Akira (1988)

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Stars: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama
Runtime: 124 minutes

Animation: 10/10
Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: Taking place in a ravaged Neo-Tokyo, thirty-one years after the end of a hypothetical World War Three, "Akira" tells the story of bikers, telekinetic powers and a psychopath on the loose. One thing I loved about the movie was the design of the city of Neo-Tokyo, which was clearly inspired by the Los Angeles depicted in 1982's science-fiction masterpiece "Blade Runner". And this is where the movie differentiates itself from other animes, and why I would recommend it to everybody, even people not really into the Japanese form of art. "Akira" didn't feel like a traditional anime, but rather a mix of eastern and western animated films. The story was based on a Manga, but the way it was shot reminded me of movies like "The Iron Giant" or even "Treasure Planet". The animation is pretty flawless, and the use of colors really complemented the general atmosphere of the film. My main problems with the movie come from the screenplay. While the first half of it is intriguing and rather exciting, the second half was basically a festival of explosions and destruction that don't really take the story anywhere and made me look at my watch a couple of times. In the end, "Akira" was groundbreaking and opened the door to other animes beloved by western audiences like "Pokemon" or "Dragonball", but has some pacing issues and could've been 10 to 15 minutes shorter.    

Final Grade: 7/10