AKIRA

Rating: 4 / 5
Reviewer: Marc

The definitive classic of Japanese animation, and a cyberpunk classic on top of that. AKIRA suffers somewhat from a dense, twisting, metaphysical, and all-around confusing plot compressed from several fat volumes of manga, but for those grabbed by its apocalyptic vision and socio-political layers, it's the sort of film that gets better the more times you watch it (or if you come in already familiar with the comic version). Regardless, AKIRA is a (if not The) visual masterpiece of anime. The art is consistent and very slick, the backgrounds richly detailed, and the animation itself is of near-Disney quality. It is also viscerally violent, and maintains a dark cyberpunk feel that eventually crescendos into a nightmarish scene of power run amok. The visuals in AKIRA are so good that, even if you hate the plot, you'll probably have trouble taking your eyes off the screen (or you should, if you're a fan of any kind of animation). The music is an equally gripping mix of guttural vocalizing, Buddhist chanting, and Noh drama, as well as some modern themes unlike anything else.

AKIRA is such a classic, and so visually striking, that any anime fan should see it at least once, and many will want to watch it again and aga