OVERALL:	¤¤¤¤ 1/2
Animation:	***
Storyline:	****
Artwork:	*** 1/2
Plot:	*****
Soundtrack:	****
Voicing:	** 1/2 (Old Dub) ** 1/2 (New Dub)

Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda are part of a small motor cycle gang in NeoTotyo. During a gang war Tetsuo and Kaneda encounter an opperation to retrive an escaped millitary experiment. Tetsuo is then captured by the military and has experiments carried out himself as well. This unleashs a powerful psyhic ablily which then uses Tetsuo to escape and with his new powers takes revenge on the world that has oppressed him. However, when these powers get out of control Kaneda is the only one that can stop Tetsuo and save NeoTokyo.

Akira is a classic. Being one of the first post apocalyptic anime, as well as one of the first anime to be imported from Japan it is a must see for any anime fan. The film was ground breaking with impressive �special FX� and excellent �camera work� (using the terms loosely because in animation there is no such thing.) Because of the age of the film (and it is a feature length film) the artwork and the animation are not on par with some of today�s works however I found that it interfered only slightly with the over all presentation of the film. Finally if you do decide to watch Akira then I would suggest that you watch the subtitled version, as in most anime; the English dubing, both in the old and the new version, definaltly leaves something to be desired. The movie is still decent, and the story is still pretty much the same, however, the character seem more natural when watched with original Japanese voicing.

Final Note: Akira is a classic and is a must see for any anime fan, if only to get the references, however, if you only watch anime occasionally you may wish to wait, because the plot can sometimes be confusing and you may need to watch it a few times before you understand what is going on.