Akira (1988)
The cyberpunk anime that started it all.
Presentation:
Starting in 1982, Akira would go on to be one of the most influential animes of all time kickstarting the cyberpunk genre along with Blade Runner with most notably its cyberpunk and psychic themes. The visual style and influence is iconic, with one of the most copied sliding motorcycle scenes in all of cinema. The character design isn’t particularly my cup of tea, but it’s a 1982 hand drawn anime. The story is also filled with political elements and psychotic villains, but they are a bit one dimensional in the end. The character motivations end up being typical governmental tropes, which is admittedly unfair to characterize from 30 years into the future.
Conclusion:
Considering how hyped this anime is, it’s a bit overrated to me. The story is ambitiously messy and easy to lose interest in amidst the visual flair of explosive dystopian racing and firefighting. If you go into this knowing its influence and expecting a masterpiece, you should be disappointed as its impact is more a result of its evocative imagery. But the context may be important for those that care about historical relevance as it is a landmark of a genre with tremendous impact bringing anime to western audiences. Actually, I think Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust will fill those expectations instead. Regardless, Akira historically remains a silver bullet, piercing the way for the science fiction genre.
Recommendations
Are time travel films from the past better?