Akira

It is hard to describe how much of an impact this movie had on the anime industry when it came out in the winter of 1989. It was the most technically complex animation ever to be produced, the work of countless studios and talents working together to create something never before seen. This movie is studied even today by film and animation students for a reason: It truly was that good. Akira showed us how anime could produce a world that was dark, gritty, and thought-provoking in a way that live action movies could not. Painstakingly animated at 24 hand-drawn frames per second, voices that were recorded beforehand so the mouths could be drawn to match up with each word, a color palette more comprehensive than anything used at the time, and one of the most unique and satisfying soundtracks ever created are just a few of the achievements of this movie. Look up what animation looked like in the 80s and then imagine this coming out in 1989. It was so far above and beyond anything anyone had seen at the time. Not only that, but it helped re-inspire and save the anime industry as a whole and proved that anime could be popular all over the world. The anime boom of the 90s would never have occurred without this film paving the way. We're lucky to finally be able to watch this here on Crunchyroll. If you've never seen it before, plan some time, turn out the lights, and immerse yourself in this truly creative world. It has it's ups and downs, but overall it remains one of the landmark achievements in anime and still holds up fantastically today.

Just finished it. What is there even to say? By the end of it, you can't decide whether you're completely awestruck by it or try to figure out what it was you just watched. Was it a movie about brotherhood? Sure, but one which is tested in unimaginable ways. Was it a story about love? Sure. We could surmise the Kaneda and Kei met and learn to care for each other as the movie progresses. Again, What propels Kei to even call for Kaneda is confusing but also inspiring. This was "What the fuck did I just watch?" combined with "Holy f*cking shit" in the most epic of ways. It sci-fi in its most unfiltered form.

This is the penultimate anime of all time. This is what made anime truly great. And made us true believers way back when. Back when we called it Japanimation. And why some of us still think of it as Japanimation. Because this is the example we have in mind when anime is mentioned. And we are taken back to those special days when we gazed in awe at these high impact graphics and exotic sounds and at those tail light trails! We never forgot the impact it had on us, and how it grabbed us by all our senses. Nothing before or since has even come close to it. This anime blew us away when it crashed onto these shores. Much like the impact it had across the rest of the world. There are so many iconic scenes and sounds that will sear themselves into your mind forever. This is a must see anime. You can not call yourself truly experienced as an anime fan until you get experienced by Akira. Heck, I will never forget the night I read the write up about it in my Father's stash of Playboys! The images they used made me read actual words that night! And this is why we older fans have always rolled our eyes at youngins calling other people "noobs" because they have been watching anime for over a year. Or talking up their favorite anime as if it is the greatest of all time. This is what we grew up on, and this is what we would put up against any anime anytime, anywhere. Do yourself a favor, turn off the lights, darken the room, turn up the sound, maybe even take a few ...., and watch this movie. And then thank Crunchyroll for finally bringing it back out to the masses! Akira man! Hell fockin yeah!

Seriously, there's literally thousands of pages worth of praise that has been written about this film and the impact it has on anime in general. So I'm not going to add anything else but if you haven't seen the film, then you kind of owe it to yourself and watch the damn thing already. Akira, along with Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust are probably a must watch for any anime fan. SO, just go and watch it, seriously, just watch the damn thing.