beautifully with the vague familiarity and brokenness of Neo Tokyo very rarely in history has color been used so extensively and effectively. The character designs carry a very "80s" feel, but the excellence with which they are executed and utilized, I don't feel that this is a detriment in any way. In my mind, the art team has achieved perfection in this film. (10/10)

The music of the film is, in my opinion, disappointing. Akira's soundtrack attempts to capture its story with the combination of industrial sounds and aboriginal folk styles. The music does little to blend with the scenes they are presented in--a task made more difficult by the long stretches devoid of music within the film. The sound design concerning the city, motorcycle gangs, psychic events, and so on does a wonderful job, but it simply isn't enough to make up for the poorly paired score. (6/10)

The development of the characters in Akira is rushed, but the arcs which the characters take are tried and true. I take this to be more growing pains (or perhaps shrinking pains would be the more accurate turn of phrase) brought on by the adaptation of the manga, but they detract very little from the valuable, archetypical patterns the characters following along their way through the movie. (7/10)

In terms of enjoyment, Akira is easy to invest in and easy to get something out of. It is smart without being terribly heady, contains marvelous actions, and displays some of the most breathtaking examples of animation to date. I see few who could leave a viewing of Akira without some preferential itch of theirs having been scratched. (10/10)

All in all, Akira is a flawed masterpiece, but certainly a masterpiece. Its many shortcomings and compromises are overshadowed by the absolute beauty and passion of the work. Can't recommend it enough, but don't expect to find perfection. (8/10)