Man, I watched this film so many times when I was younger.

In fact, you could say I watched A Keira Knightley.......

I'm sorry.

94/100

An aggressive tour de force of influential animation, tangible world-building, inferiority complexes, biker gangs, giant teddy bears, and overwhelming sequences of violence. It stays burrowed in your psyche, ruining a certain, seemingly simple nerve and, in the blink of an eye, shifting perspective and rendering previous knowledge meaningless. Strangely enough, this is only the second time I've seen Akira, with the first being my "initiation" (age 11) via a dubbed VHS copy, but I can't imagine spending more than a year away from this film ever again. It's a horrifyingly grandiose tragedy piece, melding flesh and metal, revolutions and minuscule angst, mind and body, rubber and pavement into a Nuclear aftermath of neon and rubble. In spite of its countless influences (Metropolis, 2001, A Clockwork Orange to name a few), there's nothing quite like it.

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Probably the most galvanic and visceral example of a nation's collective psychic fallout since Honda's GODZILLA. Simultaneously dreading and anticipating a return to power.

A bloated storyline, & a lengthy runtime that can be felt at parts undoubtedly hold back Akira from being fully exceptional, although this animated feature does still shine enough in quite a few sections to make it a moderately adequate time for the most part.

The absolutely striking animation looks/visuals plus the vast scope of 'Neo-Tokyo' throughout, and the film's reasonably mature content are certainly the notable highlights of this one for sure as it takes care of those particular elements relatively fine.

Some solid action as well, and I can see why this was highly influential for modern anime in the end, too.

kaneda and tetsuo should have just fucked it would have gotten rid of a lot of the tension between them

what the hell

that finale is still one of the most terrifying things i've ever seen in my life

Neo-Tokyo. A giant-ass explosion. A crotch-rocket battle with the Insane Clown Posse. Suicide by cop. Ryu without Ken. Weird looking kids with cool powers. Student riots. Fuck is fuck in any language. Super-powers that make Carrie look like a Telekinesis Smurf. Oh Kaneda. Anime boobs. A barkeep's last pour. A determined general. Blowing a lot of shit up. Showdown at the Olympic Stadium with your best friend. A huge fuckin teddy bear. Attack of the giant arm. Becoming something you sure as fuck never dreamed of. A wild-ass visual adventure that is a must see for anyone who is Anime-curious.

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Where do I even start? How each scene is so meticulously set up? How the amount of devotion invested in bringing neo-tokyo to life is clearly shown in the amount of attention paid in drawing each rock, each debris, each tiny detail? How the film depicts life in this cyberpunk world without using a single line of exposition, yet the viewers can still grasp the idea as if they've been living there for years? This is a film that should be studied down to every frame by anyone who has even the slightest interest in animation.

Akira literally rocks. I started watching while sitting in an upright position, but when the credits rolled I realized I was hanging on the ceiling fan. Not a surprise, for a film that starts with a nuclear explosion.

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh

Hold your jaw.

I'm still confused and kind of grossed out. I don't want it explained to me.

I <3 anime :3 hehe

Watched the new dub and was sad to hear that the "that's Mr. Kaneda, to you" line was no longer there.

Shoot, I forgot how good this film is. Deserves another half star.

As someone who does not know much about anime, Akira is, without a doubt, a masterpiece in storytelling and animation. The film is a coming-of-age drama in the confines of a dystopian political tale where authoritarianism controls the individual through violence and power. As the narrative progresses, Akira incorporates elements and sub-genres and subverts them into a cohesive whole. Considering the animation, Akira has some of the most awe-inspiring moments in cinema due to the color pallet and vivid imagery. The idea of this movie being remade was odd because a live-action version could never capture the artistry of this film.

so i grew up on the manga and i'm giving it four stars because of that. i love some good post-ap shit tho.

As with literally any anime I’ve watched, I’m left with some questions. Let it be said tho that the music and animation was fucking amazing hehe <3

Big heat

cool music. I liked the first half better.

Cyberpunk 2077 : who are you?

Akira : I’m you but better

ROAD TO "NO MORE HEROES 3" - Film #1

Can't wait to revisit this a few more times, hopefully after reading some of the countless think pieces and analyses written over the course of this movie's storied history. All rightfully deserved, there is simply so much to unpack here.

All I can say for sure now is that I ate up the cyberpunk x body-horror hybrid aesthetic and that the storyboard for this must've been INSANE. It's a glorious masterstroke that has earned its phenomena status tenfold.