Akira

Japan, 1988. An explosion caused by a young boy with psychic powers tears through the city of Tokyo and ignites the fuse that leads to World War III. In order to prevent any further destruction, he is captured and taken into custody, never to be heard from again. Now, in the year 2019, a restored version of the city known as Neo-Tokyo—an area rife with gang violence and terrorism against the current government—stands in its place. Here, Shoutarou Kaneda leads "the Capsules," a group of misfits known for riding large, custom motorcycles and being in constant conflict with their rivals "the Clowns."

During one of these battles, Shoutarou's best friend Tetsuo Shima is caught up in an accident with an esper who finds himself in the streets of Tokyo after escaping confinement from a government institution. Through this encounter, Tetsuo begins to develop his own mysterious abilities, as the government seeks to quarantine this latest psychic in a desperate attempt to prevent him from unleashing the destructive power that could once again bring the city to its knees.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kaneda, Shoutarou Main

Iwata, Mitsuo Japanese

Shima, Tetsuo Main

Sasaki, Nozomu Japanese

Kei Main

Koyama, Mami Japanese

Shikishima Main

Ishida, Tarou Japanese

Akira Supporting

Kai Supporting

Kusao, Takeshi Japanese

Yamagata Supporting

Ookura, Masaaki Japanese

Kaori Supporting

Fuchizaki, Yuriko Japanese

Kiyoko Supporting

Itou, Fukue Japanese

Miyako Supporting

Kitamura, Kouichi Japanese

Maseba, Yutaka Producer

Otomo, Katsuhiro Director, Script, Original Character Design, Original Creator

Aketagawa, Susumu Sound Director

Hashimoto, Izou Script

Reviews

Apr 9, 2025

BerryBlitz

Recommended

I gave Akira a 10/10 because, quite frankly, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. From the moment it starts, the film grips you with its explosive energy, dystopian atmosphere, and iconic cyberpunk aesthetic that still feels ahead of its time, even decades after its release. The animation is absolutely breathtaking—detailed, fluid, and hauntingly beautiful. You can tell every frame was crafted with care and ambition.

The sound design and music are equally unforgettable. That eerie, tribal-meets-techno score lingers long after the credits roll, and it’s hard not to feel a chill during the movie’s most intense moments. And there are a lot of intense moments—Akira is ... relentless in its pacing, and you never quite get a moment to breathe.

Story-wise, it dives deep into themes of power, identity, evolution, and the destruction of humanity by its own unchecked potential. Tetsuo’s transformation is disturbing and tragic, and Kaneda’s loyalty to his childhood friend, despite everything, gives the film an emotional backbone amidst the chaos.

But let me be honest—I’m still confused about the ending. I think I get what it was going for on a metaphorical level, but the sheer surrealism of it all left my brain doing somersaults. The psychic explosion, the new universe, Tetsuo ascending or becoming something greater… it was a lot. Fascinating, beautiful, but definitely overwhelming.

Still, confusion aside, Akira left a massive impression on me. It’s the kind of film that makes you want to rewatch it just to pick up on what you missed. And even if you don’t fully understand it, you feel it—the weight of the story, the emotion in the characters, and the warning it carries about power and control.

A true anime classic that earns every bit of its legendary status.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Mar 3, 2025

Dormdude

Mixed Feelings

I know I'll make a lot of people mad because god forbid someone else have a different opinion. But I was really disappointed by Akira. It's clear that they were trying to squeeze an entire manga series into a 2 hour movie and to me it just doesn't work. Too many things happen too suddenly with little to no build up. Too many ideas going on at once with not enough time to explore them before moving on. The ideas that are there seem great but the movie leaves me frustrated having not explored or explained those ideas enough. I'll give the manga a chance ... but the movie is just ok with a lot of wasted potential.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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Jan 9, 2024

DeviantKuroi

Not Recommended

Funny

Akira sucks. Overrated.

So many people saying "It's a great piece of art". OK, I didn't see it.

There's many anime movies and animes who work abstract concepts in the same way that akira's art pretend to do, and they did it so much better and with more (of any) sense. So it seems to me that is very, very overrated.

Art to me, like an old classic, it's not that special (There's other with more stetic)

Furthermore, I find the machism and sexist in the movie disgusting and repulsive. I know, I know, is an 80's film... But fuck, there's others anime and 80's film. And they aren't ... like that.

So in resume, not - in any case - that good as I thought by the amount of good reviews saying it's a wonder, a deception and a movie for dry and smelly machirulos.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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