A movie so iconic that it regularly makes an apperance in main stream media and meme culture to this day. Heck, I didn't even know this movie was from 1988!! That is 13 whole years before I was born and that is absolute insanity to me (how did they know japan was hosting the 2020 olympics, the internet told me they decided on tokyo in 2013!?!). Anyway, while it may be old, it was one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen in my life. There was not a single moment in the movie in which I just couldn't stop thinking to myself, "Wow, a movie like this will never be made again." And its not because I think modern animation is worse, or animators are worse. I was just so struck by every scene and how it was animated in a way that made me question if there were animators who were trained to animate these things anymore. A huge issue in the modern industry is the lack of passing down knowledge and trade secrets, heck its something that has already occurred in western animation. We have legends like James Baxter who animated some of the most famous animated scenes in history, but the west doesn't focus on 2d animation anymore, we don't have the infrastructure to breed creatives in that industry and you have to wonder if there will ever be someone so recognizable and praised for his work in a western animated film again. Off track, but my point being, while 2d animation is still alive and praised in Japan, how many animators know how to do some of the things pulled off in this movie, even if given the same amount of time. The architecture, machinery, and atmosphere feels incapable of being repeated to me at least, and I hope that I'm wrong in that regard. This isn't to say we don't have some of the greatest animators in the industry right now, I think there is a lot of promise and the base level of an action animator feels much higher than it may have been in the past, but in other areas like mechs, machinery, sci-fi worlds and animating them, I feel we have taken a step back.

Anyway, moving on from the visuals, which alone made me want to give it a 10, the story kept me engaged throughout. I think the characters were all fleshed out to the point of what I would expect of a movie. I think there are a lot of people who talk about how much better the manga is than the movie because of how much more in depth it goes. And while I haven't read the manga (but I definitely plan on doing so) I think one must be hyper fixated on conventional rules of plot structure, character exploration etc. to think the movie did a poor job at telling the story it wanted to. The subtle story telling through visuals, audio, and minor character interactions were done perfectly without ever slowing down the pace too much, which can't be said about all anime. I felt I understood the vision, to tell a story about a post-apocalyptic world, a story about trying to play God, control power beyond what we can truly imagine and the consequences of such things. The cruel reality of being a citizen tossed aside in a society and pushed down by those around you. Lashing out and the desire to just feel in control of your life are all different themes and messages that I felt were delivered quite perfectly throughout the movie. Tetsuo was abandoned, bullied and forced to find himself a new home in this broken city. And Kaneda was that home. However what never struck with him was the fear of being left behind again, always trying to prove himself, prove that he belongs, and that he isn't just some kid who needs to be taken care of, but an equal. And when he finally gets a taste of control, he never lets go. You can't tell him what to do, what's right, what's wrong. He decides that now. So many times he could have killed Kaneda, but instead he just wants to keep showing him how he doesn't need to be saved anymore, but in the end when he loses control of his newfound powers, he cries out for help one last time and instead of holding any grudge, or any ill-will, Kaneda went to save his friend.

Quick aside; I'd heard how Akira had inspired different parts of MHA multiple times, but never fully understood the references, but now I can definitely say, boy were they not joking. Tatsuo and Shigaraki, while not exactly the same, definitely share more than enough parallels and was a fun aspect to see from the similar decaying and destruction of the cities, to the red cape and even the similarities to the mha ending where deku goes into Shigaraki's memories. All of that was super fun for me and I was honestly suprised how much deeper the similarities ran than I had initially thought.

Overall, I think this movie is one of a kind, and I finished feeling satisfied and in amazement of its existence. I think if I was born at this time, this movie would have been the one that turned me into an anime fan, and I finally understand why it is seen as one of the best.