Akira
A rebellious biker races through a hyper-detailed Neo-Tokyo as his friend's awakening psychic power threatens to recreate the city's apocalyptic past.
Overview
In a dystopian future, a biker gang must confront a terrifying force that could destroy their city once again.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Graphic
- kinetic
- bleak
- surreal
- late night viewing
- anime marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Akira as a landmark of modern anime, praising its phenomenal animation, kinetic energy, and detailed futuristic vision while finding its dense narrative demanding.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Neo-Tokyo is filled with intricate skyscrapers, laboratories, highways, stadiums, motorcycles, and luminous night streets.
Tetsuo's powers are explicitly connected to Akira and to the destruction that previously devastated Tokyo.
Kaneda's relationship with Tetsuo drives the emotional conflict as Tetsuo's powers and status radically change.
Dream sequences and telekinetic phenomena exploit animation's ability to alter perspective, anatomy, and physical scale.
Films like Akira, and why
Blade Runner
Shares cyberpunk world-building, dystopian urban spectacle, philosophical science fiction, and themes of technological power.
Ghost in the Shell
Shares animated science fiction, post-apocalyptic anxiety, militarized research, and visually ambitious dystopian futures.
The Matrix
Shares kinetic science fiction action, dense future-city design, destructive technology, and themes of human transcendence.
Metropolis
Shares dystopian megacity imagery, authoritarian institutions, rebellion, and the catastrophic consequences of unchecked power.
Movie Details
- Director
- Katsuhiro Otomo
- Release Date
- 1988-07-16
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (5036)
Cast
- Mitsuo Iwata
- Nozomu Sasaki
- Mami Koyama
- Taro Ishida
- Mizuho Suzuki
- Tessyo Genda
- Koichi Kitamura
- Yuriko Fuchizaki
- Masaaki Okura
- Takeshi Kusao
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Akira about?
- A rebellious biker races through a hyper-detailed Neo-Tokyo as his friend's awakening psychic power threatens to recreate the city's apocalyptic past.
- What is Akira like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Akira as breakneck, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Akira violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Akira as graphic.
- What did critics think of Akira?
- Critics broadly regard Akira as a landmark of modern anime, praising its phenomenal animation, kinetic energy, and detailed futuristic vision while finding its dense narrative demanding.
- Which films are like Akira?
- Films with a similar feel include Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, The Matrix, and Metropolis.
- How long is Akira?
- Akira runs 124 minutes.
- Where can I watch Akira?
- In United States, Akira streams on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel.
In Ember's collections
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- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence2004
- Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 2: Ghost Whispers2013
- Tetsuo: The Iron Man1989
- Appleseed Alpha2014
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven2006
- Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie2015
- Appleseed2004
- Bubble2022
