This film is a masterpiece. Every few years I look to see if there is any new Anime out there of equal scope and quality, and am completely disappointed.

To the haters who watch Akira and didn't "get" it, you shouldn't mistake your own lack of comprehension for a lack of meaning. One needs to watch Akira a few times to really piece together what is happening.

This is not a Hollywood film. It will not spoon feed you a convenient plot with happy endings. But if you put a little effort into it, this movie will deliver.

Pro-tip: Don't watch the English overdub, do subtitles. The Japanese voice actors deliver powerful performances. Also the subtitles make a lot more sense than the English overdub, as by necessity, the writers must hack on a script quite a bit to make the voice over fit into the pace and rhythm of the film. This is why overdubs almost always lose meaning, in addition to making the lips look silly.