Summary: >

The year is 2019, and about 30 years since World War III. The place is Neo Tokyo, built on the ashes of the previous Tokyo destroyed in the war. Underground rebels are in a constant fight with the government. And aside from that many delinquents roam the street looking for trouble, the leader of a biker gang named Kaneda is just one of those people. Through a sequence of events one of the other members of the gang named Tetsuo ends up being experimented on by the government.

Tetsuo however ends up attaining power no one can control - possibly including himself. And with his feeling of inadequacy toward this friend Kaneda, even this gang can't get him to keep it down. And so Tetsuo goes on a rampage that is unstoppable by anyone. But that won't stop Kaneda from trying. He is one of the gang after all.

Thoughts: >

Akira is one of the most monumental films in anime. As a cornerstone of anime it's hard to deny much about this title. I mean it's just so well thought out and animated. Akira is also one of those titles that has crossed boundaries few anime titles ever had. Any TRUE fan of sci-fi in general has seen Akira. Should you see Akira? Of course you should. I mean it's one of THE definitive anime titles. If you're a true anime fan then this is of course a must see. Not only because it's good, but because it's so influential to anime itself.

Now this is where things will get weird. And I might get blasted for this, but this IS my review site and as such I said I would always post my opinions - because if I held back that wouldn't be fair to you dear reader, now would it? Yeah, actually I didn't much like Akira. And that's funny because I consider myself a sci-fi fan, and an anime fan. I think a lot of it has to do with the whole cyber-punk thing which just automatically turns me off. It's also sort of philosophical aspect that failed to delver much to me, and the violence and gore just wasn't my thing.

Now keep in mind that other titles I do like that have the same elements as Akira (cyber-punk: Armitage III, violent: Ninja Scroll, philosophical: Area 88) It's just that Akira didn't put it all together in a package I liked. I have no regrets watching it though, and would recommend it to just about everyone... except maybe my mom. And I guess that's sort of another thing to keep in mind because this title isn't necessarily for everyone in the end. I mean rabid cutesy shoujo fans won't find much to like about this title.

Bottom line: recommended

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