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If Akira was published today, I very much doubt it would get a fraction of the praise it now gets (even if it was updated to the "present time").
The good about this manga has already been told extensively, so I will talk about the bad.

Kaneda, one the main characters, is a normal human being, yet somehow he can wrestle with Superman, outsmart Batman, and overcome the Fates and the angels of Death. Additionally, he drives the fanciest motorcycles (and is the best rider, obviously), and gets the girl (another obviously, as all good heroes are supposed to get the girl). By the way, Kaneda is ... a teenager, like many of the readers to whom the manga was targeted. Coincidence?

There is supposed to be a relationship between two characters like the one you can find in Berserk and other manga. But here the relationship is poorly developed - okay, maybe I am being too soft here. The relationsihip is rather not developed (a couple of drawings to tell a sotry which, admittedly, didnt need more because it was cliché even back in the day).

Wondering whats behind the powers of some of the characters? Well, dont. It is just military experimentation and that kind of stuff. You do not need to know more, and you wouldnt understand it anyway. Think of it as a world with magic, but no rules, so the author can have whatever they want, and need, any time.

There are characters that can read the thoughts of other characters, fly, survive in space, cause explosions more destructive than the bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But, a regular Joe can kick their asses.

There is no consistency as to what sort of skill can is a "power" mastered by a character. In Akira, we may find a characer than can simply jump very high, another that can move objects with their mind, yet another that can apparently see what is going on everywhere in the world and, further, has the ability to direct that vision to precisely what is of interest to them - instantly.

Etc. etc.

If you are not bothered by thinks like those above, then Akira is a great read. Otherwise, dont waster your time.

Canaas is a show with a high overall rating but I disagree.
Plot: the are many ingredients tossed together but unrelated (many characters and elements which you expect to have a role in the story, in the end are nothing more than "empty filling"). If you dont care that much about coherent and complex plots though, then it will still be fine.
As for the characters: in the first episode you will notice that you already know one of the female protagonists from another hundred animés. As for complexity dont expect too much (sort of like Noir). Something I personlly dislike is inconsistency and I found that ... happening with the antagonist, who behaves in a certain way for all the show but then, at the end and with no reason, she acts completely different (if the authors needed that to happen, they should have given a reason to the character for doing so).
I know many who have watched the series will hit the useless review button, but i simply dont care. I write for those who have not watched the series yet, to whom I recommend watching one or two episodes first (especifically if you are interested in plot and character development and complexity).
Thanks for reading.

This show is about action and drama and it is driven by character relationships, and it is rather mature.
Now, my personal views.
The characters are varied, interesting and well developed, however a few of their actions and decisions seem odd; these actions dont make any sense from the point of view of the character but are simply imposed so that the story moves in a particular way. Further, if you are a female or are concerned with female characters, be warned that females here are merely a complement when not plain stupid.
As for the action, it is great yet to me it becomes unrealistic. There are ... shows (like Cowboy bebop) in which there is a protagonist who is really far above anyone else (or almost) and yet they seem "human". Not here. When the protagonist fights the enemies pee on their pants, it is like a super hero vs your average gym rat.
To me, it could have been a much better series had it only been more realistic (not because I like realism better but simply for internal consistency) and had the characters actions been more aligned to their personality.