> "They forgot all shame and honor, cast off the civilization and science we had created, and shut the lid of the Pandora's Box they themselves had opened."

Going into Akira, the only thing I knew was the bike and that this was one of the best anime films ever released. And it lived up to those expectations with flying colors, knocking my expectations out of the water. The characters were all solid and organic and despite the large cast, I felt like the time dedicated to the ones that were important got plenty of screen time and attention. The setting did its purpose with flying colors, feeling bigger than the characters and not to mention getting me the feel of what a real Cyberpunk is, having only known Cyberpunk 2077 before this.

The music was phenomenal, adding to the movie with immersion more than just how it makes you feel which is greatly thanks to the Gamelan inspired soundtrack, which I still have not yet heard anywhere else. The animation quality is crazy and you can see it clearly despite the movie being made in the 80s. I wasn't expecting the story this movie was going to tell but that wasn't a bad thing. In fact, I found it to be much more interesting and uncomfortable than expected. It had me watching with my eyes glued to the screen, genuinely entertained and wowed by the level of detail that went into making this a truly unforgettable movie experience. SPOILERS AHEAD: The only issues I had with this movie was the one scene that showed nudity, feeling like it was just checking off the box since it was a one-and-done-deal. The ending also was a little jarring, taking you out of your full immersion and asking you to extend your disbelief as it continues to get stranger. To be fair, I know that the manga also is very strange but I felt the jump from grounded cyberpunk with slight elements of mysticism to going fully into mysticism and whatnot can be jarring when you aren't expecting it in this adaptation. Nevertheless, the movie adaptation of Akira is very loosely based off the original manga series, but allows those readers a fresh and familiar story all at the same time while being a very interesting first experience to anime-only viewers. It's a film that stands the test of time, with its amazing animation, stellar voice acting, towering world, gripping story, and unforgettable soundtrack. I can't recommend Akira enough to others.